I rather work for the Skadden DC cafeteria.

I don't get it.

Where's Cadwalader on the list? I love it here! So many free partner offices!

Sbarro was always a swell place to work. Just ask Mystal.

You skipped over Bingham McCutchen, No. 30 on the list.

Has the A&P salary freeze been confirmed, or is it just hanging out there? Elie keeps referring to them as being in the confirmed freeze category, but the only posting was the delayed decision news. Speculation (even when the result is probable) isn't reporting.

lol @ Triangle Shirtwaist Elie - good one.

You skipped over Perkins Coie at 82

Fuck! Gotta. stop. these. never ending. STINKY. PUSSY FARTS!!

You should not be surprised that Arnold & Porter, a Chocolate City firm, would lead the list. BTW - You missed Perkins Coie, No. 82 on the list.

"God Bless Chocolate City, and its surrounding vanilla suburbs."

thank you for reminding us that law school was a horrible mistake ON A LEGAL BLOG. Reading these never ending stories about the misery that surrounds our "honorable" vocation probably helps to contribute to that depression and substance abuse that lawyers are famous for.

what do you call someone who spreads rumors about there being rumors

7 - speculation isn't reporting? What school of journalism did you graduate from, asshat?

BelowTheLaw.Com

What? Nixon Peabody didn't make the list? Guess all the "winners" left recently. What a shame, since I was looking forward to another theme song.

There is nothing wrong with abusing a substance.

Coke on a Thursday

Suck it.

How much do these companies and firms pay to be considered by Fortune?

guys at my high school used to not realize that perkins coie was a law firm all the time...it was no big deal.

I second #8 on Triangle Shirtwaist -- best Elie line yet.

Must be a kick in the teeth to A&B associates who just got laid off to see the firm as a best place to work.

No 4 Google has openings in legal. Grab it now!

you should tag bingham mccutchen to this and add more about them.

thank gawd no law firms were in the top 20. that would encourage competition, which isn't needed in these times. http://www.evilesq.com

Bad timing for Microsoft's layoff announcement, considering they are one of the top 20 firms that are hiring according to Fortune.

you should tag bingham mccutchen to this and add more about them.

you should tag bingham mccutchen to this and add more about them.

Stroock & Stroock got snubbed. Slap in the face.

A&B clings to the Fortune 100 ranking because it is the only surperlative list onto which it has managed to con its way. It gives the firm something to trumpet on posterboard set up on easels in the reception areas and to include in the firm administrative workers' e-mail signature blocks. I can't imagine this hollow honor would fool anyone except the self-satisfied HR dept.

SkaddenDC should be #7. What the fickittyfcuk, Fortune?

Nominees pay thousands of dollars to be on the list, hence the layoffs, salary freezes. This fool-proof crap costs money to disguise and misrepresent on paper. Tour the halls for the real bloodbath story.

Why is NIXON PEABODY off the list for the first time in 4 years?

Why is NIXON PEABODY off the list for the first time in 4 years?

32, cause all the winners left...

Why is NIXON PEABODY off the list for the first time in 4 years?

34: Where did the "winners" go?

34: Where did the "winners" go?

34: Where did the "winners" go?

Alston & Bird is not parent heaven. It treats its employees no better than it has to. And these benefits are a joke. Do you know of any moms that can work 70 hour weeks and adequately care for a three month old newborn? Special parking? Employees pay serious money to park in the Atlanta deck. And the onsite daycare is pretty expensive too. Do any of the satellite offices have free gym, special parking, and onsite daycare?

Fortune should disclose how many companies and firms paid to be considered but did not make the final list.

Has there been any confirmation on Cahill layoffs yet?

For A&B, it is pretty clear that inclusion on the list is based on Atlanta staff members, who, according to rumor, get an extra holiday if they make the list. Why would you give a bad review and lose that day? Also, note that A&B, while still on the list, has definitely been dropping. Used to be top ten, right?

For associates, I think A&B used to be a good place 10-15 years ago, before they decided to be like every other law firm. At least that's what I'm told. Now, if there is work the hours are the same as any other big firm, partnership is a longshot, and you don't get paid. And if you are in a satellite office then it's even worse, since Atlanta runs everything and gets most of the perks (daycare, even if expensive, dining room, etc.).

I echo 8 and 20. That was a good one, Elie.

Elie - you forgot to note that Bingham has the highest average salary on the entire list.
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2009/pay/

I agree. A&B became a different place after associate salaries jumped to 100k (in 2001?). It seemed like a lot of the partners resented the salaries and became set on upping the misery factor for associates (staff are still pampered and way over-paid).

I somehow doubt A & P dishes out $30K for fertility treatments for staff members.

Bingham McCutchen is a brutal place to work. Just ask their associates (in Boston in particular). The partner/associate relations are awful. There's a reason most lawyers and law students haven't heard of the place.
Also, how does $30k for fertility treatments or "special parking" or foot massages make a company a better place to work (ok, foot massages would be nice). For 99% of the people 99% of the time, what makes a great place to work a great place to work is the people with whom you work. These extra perks are just PR that very few people ever are in the position to utilize. This survey doesn't measure that, which is perhaps why -- astonishingly -- Bingham McCutchen makes the list.

partner - associate - paralegal - secretary = treated better than me, I want more, give them less = low morale = resentment = pay freeze = layoff = departures = no more big corporate america = obama = 100 best companies to work for.

Bingham McCutchen is a brutal place to work. Just ask their associates (in Boston in particular). The partner/associate relations are awful. There's a reason most lawyers and law students haven't heard of the place.
Also, how does $30k for fertility treatments or "special parking" or foot massages make a company a better place to work (ok, foot massages would be nice). For 99% of the people 99% of the time, what makes a great place to work a great place to work is the people with whom you work. These extra perks are just PR that very few people ever are in the position to utilize. This survey doesn't measure that, which is perhaps why -- astonishingly -- Bingham McCutchen makes the list.

Bingham McCutchen is a brutal place to work. Just ask their associates (in Boston in particular). The partner/associate relations are awful. There's a reason most lawyers and law students haven't heard of the place.
Also, how does $30k for fertility treatments or "special parking" or foot massages make a company a better place to work (ok, foot massages would be nice). For 99% of the people 99% of the time, what makes a great place to work a great place to work is the people with whom you work. These extra perks are just PR that very few people ever are in the position to utilize. This survey doesn't measure that, which is perhaps why -- astonishingly -- Bingham McCutchen makes the list.

Bingham McCutchen is a brutal place to work. Just ask their associates (in Boston in particular). The partner/associate relations are awful. There's a reason most lawyers and law students haven't heard of the place.
Also, how does $30k for fertility treatments or "special parking" or foot massages make a company a better place to work (ok, foot massages would be nice). For 99% of the people 99% of the time, what makes a great place to work a great place to work is the people with whom you work. These extra perks are just PR that very few people ever are in the position to utilize. This survey doesn't measure that, which is perhaps why -- astonishingly -- Bingham McCutchen makes the list.

At the risk of being called a Bingham troll, I have to call out 47 for not knowing what he/she is talking about. Bingham is the best V100 firm you've never heard of.

Unlike most shops, Bingham is not overloaded in junior associates so associates start working like lawyers from day one. If that is "brutal" then I'm all for it. I would much rather do real legal work than be lost in doc review or due diligence for three years of my career. There's no coddling, but that doesn't mean partner/associate relationships are "awful." It means you are treated like a professional and expected to act like one.

I imagine it would be "brutal" to be an associate here if you are either incompetent or lazy (or both).

If any of these law firms were good places to work, why would they pay people to show up? I pay to do fun things; I get paid to do things I'd otherwise prefer not to do.

A&P is not a confirmed freeze (yet). It is a delayed decision. They said in December that they would decide sometime after January 1st while monitoring market conditions (read: figuring out what everyone else is doing). If they decide to raise, it will be retroactive to the first.

7 - I can confirm that I am an A&P associate and my paychecks are still the same as last year, except less with the new year's social security hit. If they raise, they tell us it will be retroactive to Jan 1.

It's really too bad because I would be the first to say that this is a great place to work, but it's difficult to suddenly be be paid much less than my classmates, friends, etc. On the other hand, it's nice to still have a job.

You don't see many Triangle Shirtwaist jokes these days. I approve.

At law firms, perks go to the attorneys. Perhaps the attorneys can take 3 months' maternity (or paternity) leave, but I'd be shocked if staff members are allowed that much time off. My office? New mother/attorneys or even father/attorneys can take as much as 6 months off if they like; staff members can take 6 weeks.

Proud papa lawyer can take a 6-month vacation, but a staff member who actually gave birth better be back in 6 weeks if she expects a job to be waiting for her -- and not necessarily the same job she had before going on maternity leave, either.

#47, I agree. It is a brutal place to work and I am surprised to see it listed as one of the best places to work. Bingham has one of the highest billable hour targets that its associates must achieve to be considered for bonuses at 2,100 hours annually. In addition to partners not getting along with associates, some partners also don't get along with other partners (which means that, in turn, some associates are forced to be in between and manage partner squabbles). I would be extremely interested in knowing who is surveyed at Bingham for this article as well (I wasn't and neither were any other Bingham associates I have spoken to).

#52, Corporate is extremely slow, and those junior associates aren't getting lost in diligence and doc review because there is not enough work to go around (unless it's probono, which hours are maxed out and don't always count towards your 2,100 target after a certain amount). Nice tone in the response I might note.

Interesting comments on Bingham. Probably depends on your practice group and your office.

FWIW, the billable hour requirement is 1950 (of which 50 can be pro bono). They expect another 150 hours of either billable, pro bono, or "core" (firm citizenship stuff) to reach 2100.

I've had my issues with the firm, but I like my colleagues (partner, associate, and staff included), like my work, and generally think it is a good place to work.

The family leave benefits are real and at least in NorCal people take advantage of them.

So Alston & Bird awards its staff a paid day off if the firm makes it into the rankings? If that's not against Fortune's rules, it's at least a very devious method for gaming the system. The Firm is essentially paying its employees for a good review. I wonder what Alston & Bird's clients would say to that.

Fish & Richardson just sent out an internal email announcing a planned salary freeze for 2009. You'd think that IP would be affected less than corporate by the economy, but perhaps the management committee is doing it simply because they can and don't give a rat's ass about associates - not too many people will jump ship in this environment.

Perkins Coie not only made the list but has been on it for 6 years running now.

Alston & Bird is very much an "Alice in Wonderland" type of firm. Up is down, cold is hot, the threat of "off with her head" ever present (just as in any other firm), despite the constant barrage of feel-good, in-house propaganda. Health costs rising, benefits eroding every year. It amazes me that my firm continues to make it on this list year after year. The game is surely fixed. Either the competition is very weak, or there is a pay to play aspect as others have alluded to.

I disagree with many of the comments about Alston & Bird. First, the longstanding rumor that only A&B staff is surveyed is false -- numerous lawyers are part of the survey. Second, while there are obviously people who are not happy at A&B, the majority of the folks I know who work at the firm are very satisfied, especially given the disastrous economy. Third, while the economy has taken its toll, as it has on many firms, the firm has tried to tighten its belt in a number of ways that affect partners and star associates, so that it would not have to lay off massive amounts of associates in groups that have no work. That the firm was willing to do that shows a fair amount of compassion and willingness to sacrifice for the greater good.

Is it a large firm with tough standards? Yes. But compared to other firms (and I speak from experience), it is a great place to work.

Feel free to attack me as the recruiting attorney for A&B, or whatever. I'm not. Just trying to speak what I see as the truth.

64-Wait for the upcoming bloodbath at A&B. Your review was moved up a month right? You are not too smart if you think associates are part of the "greater good" at A&B.

Wow! What a bunch of bitter fucks on this website. Nice way to live your lives--blaming everyone else for your problems and looking for the negative in everything.

Wow! What a bunch of bitter fucks on this website. Nice way to live your lives--blaming everyone else for your problems and looking for the negative in everything.

66 & 67 - We're lawyers. That's what we do.

I interviewed with Alston, and asked about the ranking. Associates told me it primarily reflects how the staff is treated, which they all said is great, but that associates enjoy perks too. Granted it was an interview, but everyone I talked to seemed genuinely happy to be with the firm.

There seems to be a lot of animosity about Alston in some of these posts (although you could probably say that for a lot of firms), and from Elie. Maybe if she or any of the posters have legit information about "bloodbaths" etc., they should substantiate it instead of spreading rumors.

A&B gets picked on a lot here I think because it makes such a huge effort to present itself as something that it is not.

60: can I get a day off if I vote yes?

The Bingham comments regarding being a brutal place to work are off. I worked there as an associate for a few years and now work at another very large law firm in a different city. Bingham's benefits were outstanding and people certainly took advantage of them. I was in one of the transactional practices and got along great with the partners. Never would I have imagined that anyone would claim there were partner/associate problems. I would work there again in a heartbeat if I moved back. Having said that, the firm strongly encouraged people to respond to the surveys - my current firm actually says we are not to respond to surveys except one annual survey blessed by the firm.

24 secretaries laid off at A+B in ATL and CHA today....

"we're 36! we're 36!"

The good news at Bingham of making the Best Places to Work list again was promptly followed by news of an office closing (Walnut Creek, CA) and associate pay freezes. Many rumors now going around of "stealth" layoffs happening during reviews next week.

40- there were about 350 companies in the game this year. look on the fortune site itself--it talks about what passes for their methodology in the rankings.

i work at a&p. it deserves its place on the list of best companies to work for. people are decent, and good responsibility. family friendly, too. it's still a big firm, no doubt, but i wouldn't go anywhere else.

70- You're spot on. A firm's obvious hypocrisy breeds contempt in its employees, and rightfully so. One doesn't have to be "bitter" (the ultimate American insult - we should be bright-eyed optimists all!) to be subject to that rule.

Lawyers are the most boring people on the face of the planet. All anyone does on this crap-tastic site is log on and leave comments pissing and moaning about their salaries. You were all boring nerds in high school, you became boring nerds in college who could at least drink, then you went to law school and joined PAD, the law fraternity, and became boring nerds who drank, became obsessed with money and developed an unhealthy sense of self-importance and entitlement.
NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE, should bitch and pout about a pay freeze in a month in which the United States has lost 500,000 jobs. I hate that I even share the same graduate degree as you repugnant money-whores. Go to B-school and shut up