Willkie NYC Forum

[Anonymous User]

I have to make a decision on a few offers by the end of the week, and I'm heavily leaning towards Willkie NYC. I'm not set on a certain practice area yet, but it's likely that I'll end up in corporate. I've read a bunch of Willkie threads on here, but I'd love to get some more information.

What's the general consensus on the firm? Any insights into the prestige/stability/reputation of the corporate groups? Does the touted "Willkie culture" live up to it's reputation?

Thanks!

[Anonymous User]

Only heard positive things--if you're an extrovert. High quality work, pleasant and sociable colleagues, fun summer, generally well regarded in the community. Sometimes new associates struggle to get into the litigation group, but that won't be an issue for someone with corporate preferences.

[Wild Card]

What are your other choices?

[RaceJudicata]

If you are this close to your deadline, and 'strongly' leaning towards Wilkie (or any other firm for that matter), I'd just go for it. If you were 50/50 between two firms, sure, seek advice. But at this point, what would really change your opinion?

[Anonymous User]

I'm a current WFG corporate associate, and I really like it. There is a lot of work, as at any firm, but my coworkers are almost uniformly great people that I legitimately enjoy spending time with, and I've been on a lot of fun, interesting projects. I like that within the corporate group, we work as generalists, so while I do mostly M&A, I've also done public offerings, other SEC filings, corporate governance work, etc. - there's a lot of variety and very few things in the typical corporate realm I feel like I have *no* exposure to.

Also, I feel like Willkie doesn't get as much credit for this as it should, but not having a billable hours requirement is amazing. That doesn't mean that we wouldn't hit a minimum if we had one - we do work hard - but it's just one less thing to be stressed about. I am never nervous I won't get my bonus because we're slow in one particular month. I also never feel like I need to hoard work to boost my hours instead of passing it to a junior (who is cheaper and could be learning something new from the experience), if it's an appropriate level for them. I do my work as well as I can, but efficiently, and then I go home.

I'm sure the other firms you're considering are also very good on paper, maybe even higher ranked. But they all pay the same and you're going to end up with good exit options from any of them. So go to the place you feel most comfortable/like the people best, because you're going to spend a lot of time there. For me Willkie is an obvious choice. For others, another firm may be a better fit. But if you enjoyed your visit to Willkie and could see yourself there for at least a few years, I think you could do a lot worse for yourself.

[Anonymous User]

OP here - ended up accepting the offer at Willkie. Would still love to hear more about the summer program and the firm in general.

[Anonymous User]

Also as a current Willkie associate, I'll affirm that Willkie is awesome in every way, except perhaps if you're interested solely in litigation.

[Anonymous User]

Assuming you get an offer after 2L, are you assigned to a certain practice group or are you just lumped into general "litigation" or "corporate"?

Any advice for picking which groups to rotate through next summer?

[Anonymous User]

Also, I feel like Willkie doesn't get as much credit for this as it should, but not having a billable hours requirement is amazing. That doesn't mean that we wouldn't hit a minimum if we had one - we do work hard - but it's just one less thing to be stressed about. I am never nervous I won't get my bonus because we're slow in one particular month. I also never feel like I need to hoard work to boost my hours instead of passing it to a junior (who is cheaper and could be learning something new from the experience), if it's an appropriate level for them. I do my work as well as I can, but efficiently, and then I go home.

So it would be okay to be at 1700-1800? Isn't there pressure to hit 2k+ anyway?

[Anonymous User]

Also, I feel like Willkie doesn't get as much credit for this as it should, but not having a billable hours requirement is amazing. That doesn't mean that we wouldn't hit a minimum if we had one - we do work hard - but it's just one less thing to be stressed about. I am never nervous I won't get my bonus because we're slow in one particular month. I also never feel like I need to hoard work to boost my hours instead of passing it to a junior (who is cheaper and could be learning something new from the experience), if it's an appropriate level for them. I do my work as well as I can, but efficiently, and then I go home.

So it would be okay to be at 1700-1800? Isn't there pressure to hit 2k+ anyway?

Just an FYI OP, I also work at a firm with no billable hour requirement (not Wilkie) and am on pace for 3300 hours this year. Take the whole stated hour requirement thing with a massive grain of salt.

[Anonymous User]

Also, I feel like Willkie doesn't get as much credit for this as it should, but not having a billable hours requirement is amazing. That doesn't mean that we wouldn't hit a minimum if we had one - we do work hard - but it's just one less thing to be stressed about. I am never nervous I won't get my bonus because we're slow in one particular month. I also never feel like I need to hoard work to boost my hours instead of passing it to a junior (who is cheaper and could be learning something new from the experience), if it's an appropriate level for them. I do my work as well as I can, but efficiently, and then I go home.

So it would be okay to be at 1700-1800? Isn't there pressure to hit 2k+ anyway?

Just an FYI OP, I also work at a firm with no billable hour requirement (not Wilkie) and am on pace for 3300 hours this year. Take the whole stated hour requirement thing with a massive grain of salt.

The big difference for non-billable-requirement firms is not how much you end up working, but rather how much stress is associated with the number of hours you bill. You're going to bill what you're going to bill; if the firm is crazy busy and needs you to bill 3300 hours, you're going to bill 3300 hours. But if you're slower, and maybe on pace for 1800-1900 instead of 2000, you're not as stressed thinking about it as you are if you have a specific mark to hit (and you're not as stressed about taking vacation, which will cut into the hours you bill).

I'm a current Willkie associate, and can echo what others have said. If you're interested in corporate, it's a great place to work. The colleagues and culture really do seem a cut above a lot of the rest of NYC biglaw (at least when comparing my experiences to those of my law school friends, to the extent possible).

[Anonymous User]

So to clarify, if you're "on pace" for 1700, there's no need to be stressed or anything?

[Anonymous User]

So to clarify, if you're "on pace" for 1700, there's no need to be stressed or anything?

I wouldn't say there is "no reason" to be stressed. It depends on a lot of things. Is the group just randomly quiet, or is everyone else busy, and you're not? Those are two very different things. Not having a specific billables target doesn't mean you get to put it on cruise control for the year and bill 1000 hours and the firm can't say anything to you about not billing enough. It just means that you can usually be in a general ballpark instead of hitting a specific target and still get your bonus. But you're still at the whim of a lot of outside factors. It takes away stress, but certainly doesn't eliminate it. But given the alternative of a specific target, I definitely enjoy not having a requirement.

[Anonymous User]

So to clarify, if you're "on pace" for 1700, there's no need to be stressed or anything?

I wouldn't say there is "no reason" to be stressed. It depends on a lot of things. Is the group just randomly quiet, or is everyone else busy, and you're not? Those are two very different things. Not having a specific billables target doesn't mean you get to put it on cruise control for the year and bill 1000 hours and the firm can't say anything to you about not billing enough. It just means that you can usually be in a general ballpark instead of hitting a specific target and still get your bonus. But you're still at the whim of a lot of outside factors. It takes away stress, but certainly doesn't eliminate it. But given the alternative of a specific target, I definitely enjoy not having a requirement.

Yes exactly. There are two stressful parts of not having enough hours: (1) being fired and (2) not getting your bonus. At firms with a billable requirement, you stress about both. At Willkie, I don't stress about the bonus, but I still worry about getting fired when I'm really slow. Not getting enough experience is also an issue for both types of firms.