Law Firm Offer Swag: What Did You Get?
"My boyfriend summered at MoFo, and all I got was this lousy tote bag!"
These days are dominated by gloomy news: dissolutions, layoffs, rescinded offers. It gets depressing -- and old. So let's shift gears and talk about a happy topic: law firm offer swag.
Yes, America still has large law firms. They are still hiring summer associates. And these firms still woo prospective summers with fabulous prizes, to encourage acceptance of their offers. Word on the street is that S&C is once again plying offerees with its fabled bonsai trees.
And sometimes even editors of humble legal blogs get gifts in the mail. The good folks over at Morrison & Foerster sent us some lovely gifts, which we're guessing they've also shared with offer recipients (although we're not positive; please do let us know).
Update: A tipster tells us that, in addition to the items we received, MoFo also gave out 4G jump drives and universal outlet converters.
Check out a slideshow of the MoFo loot -- and compare your Biglaw hauls, in the comments -- after the jump.
See below for the slides. The MoFo loot -- revolving around the MoFo/Mojo theme, see www.MofoMojo.com -- consisted of:
1) a brochure, entitled "Pigeonholed," warning of the dangers of being pigeonholed (and talking about how that never happens at MoFo);2) a "MoJo"-branded Clif bar (yum);
3) a hard plastic container of Morrison & Foerster mints ("Case made in China. Mints made in USA or China.");
4) a t-shirt reading "unleash your mojo" (front) and "think mofo" (back); and
5) a burlap-ish tote bag printed with "renew your mojo" (one side) and "think mofo" (other side).
So which firm gave out the best cookies? And what did Papa Cravath send out this year? Dish on your favorite (and least favorite) law firm offer swag, in the comments.
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first?
first
debevoise gave all the people who accepted an offer for the summer an ipod shuffles and 25 dollar starbucks card plus trendy mug
first
first
Backpack from Choate; nalgene from V&E; aluminum water bottle from K&E; Milbank USB drive. Nothing from papa cravath...
MWE gave out giant blankets with their logo. Pretty nice actually
MWE gave out giant blankets with their logo. Pretty nice actually
Delicious brownies from Kirkland to all offerees.
Alston and Bird gave an "accept this cold offer or we may be forced to use other personnel-reduction tactics" coffee mug.
Is the slogan on the side of the MoFo tote bag a polite request to consider the firm, or a demand regularly yelled by partners at associates?
I summered at HWM in Las Vegas and all I got was no offered.
On a positive note HWM dissolved from partner disputes shortly thereafter. Eat it HWM. Eat it.
MoFo this, BigLaw!
Unload Elie!
6- Choate gave messenger bags to everyone they interviewed on campus.
I wouldn't want to be around Elie when he has stomach problems.
Gallion
nada from Cahill but then again their offers come via email so they aren't exactly into giving that personal touch. almost didn't open the email b/c it just said "please see attached letter" so I just assumed it was a rejection. they should really fix this, as well as their lack of swag for offerees.
Starbucks and iTunes gift cards (50 and 10 bucks respectively); flash drives; coaster; and I think that's it.
nothing from cravath for either an offer or acceptance. s&c was cookies pre-callback, bonsai tree post-offer.
Who cares if you are first? What is wrong with you people.
Which law firms have summer retreats for their summer associates. I am pretty sure that Latham and Watkins does. I've also heard Vinson & Elkins might. Not sure about that one though.
Nothing from DPW.
A&B gave us expandable coolers w/ zippy bottle cap openers, beach chairs, and speakers for ipods. They also give out umbrellas for call back that are lame.
No work and an uncertain future....
Who cares if you are first? What is wrong with you people.
nothing from cravath for either an offer or acceptance. s&c was cookies pre-callback, bonsai tree post-offer.
nada from Cahill but then again their offers come via email so they aren't exactly into giving that personal touch. almost didn't open the email b/c it just said "please see attached letter" so I just assumed it was a rejection. they should really fix this, as well as their lack of swag for offerees.
Are those pills?
STB gave me cookies and a pretty nice (if a bit small) messenger bag.
Arnold & Porter sent ipod speakers to offerees.
Brobeck sent me a kitten.
STB - Victorinox laptop bag for an accepted offer.
Weil - Cookies and an iTunes gift card ($10) for an offer.
Paul Weiss - An assortment of candy (Jelly Beans, chocolate raisins, pistachios, gummy bears, etc) for an offer.
Skadden - Sweatshirt (or so I am told) for an accepted offer.
Skadden sweatshirt, books from several different firms
Nothing from Williams & Connolly.
There is a negative correlation b/w firm quality and cheesy gifts. Hence nothing from Williams, Cravath, or DPW. S&C is an outlier -- they're trying to repair their rep from 2004/2005 vis-a-vis their close competitors.
Has anyone accepted an offer b/c they got a gift? If not, it's wasteful to send them.
Does SCOTUS send a gift when you get a clerkship? I heard they send mugs and cookies so you'll accept. I heard Wachtell sends baseball caps with the firm logo.
Pop-Tarts, roll of quarters, aspirin, 6 pack of Anchor Steam; condoms and a pen from TTThelen.
the s&c bonsai tree was actually a very savvy gift...every few days, when i water it, i almost feel guilty about not accepting the offer...
Prestige from Munger
Weil - $10 itunes gift card and Cookies (in a halloween cookie jar) for offer. Manhattan Portage messenger back for acceptance
STB gave me an STD
Best gift for for people with offers or people that accepted that I've seen on these boards is the primo Celtics tickets that Goodwin Procter gave out last year.
Doubt they can do that again this year though.
Nothing from Orrick except the promise of future Kool-Aid
To 34, I would note that Wachtell gave a cell phone charger to the entire NYU law review, whether we interviewed there or not.
Little work and an uncertain future....
Two years ago Curtis gave Tiffany key chains (~$80) to the INCOMING 2L summer class as a Christmas gift. Not sure what they've done more recently
Sidley -- $20 gift certificate to Applebee's.
Used office furniture from Thelen
Paul Weiss never sent me the fucking candy. Glad I rejected them
Bag of flaming dog crap from Shearman & Sterling
all I got from a certain white shoe firm was herpes......
34: Even if the gifts don't change whether someone accepts, it might help boost morale of the incoming class and make them more likely to put in a good word with their classmates.
Paul Weiss gave me a gumball machine
what is a 'munger'?
Bag of flaming dog crap from Shearman & Sterling
iPod speakers as an offer gift from Goodwin.
Nothing from Cooley Godward, despite my interviewer's promise that a gift was in the mail.
50 -- anyone who would be at all influenced by such gifts wouldn't make the cut at the firms that don't give them, so it all works out.
Fleece logo blanket and book bag from Proskauer.
49 - did you thank them for it?
My firm gave me a drinking habit.
A crackberry so that I can be on call 24/7/365.
Milbank: gourmet popcorn and movie tickets for offerees
Has MoFo reimbursed anyone for their expenses yet? I'm beginning to think we aren't going to get our money back.
57,
It is the gift that keeps on giving.
49
I guess a cold offer, by definition comes after the summer clerkship, but mints, a tote bag and a tee?
I got a fleece 1/2 zip and a blanket from Proskauer
Wachtell took 5 weeks to send me my reimbursement check and my rejection :(
lies and bullshit from shearman
57,
It is the gift that keeps on giving.
49
small personall injery lawfirm in el segundo, ca--took us two summers to a strip club. we both excepted.
I've got lots of high quality paper from firms to help me with my paper mache hobby.
My firm lets me do their discovery responses.
Skadden - Sweatshirt.
Blue with Skadden on the left corner in tiny lettering. Made by American Apparel.
21,
Not sure what you mean by retreat, but I got to stay at the Ritz in Dallas for a weekend.
pearl necklace.
Andrews Kurth gave North Face jackets, sans any firm logo. Awesome.
"small personall injery lawfirm in el segundo, ca--took us two summers to a strip club. we both excepted. "
This post should have its own comments section.
69 - I should have done that with my ding letters. Nice idea.
Please, someone please tell us what was given out at WILDMAN HARROLD!
Skadden gave me a coupon to have the word "DOUCHE" tattooed onto my forehead.
They said I would fit in better this way.
72, what law firm did you get to do that with?
59- agreed
I got an ulcer.
... and high blood pressure.
Bendini, Lambert and Locke gave me a BMW, suckers!
Cleary: nothing.
Skadden gave me a sweatshirt . . . and a pen!
the skadden sweatshirt is actually a pretty swanky american apparell zip-up hoody with skadden's logo tastefully embroidered over the left breast.
Dechert swag......a pink slip and defamatory comments in The Legal Intelligencer from the Chairman of the Firm.
Bendini, Lambert and Locke gave me a BMW, suckers!
87 rules ... and is absolutely correct.
That's the same kind of rough handling I received. A bit like getting a punch in the mouth from the john who pays you to blow him.
During interviews, Weil gave out a crappy piece of plastic that you can wrap your cell phone charger cord around so as not to leave it on the floor.
Weil, I know you're making lots of money with the bankruptcy cases, but seriously, just go back to burning your money b/c this is just stupid.
Knee pads and KY behind safety glass...
Andrews Kurth gave us Apex North Face jackets and Initialed Jon Hart bags.
ROLL TIDE ROLL....
Where my battered women at? In Tuscaloosa, bitches. We are going to Croom, Croom.
@83,
Bendini, Lambert and Lock gave Tom Cruise a Mercedes 300 CE. Have they changed their policy?
White & Case gave me a $25 Starbucks gift card just for doing a screening interview. In retrospect, maybe they shouldn't have, since apparently they need the $$$ more than I do.
Milbank - USB drive, USB hub, and a green tote.
Latham - USB drive, alum. coffee mug.
Orrick - USB drive, O paper clips.
K&E - Alum. water bottle.
SullCrom - S&C M&Ms, and FedEx'd a box of designer cookies for my callback (prefer chips ahoy).
Stroock - Custom chocolates
OMM - Nothing, cheap bastards.
GT - Nothing, also cheap bastards
Gibson - $5 Starbucks (cheap bastards)
W&C - $20 at starbucks (pretty awesome for first round OCI).
Bryan Cave - Plastic water bottle and frisbee (lame)
Hogan & Hartson - frisbee - also lame.
Can't remember the others.
Katten: The office of an underachieving 3rd year.
D&L - free anemas
A passcard so that I can get into the building 24 hours a day.
Goodwin Procter gave out Ipod speakers. . . A&B gave out umbrella's for call back interviews - nothing for accepting. Howrey gave nada.
96 - this is about offer swag not oci swag
can i also add that the value of the pen HEWM gave me skyrocketed once collectors realized how rare they would be in coming years
Last year Sidley gave us ipod alarm clocks, but not till the holiday season began. so hang in there.
96 here - offer swag was crappy for me
Irell & Manella - nada
Latham - nada
Nothing for offer/acceptance from Alston & Bird
A lot of firms gave starbucks card -
W&C - $20card - I loved them for it but I feel bad now - they shouldn't have.
Skadden - $10 and $8 to a local deli
Nixon Peabody - $5 (but i think interviewer offered me 2)
Bryan Cave - $5
A few others. Some interviewers "forgot" to hand me a card while others offered me several at a time
-96, don't forget the HIV/AIDS you picked up courtesy of being such a whore. . .
96 here - I am a pretty big whore. But hey, I got some swag and a SA gig out of it.
97 - this is the 3rd year. I'm coming back and this time I'm pissed!
The brownies from K&E are amazing.
God I wish they gave those to associates...
MWE -- Fleece blanket
Akin Gump -- iPod Speakers
Willkie:
Umbrella, tote bag, towel.
Akin gave ipod speakers just for interviewing. Or maybe that's just because I am awesome. Wachtell gave me a blowjob. It was ok, but he wasn't very good looking.
Willkie:
Umbrella, tote bag, towel.
Akin Gump — iPod speakers after callback interview, fancy cookies FedEx'ed after offer, and an LL Bean fleece after acceptance.
21 - king and spalding takes their summers on a retreat. always a good opportunity to drink yourself out of a job.
I think dpw might send a bag once you accept. less to entice you to accept than to build some firm camaraderie once you have.
21 - I had a friend who summered at V&E Houston who said they went on some kind of retreat. I didn't ask details though.
SkaddenDC gave out food stamps and army surplus ponchos.
21- I heard last year was Four Seasons Austin but that it may be somewhere else (in Texas?) this year.
@94 - read the book
Hey! I work at MoFo and I didn't get a MoFo farmers' market bag. Lucky ATL!
Signed,
Envious MoFo Associate
120, do you know if they fly in associates from other offices (New York or D.C.) for the retreat or if it is only for Texas people?
Cadwalder gave out severance packages...
That is some boring-ass schwag, Mofo. I piled all of my schwag into a box and gave it as a white elephant gift at a firm holiday party.
The Skadden sweatshirt has to be tongue-firmly-in-cheek . . . right?
Alston always goes on an awesome retreat in Florida.
O'melveny gave me a highlighter that could also erase highlighter - pretty fucking awesome.
No, 126. It is to keep all of them warm when they are laid off in a year.
S&C= TTT. the cookies were stale and sucked. and who wants a stupid tree anyway?
90 -- the partner I interviewed with at Weil openly ridiculed the cellphone charger holder-thingy. It was incredibly weird.
Dechert brings all of their summers to London. Talk about a good opportunity to get yourself fired due to a massive drinking problem.
130--you at michigan? the partner i interviewed with did the same thing...
9 - yup. blissfulbrownies.com
My friends at a better school told me Gibson Dunn gave out coffee mugs for the offer and then iPod speakers for the acceptance. Gibson Dunn also has the most beautiful people.
I wish I got an offer from Gibson Dunn.
- CLS 2L
The MBP award without a doubt goes to Andrew Kurth's Texas offices. Partners, Associates, Summers = all beautiful.
Sidley included a $15 giftcard to iTunes with the offer letter
fleece picnic blanket with firm logo from Crowell & Moring (I consider it a picnic blanket because it's lined on the bottom. I have no idea what else to call it. stadium blanket?)
and it seemed like flashdrives and nalgenes were big at OCI/callbacks.
123 - All the summers. Don't worry. Are you still deciding or are you going to V&E?
Winston & Strawn gave some weak ass cookies that were individually packaged. However, they took me out to four dinners at some really nice restaurants in Chicago. They were also really pissed when I told them, "Thanks, but no thanks."
"Do you have to be so antisemitic, McDermott?"
Who cares if you are 20th or 25th? What is wrong with you people?
Confirmed on the V&E retreat. Last year was in Austin . . . put all the summers plus over 100 attorneys (all of whom were allowed to bring spouse, SO, or "a guest") in the Four Seasons. Rented out some joint on 6th street on Friday night with open bar, followed by dinner at a winery on Saturday night. V&E also flew SAs into Houston for a "training" session in mid-June. Stayed at Hotel ZaZa. Don't know if the firm can continue to justify blowing the money in the current environment, but there will be something next summer. The retreat weekend is some kind of firm tradition.
123, Already decided on V&E, splitting my summer between them and another firm. 142, thanks for the information.
DPW gives you bupkis.
123 or 142, is there anyway either one of you could comment on the health of V&E right now? It seems to be well positioned (or as well positioned as one could be) in this type of market downturn.
Still rocking my Sidley Shuffle from two years ago.
They should be giving you "How to save a document for Dummies"
Sutherland gave me a cookie. I thought it was a nice gesture, and it tasted good.
They had a sick retreat down in Florida and flew us all down to play golf and drink.
Manhattan D.A.: Job security
Haynes and Boone from last year still wins, $100 VISA card.
So it's agreed that debevoise gave the best shit?
anyone else think this whole shearman "oh, we're so awesome we're a white shoe firm la dee da" campaign was a bit distasteful?
Heller still has not called me to cancel my outstanding callback.
How rude.
I gotta say that I liked MoFo's 4 gig jump drive. "Mojo" tote bag, not so much.
I got a Sham WOW!
I'll let you know if I ever get an offer...
-HLS 2L
152 - I didn't find it distasteful, it just seemed like they were trying a little too hard.
DLA Piper has a SA retreat to San Diego every year. This past summer they gave out iPod shuffles, starbucks gift cards, candy and a Nalgene. i think there was a gift bag at the retreat too...some random stuff...beach towel, etc.
Vinson & Elkins sends out gift bags around finals time with a bunch of candy, popcorn,cookies, etc. in it. It definitely was a nice surprise.
I would totally work at a sweatshop for the vanilla yogurt covered granola raisin caramel crisp things. I haven't been able to find them ANYWHERE!
Paul hastings gave out black leather portfolios at callbacks. goodwin gave out softballs with their names on them
Some firms had less schwag but took students out to secret dinners after campus interviews (invite-only, told at the end of your interview or later by e-mail). Other firms had dinners just for offerees at a nice restaurant by the school
Let's give credit where credit is due. The Nixon Peabody sbux card was six dollars, not five dollars. They're winners in my book.
Mayer Brown sent a small bottle of champagne with a note "to your sparkling future."
Milbank - USB drive, USB hub, and a green tote.
Latham - USB drive, alum. coffee mug.
Orrick - USB drive, O paper clips.
K&E - Alum. water bottle.
SullCrom - S&C M&Ms, and FedEx'd a box of designer cookies for my callback (prefer chips ahoy).
Stroock - Custom chocolates
OMM - Nothing, cheap bastards.
GT - Nothing, also cheap bastards
Gibson - $5 Starbucks (cheap bastards)
W&C - $20 at starbucks (pretty awesome for first round OCI).
Bryan Cave - Plastic water bottle and frisbee (lame)
Hogan & Hartson - frisbee - also lame.
Can't remember the others.
These were this year or last year?
omg that shamwow guy is so monkeyish
sidley -- $10 Little Caesar's gift certificate. really nice touch.
Alston & Bird gave out a blue umbrella with the letters "A+B+U". Cute.
Perkins Coie gave a craptastic satchel/bag that broke the second day I used it. The only remarkable thing about the bag was it featured the pronunciation of "Coie" on the flap.
Cleary -- job security and self respect.
My mid-size corporate firm sent a nice laptop bag with their logo embroidered. I thought it was pretty lame, until I unzipped it to find a MacBook Air loaded up to play a nice video message from the partners welcoming me to the firm.
Suck on that, BigLaw.
I was a summer intern at a corporate firm right before they changed their name. I got so much crap with their old name on it at the end of the summer, it was awesome.
Heller gave me a time machine to accept an offer pre-dissolution.
Fleece and a tote, fleece and a tote, I got a fleece and a tote!
Bingham gave me ruffies.
Last year Orrick gave out green Orrick 8 gig Ipod nanos on the first day of the summer....
Starbucks cards were plentiful...as well as USB drives (blah)...DLA piper gave out "office in a box" things (mini tape, highlighter, staples and stapler)
...a got a nice new portfolio from Paul Hastings (although it's worth nothing to me now since "Paul Hastings" is molded into the leather and I'm not going there)
Starbucks cards were plentiful...as well as USB drives (blah)...DLA piper gave out "office in a box" things (mini tape, highlighter, staples and stapler)
...a got a nice new portfolio from Paul Hastings (although it's worth nothing to me now since "Paul Hastings" is molded into the leather and I'm not going there)
21 -- MWE has a sweet summer retreat. 3 nights, lots of fun outings, a little bit of boring talking during the day.
Suck it, MWE-haters.
126 -- Everyone's a winner at Nixon Peabody.
I worked at MoFo and I didn't get half that shit. WTF!
between holland & knight, morgan lewis, and clifford chance i got probably 7 usb hubs.
Mofo - just got the tote at my callback, nothing after offer
K&E - cute cookie bouquet after offer
No need for jealousy CLS 2L; word on the street is that Gibson NY is revoking offers that have already been accepted.
One Hundred and Eighty-Second!
MOFO still hasn't reimbursed me for my callback expenses. It has been two months since I visited their office and more than one month since I mailed them the NALP form. Is that common with MOFO interviewers?
At K&E, I got a big black rubber dong that says "bend over" on it.