I second that

This is big at the Texas firms. At least in Dallas, I know some of the major firms have both a suite and a block of good seats at all 4 teams' stadiums.

FIRST!!!!!!!!!1111!!!!111!

I'm curious about what seats/boxes NYC firms have available for summers.

Dickstein shapiro in dc has no box seats, but plenty of partners have season tickets to the nationals. They seem happy to fire off an email when they wont be needing them, so the associates can compete with the support staff to see who replies first. Thankfully, i am a blackberry quick-draw, so I always win. :) take that, you unsufferable paralegals!!

I would be shocked if even lowly firms in Manhattan did not have season tickets to the Yankees, Mets, Knicks, and possibly Giants/Jets. Whether associates can actually get their hands on them is an entirely different story...

Associates who say "unsufferable" [sic] should be required to distribute a portion of their salary among those paralegals.

My last firm regularly gave sports tickets away to anyone in the office (it was a regional outpost). The only time I hear about available tickets at my current firm is when they're offered for sale or for use in "client development." Sux.

WUSTTTL students regulary get free tickets to Cardinals games. Scott told me his buddies and him usually go after he gives the woman her chore list.

Gibson Dunn has (or at least used to have) a box at Staples Center for all events. Naturally, it was used primarily for "client development" and the occasional SA outing, but tix rarely fall to associates.

All of the LA-based firms have Staples Center boxes and or Dodgers season tix. Partners take clients there and schmooze 'em. I've been once on 2 years. Let's not get crazy and call this a "perk."

My Firm has 12 season seats to Yankees games. 4 are behind the dugout, and in my opinion the only seats worth going to a game for.

But I can't seem to get them anymore. Presumably they go to partners (prob. most of the time), but they quite often go to staff (paralegals, secretaries, business development people) and that really pisses me off. It's the associates working the crazy hours, so they should be the ones getting the benefit of these seats if they're available.

Unrelated, I know, but does anybody have any tips for a fed dist ct clerk who did very well at a weak (but "national") law school interviewing at a Vault 6-10er firm? Thanks.

I think (think) Hogan & Hartson has a box or regular tickets to events at the Verizon Center.

isn't it INsufferable?

Associates at Kirkland are encouraged to take summer associates to Cubs home games (using the firm's tickets), and there is at least one firm-sponsored Cubs event each summer.

Kirkland & Ellis, Chicago, is now giving its associates free tickets to Ultimate Fighting events in town, as well as free self-defense classes.

My firm allows me access to ticketmaster.com which enables me to buy tickets at face value, plus a small additional fee, to any sporting event I like.

Goodwin Procter in Boston has a suite at Fenway Park and at the Garden. They also have club seats at Gillette Stadium. Tickets are made available to associates (for free) on a regular basis.

WilmerHale DC has a skybox for Redskins games at FedEx Field and also has Club Level seats for Redskins and Ravens games. The firm also has tickets, but no box, for the Wizards, Capitals, Nationals and Orioles. I know the Boston office has Red Sox tickets and a box at the Fleet Center (or whatever it is now called) for Celtics, Bruins and other events.

My firm offers free tickets to Flight of the Conchords shows. I am still really bummed that Todd quit the band!

Kirkland & Ellis has a program where left-handed associates can compete for a spot in the Cubs' bullpen.

Is this even worth discussing? I'm sure every firm in the country has great seats/a box for city X's football/baseball/basketball/hockey team, and that associates rarely get to use them.

One winter after college I spent a season skiing in Chamonix, France. While I was there, Matchstick Productions, a major ski movie company, was filming in the area. I met the GC of the company. His regular, if not daily, perks included heli-skiing , traveling to exotic locales, and picking up hot eurobabes. He has my dreamjob.

The one Cubs outing is to come up with novel ways to prosecute Steve Bartman.

When I was a lowly 2d year at Weil (in the Bankruptcy department) there were constantly tickets for every sports team (as well as the US Open, golf events, etc.) flying around the office, as well as numerous opportunities to go to charity functions and what not (some of which were actually fun). Oftentimes the sports tickets were from the partners' personal stash, and were crazy good. I particularly liked the Rangers tix right on the glass. Potvin Sucks!

As to those "client development" restrictions, I found it way easy to get those. Once you get to be mid-level and higher, you have lots of interaction with clients and other professional advisors. Just tell the business development office you want to build a relationship with those types and they will be more than happy to share the booty with you. And you will probably get kudos from the partners for making an effort to build relationships. YMMV, of course, depending on the firm.

Seyfarth (Boston) got their summers seats on the Green Monster at Fenway. They also apparently let associates have tickets to the Sox/Celtics on a regular basis. Don't know about the other offices.

I don't know if going to Nats games in DC is more of a perk or torture, but most DC firms have those.

im a junior associate and the firm has a ticket program for associates in ny, where essentially they just buy dozens and dozens of tix a month, and associates (only) request them through a lottery system. in the last month or two, there were tix avail for every mets/yankees/giants/jets game, justin timberlake, beyonce, metropolitan opera, and a bunch more.

Just to be cynical, were they planning to auction the suite before Michigan lost to a 1-AA team?

1:38 - second that, once you get to mid-level you [should] have enough contacts to be able to use the firm tix for biz. dev. purposes.

Arent Fox represented Abe Pollin on the then-MCI Center deal and has a great suite there.

1:56 - which firm? Sounds like a great idea, would love to suggest it in my office.

Bodman in Detroit literally has their main office in Ford Field, home of the Lions. (The firm has long been counsel to the Ford Family). The major conference room is enormous and has an amazing view of the field. Associates often come in to "work" on Sundays. But then again, you have to watch the Lions.

2:07, based on his handle and I've heard of this lottery based system I'd say he's at Weil Gotshal. Just a hunch.

what does covington have? they represent the NFL and former commissioner taglibue was a partner.

I'd expect Baker & Hostetler to have their pick of seats at any Major League park, being that they have represented MLB since the 1920's

Can anyone confirm this?

"Seyfarth (Boston) got their summers seats on the Green Monster at Fenway. They also apparently let associates have tickets to the Sox/Celtics on a regular basis. Don't know about the other offices."

Who wants to see the Red Sox these days? The curse is over, baseball isn't fun anymore.

Snell & Wilmer partners gladly SOLD tickets they could not use to their associates. It shouldn't have surprised me because Snell & Wilmer is by far one of the cheapest firms in the U.S., but I was always pissed to see an e-mail from a partner trying to sell his/her tickets to associates.

My firm dishes out free tics to NASCAR races and monster truck shows at the auditorium. And we just were retained to represent the RCNAA (the Rodeo Cowboys of North America Association). So, with luck we will be getting free or discounted tics to the annual rodeo.

More importantly, are there any firms that actually make their associates work on Saturdays in the fall? To me, that's a ding-worthy offense.

Anyone know which firms in Texas have tickets to sporting events?

Baker Botts has tickets coming out the wazoo in Dallas and Houston. They do it up right at the Firm. Best law firm in this country that nobody talks about.

i worked at a firm where a partner would sell their tickets. they were, however, sold at cost (not face value) so that wasnt too bad

Yeah, I also hate it when partners who have vacation houses demand associates who want to stay in them to pay rent. A-holes make more, so why should an associate have to pay them?

LAT: On ATL, there is constant discussion about which firm is paying the most, which is why it is surprising that there has not been a more meaningful, in-depth statistical comparison among law firms. Can we get a post on minimum billable hours? Only then can we determine who actually pays the most. For example, if one only works 55 hours/week on average and makes $140K ($49/hr); s/he is doing better than someone that works 70 hours/wk and makes $160K ($44/hr). We can factor in bonuses afterwards. Some of us are looking to get the most bang for their buck and a post on minimum billables/quality of life would be helpful.

4:44: Great idea, with one small problem: While we can certainly compare minimum billable requirements, we can never get an accurate picture of how much people actually work. Why you ask? People lie. Some will overestimate the hours worked to make themselves look tough; others will underestimate the hours worked to convince themselves it's really worth it. Very few will tell the truth. It's human nature and it prevents a true salary comparison.

Foley & Lardner has a box for the Brewers, which is to be expected since they represent MLB. They also have a box for the Bucks and tons of tickets for the Packers. It's pretty easy to land good tickets to whatever you'd like to see.

In response to 4:44, the relevant inquiry isn't how much you do work, but how much you are required to work. Some people want to make partner and will bill insanely; others don't and will try for the minimum. For those whose aspirations are not so lofty, a comparison of the job requirements (in terms of meaningful billable hours) is still meaningful. An inquiry into minimum billables lies in the same vein as other big law perks as far as I'm concerned.

1:56 = weil

McKool Smith in Dallas has a suite for the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars games as well as tickets to Texas Rangers games one row behind owner Tom Hicks. Granted, no one wants to watch the Rangers because they blow.
The best part is the firm only has 70 attorneys in Dallas, so anyone can go whenever.

5:17 how much you are required to work is basically irrelevant in biglaw. Nearly everyone bills above the minimum requirements (which most people know anyways). How much people actually work is more important.

How about a thread on technology? i.e., docking stations for lap tops, free blackberries, big or dual computer screens, etc...? To start it off, Jones Day is terrible on this: buy your own blackberry, etc...

Who is McKool Smith?

2:30 - You'd think Baker would have all kinds of access, but they don't. They have a lot of seats and a nicely-located suite at the Jake, but that is probably true of all of the top 3-5 firms in Cleveland. I bet their DC office has some good Nats/Orioles seats. But the NY office only had a few Mets tickets, no Yankees. Pretty weak considering their relationship with MLB.

I do have to give credit for their suites at Browns Stadium and at the Q though. Really nice.

Anybody know of a firm that has tickets to the US Open up for grab?