Jenner & Block’s Mystery Meeting
Remember the mystery meeting held last month at Covington & Burling? It seems that Jenner & Block is following in Covington’s footsteps, announcing an “all associates” meeting for 5 p.m. today that has set tongues wagging.
In times of high anxiety, firm-wide meetings make people nervous. It’s a little early for bonus discussion, so what might be in the cards? A merger? Layoffs?
We reached out to the firm for comment. Jonathan Groner, a Jenner spokesperson, described the upcoming event as simply a regular meeting with associates, held in the ordinary course. He declined to discuss the agenda for the meeting, citing its internal nature.
Should Jenner associates be worried? Probably not. What we’re hearing is that the meeting will bring good news. Word on the street is that it’s being held to tell everyone — in the wake of Heller Ehrman’s collapse, and general economic turmoil — that Jenner is doing just fine. Managing partner Susan Levy will offer words of reassurance to all assembled. [FN1]
So the meeting is expected to be a non-event. But if it turns out to be more momentous, we will let you know.
[FN1] With respect to Susan Levy, one tipster tells us: “Yay to Jenner for selecting a female managing partner. She may not be able to see Russia from her office in Chicago, but she was ready to lead from Day 1.”
(By the way, speaking of Jenner and gender, the firm was recently honored by Working Mother as one of the best law firms for women.)
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Comments
OMG I am First
Sourdough.
OMG I am First
fourTTTh
Hello number 4 you are really thirdsy because I posted twice. Boy its good to be first.
Hello number 4 you are really thirdsy because I posted twice. Boy its good to be first.
FourTTTh commenTTT, not fourTTTh commenTTTer
Seriously, does Elie have to find a way to bash Palin at every opportunity? I didn't realize he was taking on the Katie Couric line of journalism.
8 is right, Palin doesn't need the help looking bad
That Palin failed to adequately handle a complete buffoon like Couric leads me to believe that she won't be able to handle Putin either.....
All is calm!!!
That's all well and good but what about the going ons at WILDMAN HARROLD???
Elie, if you are looking to destroy a blog by continuously making inaccurate, highly partisan political comments that are bound to offend a significant portion of your readership, well you are doing an excellent job.
Jenner is about to lay off(de-equitize) 15+ partners and even more associates...you heard it here first
the WILDMAN HARROLD posts always make me laugh, and I don't know why.
The interesting part of this blog is that now I don't come here for the blog posts from the ATL writers/editors, but instead for the comments. Interesting business model to attract page hits not based on your writing and talent, but based on the outrage and comments of your readership.
She's "ready to go on Day-1" so that means she doesn't "need on-the-job traning." I'm so confused as to these buzz words...
Mandatory $2300 paycheck deduction for Obama-Biden '08?
Renaming the firm to Che, Jenner & Block?
Announcing new office in Havana to assist release of Gitmo detainees?
The possibilities are endless.
8/13/etc -- Way to criticize this post as "more left-wing Elie" when it was written by right-wing Lat, who was at one time a huge Palin fan.
Before criticizing author, read byline plz.
8, 10, 13.. you people are morons, Lat (Federalist Society Member) wrote this post. Reading comprehension much?
Jenner is acquiring one or more, but not all, offices of Thelen. That's right folks. You heard it here first.
"We just wanted to call this meeting to let you know that even though the market is in crisis-mode, we're doing just fine.
"...Hold on. Our accounting office has just informed me that by calling all the associates in for this meeting when they could have been billing clients, we're now expecting a bit of a budget shortfall this year. Johnson, you're fired. ...But it was merits based."
Before criticizing author, read byline plz.
__________________________________________
Again--these people don't even bother actually read the byline. They just find something in the post to complain about, and then blame Mystal. And yeah, I'm Elie, Elie's mom, blah blah blah, etc.
Jenner lackey here - many closed-door meeting last week and earlier this week. Transaction practice is dried up. Not sure I'll be here much longer...
22 made me laugh out loud.
i went to harvard
"ATTORNEY GENERAL'S WARNING: Quiting The Practice of Law Now Greatly Reduces Serious Risks to Your Health."
"ATTORNEY GENERAL'S WARNING: Practicing Law By Pregnant Women May Result in Fetal Injury, Premature Birth, And Low Birth Weight."
22 to replace elie
Jenner & Block is announcing it will no longer pay lockstep salaries. Wait! It already fails to pay lockstep salaries.
Perhaps Jenner will be going to a "merit-based" pay model, like Howrey. Wait! That's what it virtually already does - with the downside for those that don't perform at a "high enough" level and without the upside for those who do. Take it from someone on the inside - Jenner is cheap.
27: In your second AG's Warning, don't you mean: "Practing law by pregnant women may result in shortened maternity leave, poor parenting, and, ultimately, early dismissal from employment."?
27: In your second AG's Warning, don't you mean: "Practing law by pregnant women may result in shortened maternity leave, poor parenting, and, ultimately, early dismissal from employment."?
20,
10 was making a general statement and was not critical of Elie.
Reading comprehension much, asshole?
27: In your second AG's Warning, don't you mean: "Practing law by pregnant women may result in shortened maternity leave, poor parenting, and, ultimately, early dismissal from employment."?
The Working Mother award is a joke. Every firm in Chicago that submitted an application made the list.
I'm sorry, this is 8 here and I didn't read the byline. It all just seemed so...Elie. And, I find some of the things he writes to be witty, so it's not an anti-Elie issue.
ATTORNEY GENERAL'S WARNING: Practicing Law May Result in Anal Bruising, Fecal Rhinitis, Weight Gain, Mood Disorders, Slutism, Panic Attacks and Mild Itching.
Jenner and Block to 190, hires L2L, incoming first years GULC'ing in their pants, cherry picks TTThelen and merges with Wildman Harrold (my girlfriend from college used to merge with Wildman Harrold all the time, it was not big deal).
You heard it here first.
28: 22 also writes the "To summarize" posts, created the "F=Elie" grading scale, and scooped him on the cow costume story.
-22
21:
I also heard Jenner might acquire an office or two of Thelen. I wonder which ones?
Kids in my high school has mystery meetings all the time. It was no big deal.
I heard this past weekend that Jenner Chicago fired 40 senior associates last week, "for performance reasons." Right. Any substantiators?
I am considering Jenner Chicago and would very much appreciate informed opinions on the state of the firm.
42 -- the comments to the post below contain several nuggets about Jenner. Key are 81 and 83:
http://abovethelaw.com/2008/08/fall_recruiting_open_thread_51-60_2009.php
81: Jenner's compensation is not lockstep and below market - no matter what anyone says. On the inside, this much is admitted. Management's counter is that it's not lockstep anywhere - that most firms claim they are lockstep and then exercise their discretion to pay some people market and some people less. This is clearly wrong.
The result is that associates who are hired under the guise of receiving certain "market" pay, may or may not receive that pay - even if they are doing good work! Similar to firm layoffs, you can always find a way to say "x" high is not high enough. I have several friends at Jenner who are presently paid below market, despite the fact their reviews have been good. This practice is disengenuous.
83: Jenner is ALL about profitability now, although the firm's ability to maintain profits is in serious question for a lot of reasons. They have a lot of money tied up in their new Chicago office building under construction, which has drastically limited their ability to cope with the litigation slowdown. And make no mistake, the firm is quite slow right now, especially in litigation. Associates are being hounded about their hours even though there flat out isn't enough work to keep them busy, and several associates have been quietly fired for not billing enough hours. In addition, the firm has too many partners and not enough rainmakers because the traditional rainmakers, all getting up there in age, have kept a pretty tight hold on business, so there aren't enough younger rainmaker partners to fill the void that's going to emerge sooner or later when the old guard retires. Two related notes: more than 10 partners have been de-equitized each year for the last two years because they weren't "profitable" enough (and the firm gave up some serious talent both times), and hardly any senior associates are making partner now. Instead, they're being told they don't fit with the firm's long-term plans, even though the firm doesn't seem to know what its long-term plans are, and certainly doesn't share them with associates (or much else, for that matter -- associates found out about the firm's new managing partner thanks to a story in the Chicago Tribune). Query whether all of these moves will help the firm survive or just make the firm's remaining attorneys miserable.
Guys at my high school used to unfunnily and annoyingly mess up "Guys at my high school..." posts all the time. It was no big deal.
Stick to the script.
FRAT STUD wannabe
Maybe this meeting is about bonuses?
Jenner is announcing that it is merging with Cravath. You read it here first (I just the read the memo sitting on my partner's desk).
It's interesting that the tipster chose to make some connection between Levy and Palin. Why, when referring to what appears to be a successful and accomplished attorney (Levy), would you refer to Palin (whom, presumably, the tipster thinks is silly and dumb)?
I get the joke, and I get that it's simply be a dig at Palin. That part's fine. But all Levy and Palin share is that they are both women. When I see the prominent female partners in my office, I don't think about Palin.
There is something invidious about jokes like this -- as if all women should now be viewed through the haze cast by Palin's flaws. Consider switching out the women in this "quip" and replacing them with members of another minority group. What you would have is a "quip" that is much like Pres. Clinton's comments during the primaries that drew an illogical connection between Obama and Jesse Jackson.
I know nothing about the tipster, but I know a number of self-appointed "progressives" who have made similar "quips" or jokes. But something about it seems pretty unprogressive to me.
Anyway.
Read Elie's self-introduction. Then ask whether he has lived up to his promises.
Read Elie's self-introduction. Then ask whether he has lived up to his promises.
http://abovethelaw.com/2008/08/meet_new_editor_elie_mystal.php
Jenner is opening a new office in Los Angeles. You heard it here first.
Jenner is opening a new office in Los Angeles. You heard it here first.
Women should cook, get beers, bang me when I tell them to, and not vote. That's pretty much it.
52:
You want women to bang you? Sicko.
Anyways, anyone have the scoop on which Thelen offices Jenner is taking over? Somehow I think it has to be SF and/or SV. Nobody would want the others. Thoughts??
I agree with the commenter who predicted the LA office. That, or Jenner DC is breaking off to start its own thing!
Well, the meeting is clearly over by now if it was at 2, so what's the scoop?
Since you can't read, #55, I'll help you -- the meeting is starting now, at 5pm central time.
Nancy F. Afrasiabi at WILDMAN HARROLD is pretty hot.
Easy there 56. 55 clearly suffers from a recognized disorder. Whether it's some form of dyslexia or ADD isn't clear, but we shouldn't make fun of him for it.
56 - Snippy pants. Thanks for the clarification, but next time I'll take it straight, minus the attitude. Go pet a puppy.
52 you sound like a lot of the male partners at my firm.
Anyone know what happened? It is 6pm CST.
Very interesting.
Very interesting.
ahhh. it is interesting. i knew they would do that.
It was all good news, you dumb idiots!
good news indeed! the firm is profitable and associates do not need to worry. bonuses a plenty!
What was the news?
People are not ONLY interested in bad news. . . what was it?
news?
no news
We all know Lat would have posted something about this meeting by now!
When Elie posts about a meeting like this, gets you all excited, and doesn't follow up with a post about it, he's like that really hot guy you go home with only to find out he's got a teeny penis!
This is bo-shit. What was the meeting about?
From the story: "So the meeting is expected to be a non-event. But if it turns out to be more momentous, we will let you know."
I was at the meeting. Since Elie is clearly hung over and won't update it, I will break it down for you. The conference room was packed- five deep along the walls. Everyone was there right on time. Levy introduces herself. Tells us not to worry about the issues on wall st- they will not adversely affect Jenner's bottom line. Jenner is having a great year and bonus are expected to be as good or better than last year. Litigation is doing great. Keep up the good work. blah, blah. No merger, or layoffs, no LA office, no moving to Chile. All is good. She also said a bunch of legal blogs tried to get in touch with her late last night to understand the big meeting. that's it. much a do about nothing. Now WILDMAN HARROLD, that is another story.