Good luck to those who have lost their jobs.

*frantically rearranges deck chairs*

"shedding people a lot of people over the past few months" - nice work Elie

More pain. Which firms are best weathering the storm?

Elie, just read your posts one time before you hit the submit button. Sigh.

So glad that I didn't take the offer from them.

decherttt = fail

They have automated grammar checkers that will catch "shedding people a lot of people". Free ones.

Elie is a motherfucking fat fuck who cannot proofread - I have no idea how someone this incompetent got into Biglaw - oh wait, say hello to diversity initiatives!

10 is correct.

-Not 10

10 - jerk.

Criminy. Nearly 100 lawyers out of jobs before the day's second cup of coffee. I suspect it's going to be a long day.

10- you are a racist prick and you obviously have no idea what you are talking about.

staff, staff attorneys, and [real] attorneys.

Where's the story on Wachtell? The firm sends 65% of its entry level hires packing in their first 6 months and ATL doesn't notice?

People need to chill out. Typos happen -- this is a blog, and not your brief or contract.
#10, you're a real winner -- good luck to you, you'll need it.

BOOM GOES THE DECHERT DYNAMITE.

Ugh. This sucks. And then 10 goes and makes it even more painfully unfunny. Nice job, d-bag. Hope you got your rocks off on the hate.

17 - typos do happen. But when they happen in every post it's indicative of sloppy work.

Oopsies! Didn't anyone tell Dechert the recession is over? DOW IS UP!!!

This firm is rancid. Just dissolve already.

The Phillies are WORLD F'ING CHAMPIONS [shouts homeless lawyer from cardboard box].

Number 10 - unacceptable.

right yo guardian of sloppiness - some gatekeeper you are should have guarded troy

Agree with 10 and 20.

Spring time in Philadelphia.

18,

The entire reason why "boom goes the dynamite" is funny is because of how he says it with little/no enthusiasm. By putting it in all caps, you ruin the joke.

Sincerely,

Someone who Cares

16 - Lat worked there

10-too early to be so angry. Did your girl dump you for a black guy last night?

10 is a racist.

Affirmative action beneficiaries are allowed two typos per English sentence. It's the least society could do, since some people who look like them were enslaved about 150 years ago. Anyone who begs to differ is a Bush-loving neocon racist.

first years?

23 - Nice.

10 - RACIST

Was the whole charlotte office closed down just like Dewey did? they only have 2 partners left there, and all of their associates are basically doing pro bono already

....DARY!!!!!!

As a general matter Elie's typos seem to be a result of learning disability. He probably does proof the posts but b/c of the learning disability misses the typos. Unless someone else proofs the posts before they are uploaded, no matter what he does, he probably will have this problem. Point being that this reoccurring issue is not necessarily laziness, and while the typo Nazis out there will say this should disqualify him from the job of editor, it does not indicate that he is stupid either.

23 = Epic Win

3: Well played.

good call 31

Who cares about typos as long as the info is good? ATL's info has been very good lately.

Agree with 41 that the content is paramount. But I do wish that the editors (esp. Elie) would take a little more pride in their craft.

For more TTT Phillyness, see http://www.arthurkade.com

This is a post about people losing their jobs. If you want to bitch about a few typos do it somewhere else.

elie's message to all the haters

http://eliemystttalspeaks.ytmnd.com/

elie's message to all the haters

http://eliemystttalspeaks.ytmnd.com/

elie's message to all the haters

http://eliemystttalspeaks.ytmnd.com/

jesus dechert, pull your shit together.

interviewed there and glad i avoided that meat-grinder. they do have some hot recruiters though. except for the grumpy short one.

10 - i support your cause

It is sickening in here right now.

I would rather get the info more quickly, screw the typos the typos

Between WolfBlock and Dechert, I may need to license franchises in Philadelphia.

Jeez, 43, you need to put a better warning on that link. I clicked on it and threw up a little in my mouth. That's at least TTTT Phillyness, which, of course, equals normal Phillyness.

#43 -- he looks like a regular on hot chicks with d*****bags.

dechert's SF office...anyone know numbers?

ttten = fail

Poor time keepers

Which Philly firm goes the way of WolfBlock next ?

50 - AA created this monster itself.

diversity 1L positions this year are still filled while attorneys are getting fired everywhere. first there's AA getting in to law school, then there's AA getting over $30,000 the first summer and a huge law school scholarship, what result do you expect?

not every non-AA eligible lawyer had everything handed to them on a silver platter, and we resent incompetent colleagues who got a position based on their skin color.

59 - Justice Thomas, is that you?

The Dow is up yet again, this bull just can't be stopped. The new boom is upon us and the smart firms will be those who do not shed bodies on the eve of the corporate law revival.

LMAO @ 31

Since Michale Ray Richardson appears to be sleeping in, I'll take care of this for him:

the ship be sinkin.....

For goodness sakes, can we talk about AA somewhere else and focus on firms laying off attorneys even in this recovery? Thanks.

terminating "lawyers and other time keepers"

nicely put, bart, at least you let us know what you think of your associates

64 - If Elie wasn't such a pathetic excuse for an editor we would be focusing on other things.

when will the ax fall at Fried Frank? The wild spreading rumors are driving me nuts.

Soon-to-be-former FFer

I just laid off my Rolex timekeeper. Traded it for coke on a Thursday.

when will the ax fall at Fried Frank? The wild spreading rumors are driving me nuts.

Soon-to-be-former FFer

Will Ballard soon be joining the philly firing party?

10 - please don't sully the cause of Elie criticism with your racist nonsense. Elie's race has nothing to do with his incompetence! He doesn't even deserve the moniker "black"...

"Fat", on the other hand, he richly deserves. Actually I think "fat" should be considered its own race.

Quit, fatass! You suck and no one likes you.

p.s. 10 are you fat too?

Ah Dechert, the Cadwalader of Philly.

With Dechert and other Philly firms actively firing attorneys, and Wolf Block failing, can you imagine how hard it must be for an attorney to find a job in Philly right now? Even in the good times, that city had way too many attorneys. I would submit that any attorney who has found a market pay level associate postion in Philly Biglaw in the last month has legitmate bragging rates.

Dechert philly numbers?

Dechert philly numbers?

how many from the Charlotte office?

Off to emergency dentist appt bc all night while sleeping I apparently grind my teeth so that uppers and lowers in the back now look like baby teeth and my jaw is killing me. I wish someone would just fire me already and get it over with.

Why do you even care if there is a typo. Stop reading the site. FYI - karma is a bitch

dechert rocks. one of their partners used to get blow jobs from a partner at another firm - while the blow job giver blew bubbles under water. incredible.

How were the Princeton offices effected?

At my v50 firm all the AA and female associates got cut. It was really weird. The practice group heads kept the white males, saying they had a better "fit". Thus, I disagree that firms are keeping their AA and female associates. Tough times call for a reversion back to the old boys club.

Coke and lobster on a Thursday, bitches!

QUINN REMAINS REMAINS

80, you mean tough times require firing people who never belonged at the firm in the first place.

I fully expect proportionately more white males to be kept, as they had to actually get the job fully on merit, as opposed to showing clevage to the recruiter or being a product of social guilt.

43--At first, I thought that was supposed to be ironic. Cannot believe that guy takes himself seriously.

As with Morgan, I told everyone who would listen that those firms were real boodsuckers. You gunners got what you deserved for chasing prestige.

80, so your firm fired the marginal candidates who, absent affirmative action, probably wouldn't have been hired based on merit alone.

Not very surprising that "diversity" initiatives fall by the wayside when push comes to shove.

Any word on Saul Ewing?

How can I tell if I'm diverse?

WHAT ABOUT KIRKLAND

82- I think you mean the remains of Quinn remain

Any word on McGivney Kluger's Philly office?

what about other philly firms? who is safe?

Can anyone explain why Philly is hurting disproportionally more than other markets?

Hey guys, the affected associates are getting together tonight at Fudruckers for some soul-searching and shrimp poppers. If there is enough interest, we will order a round of pizza shooters as well.

Wlcom back Dow is up Guy... The White Silk Stocking imitator was an idiot.

No one is safe. Commence the hand-wringing, Philly Phans.

94: Dow Is Up Guy = Best ATL commenter ever. There, I said it.

10 = 10.

For the Phillies fans that lost their jobs, I wish for your continued bad luck.

For the rest of you, keep your heads up...

Any word on whether they Lathamed their first years?

91 - Bankruptcy lawyers are safe(r).

I hate the haters. Go to another blog where you can spew your self-aggrandizing bile...

http://www.blogtoplist.com/rss/haters.html

A Dechert Policy Committee member told me several years ago that Bart wanted to grow to 1,000 and then shrink down to about 600 lawyers, keeping only the Wall Street type work. Looks like he's using the economy as an excuse to achieve that goal more quickly.

Dechert is not GM, though. They don't need to lay off to remain a going concern. They don't even need to lay off to remain very profitable.

They need to lay off only to maintain their status in the AmLaw 100 list, and keep their profits over $2 million per partner.

The management of this firm is an ego trip for Bart and the dozen or so douchebags on the Policy Committee.

The fact is that Dechert's lawyers are no better than lawyers at any of the other top 50 firms. They just charge more per hour and deliberately overstaff cases to run up the bill.

101 - I love to hate!

Things are lookin pretty sweet from where I am sitting,=.

3500 sq ft, a wife, and a Lexis in Texis

Locke Lord Prestige

87 - Find a 20 year old box of crayons. Find the crayon labeled "skin" (yes an actual color). Hold up crayon to your face. If they match, you're not diverse.

All will be well.

The Market will provide.

87 - Find a 20 year old box of crayons. Find the crayon labeled "skin" (yes an actual color). Hold up crayon to your face. If they match, you're not diverse.

103 - I hate to love!

87 - Actually, it was "Flesh."

DECHERTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTLTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Dammit, I'm not diverse. Good thing I still own everything!

-87

94, 96 = The Dow is Up Guy

How does this affect 3Ls at UPenn State?

101 and 103 need to meet.

How does this affect 3Ls at UPenn State?

Please...someone, how many in Charlotte? I have a good friend there. No way it was unscathed.

the bottom is near. The Messiah is all knowing via his teleprompteris exclusivis device. 10 is racist but on point about typos and grammaticals. Maybe he was cut off in traffic this morning.

DECHERT PHILLY TO 190 [attorneys left]!

I've never heard of this Firm.

115 -

UPenn State - Philly has already canceled the Saturday shuttle for nittany lions football games. They are hurting ITE. Hopefully the state will lower tuition for their satellite campus.

Another blow to UPenn State students. At least they still have Joe Pa.

What a shitty firm. They were actually doing OCIs for 3Ls in the fall.

Hey 117/Sean Hannity, fist yourself.

99 - Definitely first years ... I know from experience

85, I don't think you read what the person wrote. "Fit" is the issue. In my experience it is the all purpose bullshit excuse to not hire or push out women and minorities, when you can't think of anything else. I've even heard a partner, on a recruiting trip to a V10, tell me he prefered white guys because they work harder and fit in better, or something, than a woman with comparable grades. He thought it was cool to say because I am also a man, apparently. You idiots who think there is no discrimination in the firm "meritocracy" or that its confined to a few dinosaur partners are dreaming self-affirming fantasies.

I'm putting a shout out to my fellow layoff-ees - when you were axed, did your firm pay you for accrued but unused sick days? Mine didn't even though I asked - twice. No explanation but they did pay me for accrued and unused vacation. My reading of California law is sick pay, like vacation pay, is a form of deferred compensation that an employer is required to pay upon dismissal.

Has anyone come up against this issue? Am I missing something here? I need the severance so I'm not going to raise it with my former firm until my last paycheck clears. For the most part, I'm okay with the layoff - wasn't really working out for me there anyway - but I have 32 days accrued and that's more than one month's salary. I'm not rich enough to kiss off $13K - $15K.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated

dechert rocks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i especially like their unofficial policy of blow jobs at the 4 seasons on thursday afternoon - complete with complimentary viagra for the older partners

well, not me personally, but a friend of mine

119 - and none of us have ever heard of you (or quite possibly your law school) and we probably never will. STFU.

I can't believe a post about layoffs has turned into an AA debate. Sad and typical.

Interesting. This topic is about layoffs and yet it has devolved into yet another discussion about affirmative action. Elie's incompetence as an editor has nothing to do with his race and he didn’t get this job by affirmative action. In fact, it was you, the readers of ATL, who chose him as the editor when you didn't know his race. Now that you realize you made a bad pick, don't make excuses for your poor decision making by bringing his race into the equation.

You read the bible Brett? There's this little saying I have that sort of fits the occasion: Ezekiel 27:17. "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men... and I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee."

Opps that's Ezekiel 25:17.

125, if 80's firm is so racist and sexist why would they hire those blacks and women in the first place. Just so they can fire them?
Self-contradiction pwned.

When black partners tell black associates how much they like working with blacks, that's racist, right?

McGivney Kluger, FTW!

Willkie Farr once again shows its dominance.

for a comment cesspool like this, 102 is amazingly accurate.

131/132 - Nice job. Your inaugural posts and you cite the wrong Bible verse and then in your clean up post you use the non-word "Opps."

Your wallet says "Punk Ass Bitch."

Grammar police:

Does "None of these decisions has been made easily" in Winkour's message make gramatical sense?

137

#1 - It wasn't my inaugural post
#2 - Yes I did make a typo
#3 - The contents of my post are still true
#4 - You're a dipshit cyber thug and if you saw me on the street, you'd run like the little bitch you are.

You read the bible Brett? There's this little saying I have that sort of fits the occasion: Ezekiel 25:17. "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men... and I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee."

This brings the total to about 200 lawyers canned since January 2008. That includes close to 40 partners and almost all of the of counsel in the transactional practices.They have de-equitized loads of partners, plus they have knocked many 55+ year old partners back to 50% (or less) on their draws, even though several are still productive (why do that? because they can). They even fired several partners within their first year of making the partnership. And they at least temporarily whacked by 20% the draw on the top 30 equity partners. But Bart still got a $2 million bonus in 2008.

Does this mean no TGIT tonight?

I've heard rumors of start dates at GDC being pushed back to at least January 2010, and possibly February or March 2010.

138 -- yes

141 -- this week its SH!T.

142 - you said the same thing about Gibson in a previous post. Identify your source with some specificity or quit rumermongering.

There are a lot of racists on this blog.

What impact will this have on the pizza eating contest I have scheduled for later today?

is dechert not going to push back start dates?

147: Dechert will have no need to push back start dates, as they will have fired all thier incoming associates by the time fall rolls around.

131/132/139 = EPIC FAIL

10 = EPIC.... fail?

with all the bad PR surrounding dechert, i'm somewhat surprised that this is the first major (20+) firing of attorneys.

I've heard rumors of start dates at GDC being pulled forward to at least August 2009, and possibly July or June 2009.

I don't believe in rash generalizations, but I sincerely think that everyone in Philadelphia is a cretin and should get the AIDS and die.

150: Dechert canned c. 200 attorneys in the past year - most of which were done by stealth and not-publicly announced.

102 --

You say this like its a bad thing, or is even unexpected. When are people going to figure out that a law firm is not a charity or a public works program, it only makes sense to keep associates on the payroll if they are increasing the profitability of the firm, if the firm would be more profitable without them they should be layed off, simple as that. Yes, partners are greedy and they run firms for their own benefit and no one elses, deal with it. If you want a law firm run for your benefit then start one or become partner somewhere. Dechert is, and will remain, an outrageously profitable place to be a partner and the fact that the people in charge run it like its a business and make decisions like this is the reason why.

150: Because this is not the first major firing of attorneys. With stealth layoffs and public firings, Dechert has been giving lawyers the hatchet for some time now. They simply could not afford to take the time to space out of the firings any longer, and had to act all at once.

Here's a question for you Dechert fans: Remember the 13 lawyers that Dechert fired, and then "unfired" last fall after getting all that bad press? Are any of those 13 unfired lawyers still at Dechert today. The smart money says "No."

148--dehert would never rescind offers . . . no fire a 1st year associate that is a different story.

155: those 13 attorneys left at the end of May last year.

besides the obvious greed, can someone explain to me seriously the rationale behind firms choosing not to hire more lawyers and just pay people less. I mean, who wouldn't take 80-90K a year to get to work 9-5 or 6? I don't understand how the business model depends on paying less people obscenely more to destroy their personal lives and create unrealistic compensation expectations. I do get that they count on greed to get people to bust their asses to make partner, but there's got to be more to it than that. Thanks.

I wasn't going to say anything about affirmative action...but I've been thinking about this for 15 mins, so I might as well.....

Whites are fast becoming the minority in the US, yet for whites continue to hold the vast majority of wealth and power in this country. For those of you who are against affirmative action, do you really believe that this phenomenon exists because whites are so much more intelligent, hardworking, and persistent than their non-white counterparts?

Some people bad mouth affirmative action as if it is normal for colleges to be over 70% white. Some people bad mouth affirmative action as if it is normal for law firm partnership to be over 70% white and male. Some people bad mouth affirmative action as if every white manager (or President) is a genius of unparalled ability. You know, Chris Rock made a comment in an interview and it stuck with me. He basically said, "I want the freedom to suck as bad as the white man." I pray that I live to see the day that we all have that freedom.

I know it's natural for people in power to try to protect their advantage but honestly! How can intelligent people look objectively at the world around them and not recognize that the deck is stacked against minorities? More importantly, in a country that values freedom and opportunity above all else, how can people look at the inequities that our institutions produce without feeling high levels of discomfort?

I understand the argument that affirmative action should be based on class, but I reject that argument. Ultimately, if you take a poor white person out of Appalachia or rural Texas and give that person a Pretty Woman/My Fair Lady makeover that person will be able to navigate through society more freely than a similarly situated black or brown person, simply by virtue of that person's white skin. This is not to say that poor whites should be ignored or denied opportunity. This is simply to say that addressing poverty alone will not fully address the inequities that exist in this country between whites and minorities.

I'm a nonviolent person, but as the gulf widens between the haves and have-nots and as the have-nots increasingly become educated black and brown people, I wonder what will happen to our country. I wonder if this willful blindness on the part of Americans to address and rectify this essential inequity, our original sin, will ultimately cause the downfall of America.

How did any of you become lawyers? You cry like little btiches because your firm expects you to make money. Most of you became lawyers because you are greedy little pricks and wanted to be rich. Then you're completely shocked when the people running your firms are greedy little pricks who want to be rich. Look in the mirror. Karma's a bitch.

How did any of you become lawyers? You cry like little btiches because your firm expects you to make money. Most of you became lawyers because you are greedy little pricks and wanted to be rich. Then you're completely shocked when the people running your firms are greedy little pricks who want to be rich. Look in the mirror. Karma's a bitch.

FFS - did Winokur post the comment that got the AA discussion going to divert attention from Dechert? Let's get the comments on this story back to Dechert?

92 - Is Philly hurting worse? Other than Wolf/Block and Dechert, haven't really heard of any mass layoffs from other big Philly firms like Cozen, Rawle, WEMED, Post & Schell, White & Williams, etc. have you?

102 has got it about right. of the top 50 firms, 25 won't be around in the next three years. firms want to recreate 2007 profits, and they don't expect that for another three years. funny thing, though, if you had $2mm in profits in 2007 and you are looking at $1.5mm this year, you have a choice: go to another firm that is still at $2mm (which you can do if you got the biz and onions), or wait around at your firm for another three years.

the giant sucking sound you will be hearing will be the partners at many firms choosing door #1. hence, all of these firms are cutting costs to remain in that magic $2mm/partner circle. for the firms that are now at $1.5mm and will be experiencing star partner outflows, too little too late, pick your lingerie off the floor.

(tip off the hat to bill raftery)

I can also confirm that a number of first year associates have been laid off - not that it is a surprise or anything.

firms only have the power because we give it to them. I think this is a great opportunity for a lot of people to man up, pool resources, and start firms with colleagues and peers they respect. why not be motivated to stuff it in their faces that you can do better what they make seem so complicated? I am a litigator and a dirty little secret that Biglaw partners don't want you to know is that most of them fear trial like the plague, couldn't run one if faced with the prospect, and that litigation is in fact substantially easier once one figures out how it works than they would like lower men on the totem pole to think.

138 -- yes

141 -- this week its SH!T.

Amazing how the number of staff relative the number of attorneys is always so high.

80 here, I don't think that the firm is racist or sexist, but since most large law firms aren't very diverse (no matter how hard they try), there are legitimate cultural and communication barriers that are created. If the partners could have worked through these barriers, then they would come out on top in the long run. Diversity is always better. However, in these tough economic times, the partners are sticking to people who look and act like themselves.

I hope this economy doesn't de-diversify big law, because our profession really needs to make strides to create, promote, and embrace diversity. For all of us.

The AA/female attorneys bring valuable skills to the table. Numerous studies show it. They aren't necessarily the same skills that white males bring, but in many cases they are more valuable. Because they don't have the same skills people translate that into inferiority, but its not inferiority.

One must admit that lawyers have a terrible reputation. Could it be that the white male dominance of the profession contributed to this reputation and we could reverse that reputation by diversifying our ranks? I think so.

-White WASP Male.

169 here. Please remove the word "legitimate" from the first sentence. The difficulty is not legitimate, and should be corrected. Sorry.

Yeah, 168. Makes one wonder if there are any staffers left at some of these law firms. Must be huge amounts of empty cubes/offices.

Good God it doesn't matter if you're white, black, gold or purple to do basic legal pratice....first years everywhere do document review and due diligence memos, more senior attorneys draft contracts, motions and review securities filings. I have yet to meet a piece of paper that cared about the color of the skin of its pusher.

Amazing how the number of staff relative the number of attorneys is always so high.

Today's layoffs are a follow up to last month's layoffs, which primarily impacted the firm's investment management practice. The axe fell on the rest of the practice groups today.

Ah Dechert, the home of the monthly layoffs, where your job is only as good as your last paycheck.

159-did you miss the election? The most powerful man in America is black. It doesn't mean racism is gone. But it means we've come a long way...

169-

So I hope you're willing to sacrifice your job so that someone less qualified but who brings these undefined "skills" to the table by virtue of having a different skin color can have it instead. If not, you shouldn't be lecturing other people to surrender their jobs on the alter of "diversification." And to the extent "diversity" makes a difference, it's diversity of thought, experience and point of view, not skin color. It's also worth noting that most beneficiaries of affirmative action are fairly well to do or middle class minorities; they're hardly epitomes of racist oppression. And even if they were, it wasn't at my hands, so why should I have to give up my job to correct some injustice perpetrated by and against people who are long since dead?

By the way, the fact that you identify yourself as a white male WASP does absolutely nothing to give you credibility in my eyes. I personally know dozens of people of your ilk: affluent guilty liberals who assuage their consciences by plastering Obama stickers on their car and engaging in long winded lectures about "diversity," or "social justice" and similarly vacuous B.S. Just give it a rest.

for the spelling Nazis out there: correction: should be "altar" not "alter"

-177

So, if zombie partners are equity partners who can't pass the "would you buy it again?" test and whose presence drive their firm into decline by slowly and almost imperceptibly strangling one by one the generation of new rainmakers behind them, why do firms keep them? And didn't that Bruce MacEwen guy write that all this was fixed several years ago?

Well, it wasn't fixed. Very few zombie partners were actually de-equitized. That's because many firms are so overrun with zombie partners that the few living, thriving partners don't have the power to overcome them. Instead, the ladder was pulled up for senior associates and a sort of quasi-permanent purgatory called income partner or nonequity partner status is now their unhappy lot.

But how are zombie partners created in the first place and why are they allowed to spread their infection throughout so many firms. I'm aware of at least three factors.

1) It's The Old Man's fault. The Old Man was a young lion once and back in the day he gathered around him people to help him do all the work he was getting. Over time they became his friends and he used his power and influence to make them equity partners, to put them in positions of power within the firm and to ensure hefty draws.

Years later, when younger or newer partners with real rainmaking skills begin to wonder why these friends of The Old Man take out year after year far more than they contribute to the enterprise, they are told a story that invariably goes something like this: "Years ago I had to get to Liberty City to get a huge deal done. The airport was socked in so I set out by car but got in a wreck. It was 1 a.m., my car was disabled and the rental companies were closed so I called Frank (the zombie partner in question). Frank got to me by 2:30 a.m. and I slept in the back while he drove through the night to Liberty City. That client became the biggest client of this firm for the next 5 years and was one of the foundations on which this firm was built. This firm can't do enough for Frank!"

I've heard, in essence, that very speech. Here are the problems with it. Why do I have to pay Frank for something that never benefited me but Frank gets to take money from me though I never benefited from Frank? Why wasn't Frank paid for his selfless act when it occurred? For how long does Frank get paid for something that happened 20 years ago? Since I've been a partner Frank has pulled down more than $4 million more than he's contributed - can't we agree that $4 million is a fair price to pay for a late night cab ride and cut his income to a fair level henceforth?

The problem is that The Old Man thinks all good things are his doing; that somehow today's young lions wouldn't be roaring if not for him. And he likes to help his friends. It makes him feel good about himself.

And he especially likes to help his friends when he gets to do it with someone else's money.

2) ...

Zombie Partner is the most intelligent analysis of law firm economics that this board has seen in a long time.

Looks like Matt Larabee brought his successful Heller management style with him to Dechert.

Zingaaaaaaa!

177 I dare you to identify yourself. but you won't because a bitch like you would never identify yourself. but if you have the balls, expect a beatdown like you've never heard of before. did I mention that you're a bitch. i won't even say racist because we aaaaalllllll know the answer to that. oh how i wish you would identify yourself. did I already mention what a punk ass bitch you are?

Nice rant, 159. Good stuff. Fact is, America is already done. Most of us are probably still young enough that we'll be able to watch the serious decline of the American empire. And watch with sadness as China and India kick our collective asses into complete irrelevance.

None of this is a surprise. 180+ comments and no one's made the point that Dechert is at best a second-tier Philly firm, and that the first-tier firms like Montgomery McCracken haven't had to lay off anyone?

Great, now I'm going to be seeing Zombie Partner in my nightmares.

oh, and 182 is not 169. and i'm a girl, but i will beat your ass silly. please identify yourself.

Dechert. Patiently awaiting CWT's demise so it can take over the title for associate abuse.

T-O-I-L-E-T

163 - Most Philly firms are under the national radar. Many of them have done layoffs - they just don't make the news unless (i) they have a moderate to large NY presence or (ii) they utterly collapse.

I look forward to a decline into Old Europe-style irrelevance. Health care, 32-hour work weeks, and loose sexual mores. Bring it on.

179 - right on. zombie partners. tip of the iceberg tho b/c in today's economy they get paid less, altho sometimes not less enough.

184: Not that anyone would know (or care) if Montgomery McCracken had engaged in layoffs.......

does anyone know whether cozen o'connor has laid anyone off? How about Saul Ewing?

169, if diversity is so great, why don't law school faculty have affirmative action for conservative hires?

Oh that's right, liberals don't care about actual diversity of thought or experience. They just want to not appear racist to their gardener or their doorman by telling them that, despite being a white WASP, they have several black friends and voted for Obama.

189 nails it. Why do we have to rule the world? Let someone else F*ck it up for a century or two.

191: ???? Montgomery is the Wachtell of Philly. They never have to worry.

Any news on what is happening with 3Ls with offers at Dechert?

10, 20, 26, et al.: I'm sure you think that Elie is EIC of ATL because of those same diversity initiatives.

He was voted EIC by the readers of ATL. He was probably hired based on his merits. You should google him and his dad. Quite accomplished. Surely you feel better by trying to diminish others...

Elie's posts do in fact have typos, but as frat stud would say: no big deal.

Stop trying to make the race thing happen. Elie's typos are not particularly newsworthy. Your disgusting attempt at race baiting is illustrative of your ignorance and the fact that you're probably a pathetic piece of shit.

Eff off,
- Triple Ivy League Educated Lawyer Who Occasionally Makes Typos

Bravo 189 - my wish come true. While all of Europe lavishly spends their days sipping wine, eating baguettes, shnitzel, pickled herring, and tapas, I can't even get a weekend day off!

31- unfortunately said slavery includes a most unattractive legacy (which people like you try to forget). Jim Crow ended maybe 40 years ago. I know that black people are far superior than others in most respects (ask your wife or girlfriend, tiger woods, half of the NBA, the president . . .), but even I think that overcoming the travails of slavery and the effects is a lot to accomplish in a mere 40 years. Give us a break, another few years and get a life.

31- unfortunately said slavery includes a most unattractive legacy (which people like you try to forget). Jim Crow ended maybe 40 years ago. I know that black people are far superior than others in most respects (ask your wife or girlfriend, tiger woods, half of the NBA, the president . . .), but even I think that overcoming the travails of slavery and the effects is a lot to accomplish in a mere 40 years. Give us a break, another few years and get a life.

31- unfortunately said slavery includes a most unattractive legacy (which people like you try to forget). Jim Crow ended maybe 40 years ago. I know that black people are far superior than others in most respects (ask your wife or girlfriend, tiger woods, half of the NBA, the president . . .), but even I think that overcoming the travails of slavery and the effects is a lot to accomplish in a mere 40 years. Give us a break, another few years and get a life.

139 -- The point of a good ATL schtick is to NEVER BREAK FROM THE SCHTICK

All you have proved is that you can google movie quotes (and then typo them when you rehash them onto ATL) but that you can't respond to events in-character.

You are officially the weakest ATL schtick of the year. Even Partner Emeritus was better than this.

PS -- Zombie Partner, you rock

king and spalding is a shit hole .... oh, this isn't about king and spalding ? what the hell - king and spalding sucks !

199, both tiger woods and the president are multi-racial.

Is Drinker Biddle healthy? They just picked up Wolf Block's Bankruptcy group in Delaware right?

204, but according to racist whites and their one-drop rule, they are, in fact, black. Further, Obama considers himself black.

Notwithstanding the above,

MY POINT REMAINS.

First!

206, So you base your argument on a premise taken from racist whites? Sound reasoning for someone who believes "black people are far superior than others in most respects"... I suppose then it doesn't matter that Obama's father played almost no part in his upbringing? He's still all "black" according to your rule.

DRINKER BIDDLE... STEALTH... STEALTH...

Rumor -- Delaware. Nothing in hard copy.

Stealth... stealth... June... bye bye associates, partners... stealth... staff... 12 hear 3 there.. attorneys 20 then 3 stealth stealth -- and no comments.

DRINKER BIDDLE... STEALTH... STEALTH...

Rumor -- Delaware. Nothing in hard copy.

Stealth... stealth... June... bye bye associates, partners... stealth... staff... 12 here 3 there.. attorneys 20 then 3 stealth stealth -- and no comments.

208, yes, because unfortunately, I must face reality. The way of America, apperently, is the way of racist whites. Additionally, the ill effects of racism are manifested on people who are clearly identified as other, I dunno, skin color (and not the level of involvement of the black parent and/or any other factor) has a lot to do with it. See comment regarding a poor white and a poor black somewhere above.

Which is better for my ego right now? - being a laid off associate of an AmLaw 50 firm w/PPP between $1.25 to $1.50 million or being an employed associate at a large NJ/CT law firm w/PPP between $500K and $750K? Is it worth trying to lateral in to the latter type of firm or will the "lack of prestige" be too much to bear after having tasted BigLaw life? Can one ever reenter BigLaw or will the newly minted lawyers fill the BigLaw associate positions when the economy picks up again? Now what????

209/210 --DBR hard copy:

http://www.drinkerbiddle.com/files/News/29c0f171-6ca3-4f51-ab8e-00fea3553247/Presentation/NewsAttachment/058d155b-8c15-4c28-adbb-02bc499f6f97/Wilmington.pdf

what else ya got?

200/201, I (31) completely agree with you. It's hard to overcome the effects of slavery, which is why society need to give more patronizing favors to blacks. For example, they are allowed 12 extra deemed points on the LSAT, two typos per English sentence, 1 extra point per basketball shot (if I were in change of the NBA), and a +/- error rate of 5 when solving each math problem.

They're like children. You can't expect them to compete on a level playing field, like the Chinese.

They should also be told by racist whites which people are actually considered black.

214,

Good point. There are so many Chinese partners at big firms. The WASPs and Jews running them just love those Chinese kids. Clients love them too. They are the best kept secret in law.

211 = A true engineer of social change... perpetuates racism and embraces excuse... Go get 'em!

215, I don't think you understand what "compete on a level playing field" means. You are not guaranteed the exact same results as everyone else.

And actually Chinese partners are pretty well represented, especially if you include California firms, considering that the Chinese are about 1% of the total US population and most of them tend to be younger and more junior.

216, obviously, the way of America is the way of racist whites. I guess this racist white supermajority didn't have TVs and didn't realize that "Barack Obama" is not a 100% white guy.

Say what you want about the Chinese, but they do build a damn fine railroad.

Problem is, Fong like to smokee the opium a bit too much. That's why you have to pay them in company script. Or in opium.

Can we stop talking about racism already. I want to hear more about wine and baguettes, free healthcare, "bank holidays", and 3 months of vacation every year.

218 = Rush Limbaugh

219, you're a stupid racist goober. It's "SCRIP" not "SCRIPT."

222:

Actually, I run a movie studio, and I choose to pay my celestials in actual movie scripts. So there.

-219

Joe Heil is the biggest prick on the planet.

Rumors are flying under the Fried Frank thread about a merger with Dechert. Can we get an update? Anyone heard?

Lots of angst in Philadelphia these days. The problem is that Philadelphia is no longer the "home" to insurance companies, banks etc. So, as each commercial enterprise in Philadelphia was merged with something in NY or elsewhere, there were no new clients to take the place of the departed/merged/bankrupt companies. The impact is felt mostly by the Philadelphia based commercial firms. They were doing ok when the region had a spurt of real estate deals which created loan work etc. But, that has all dried up. I here that there are several more such regional commercial firms in Philadelphia that are in trouble. Very unfortunate. Come to think of it, I should have bought a 7-11 franchise 10 years ago. They are always busy.....

Take heed, law students. No, you're not going to reap the rewards of a surfeit of jobs in 2-3 years. Hiring will be cautious, and the chronic oversupply of JDs is just getting more intense as new schools open and jobs are lost. Not only that, most large firms, mine included, are raising the bar to partnership in terms of collections, origination, and hours. Welcome to law.

God forbid a partner take a modest paycut to bring him/her back to '04 levels. This profession is dominated by the kids in high school that you hated

Rick Jones wears women's underwear.

214,

"[C]ompletely agree with you. It's hard to overcome the effects of slavery," [I AGREE]

"which is why society need to give more patronizing favors to blacks. For example, they are allowed 12 extra deemed points on the LSAT, two typos per English sentence, 1 extra point per basketball shot (if I were in change of the NBA), and a +/- error rate of 5 when solving each math problem." [FINE WITH ME, SLAVERY WASN'T FAIR EITHER. YOUR PROBLEM IS THAT YOU PRESUME AA SHOULD BE FAIR. I BELIEVE IT SHOULD CORRECT PAST INJUSTICES. . .FAIRNESS, WOULD BE NICE, BUT SHOULD NOT NECESSARILY BE INCLUDED IN THE PROCESS.]

"They're like children." [YAWN.]

"You can't expect them to compete on a level playing field, like the Chinese." [ YOU TOUCHED ON A POINT ON WHICH I FAILED TO ELABORATE. THE PLAYING FIELD IS NOT LEVEL. THOSE WHO ARE WHITE --WHETHER THEY HAVE ANY HAND IN RACIST ACTIONS OR NOT--ARE BENEFITTING (UNTIL AA CAME ABOUT) FROM THE EFFECTS OF SLAVERY. WHITES (FOR LACK OF A BETTER DESCRIPTER) ARE CLEARLY AHEAD OF THE GAME DUE IN LARGE PART TO PAST INJUSTICES. IF YOU THINK THAT IS FAIR, OR A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD, THEN CONGRATS ON BEING SO PAINFULLY UNAWARE.]

"They should also be told by racist whites which people are actually considered black." [I THINK MOST BLACKS ARE CAPABLE OF SELF IDENTIFYING. BUT, WHITES WILL JUDGE US BASED ON OUR NON-WHITE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS, IT IS SAD THAT WE CANNOT DO MORE TO COUNTER].

Regards,
200, 201, 197

Law firms in China are full of Chinese. I would imagine law firms in Africa are full of blacks.

What kind of severance to those laid off today at Dechert?

What kind of severance to those laid off today at Dechert?

230, please don't tell me you deign to suggest that whites came from this country? My oh my. But you're quick to point out how stupid the darkies are. Shut the fuck up!!!! I'm telling you, if you would have the balls to identify yourself, I will personally deliver the beat down you so rightly deserve.

Jack Gilles wears and adult diaper.

Dechert sounds like squirrel farts.

Amazing the amount of ignorance this piece spawned, hopefully mostly from non-lawyers.

The big firm economic model, at least in several larger firms, a few in Philly, is apparently outmoded, coupled with the fact that some equity partners drawing down huge seven plus figure profits have decided not to support hundreds of worker bees now that their 401(k)'s are worth half of what they were last year.

The bottom line for any lawyer, at these big firms or in solo practice is clients. Get clients, you have security.

It's always been that simple. Too many folks just forgot. And now they get to learn that hopefully, while waiting for UC checks.

15 - you're an ass

Amazing the amount of ignorance this piece spawned, hopefully mostly from non-lawyers.
-
You think non-lawyers started this? Why would you think that? Of course this piece was spawned by lawyers. How egotistical to think that lawyers could never be dumbasses.

159 and 169 - You both said the most insightful things in this entire comment section, and not one of the venom-spewers has been able to assail it. The continued returning to their own vomit, spewing more and more of the same old arguments about race, affirmative action, and the like.

It proves an age-old point. Fools hate knowledge and despise wisdom and instruction!!!

Bottom line is -- The only people making affirmative action programs necessary are the kind of people posting these diabolical comments on sites like these. Don't keep setting fire to houses and lamenting that the fire dept. uses too much water. If you'd change, the country would change. If you continue this way, things will continue as they are. Continuing to harbor these racist thoughts and infect another generation has been your MO for more than four hundred years. Continuing to do the same thing but expecting a different result is just insanity!

184: Montgomery McCracken did just engage in stealth layoffs a week ago....and you're right, nobody noticed.

214 -- I'd match wits with you any day. You are a racist. That sad part is that you know you are a racist, and are proud to be a racist. I hope a black person takes your job.

- Black Female Big Law Associate

Has anyone been paying attention to those lying bastards over there at Proskauer? They fired first years in December and, oh yeah, they just fired more out of the corporate department last week. And, oh yeah, they are presently (yesterday and today) MURDERING the secretarial staff!! Fired all of the day floating staff as well as senior partner secys and are continuing the bloodbath as we speak. Its not the economy either. I bet it has a lot to do with that 45 million dollar credit they owe. And the fact that over the past 2 years they've lost MAJOR senior partners that walked off with MAJOR clients.

This is from a letter that Dechert's Supreme Leader wrote to his younger brother (at least according to http://www.jimmywinokur.com/AAPages/prose-2.htm ). People like him don't change, which is probably a contributing factor to why Dechert is the way it is now:

The following is an excerpt from a letter my brother wrote me as a 1st year Harvard Law Student, on the occasion of my selection as Editor-in-Chief of my high school yearbook. For me, it reminds of my family's unfortunate technique of attempting motivation, and their goals for me, when I was a kid. I have tried to avoid this approach:

I was so happy about the yearbook editorship, I think I told all the people I could without seeming a braggart. Really, Jim, I think it's a wonderful opportunity and one from which you can get an awful lot of experience. But it's even more important t to remember the tremendous duty it places on your shoulders. The success of the yearbook really depends on you, because unless you set the example nothing will get done and even then most things won't be done right the first time and you'll have to do it t over and over again and many times even do it yourself.

But even more important, don't forget your school work. Maybe because Mom, Dad and I stressed school work so you could get into a good college you might, now that you feel certain of a good school, let up as though it were no longer important. This simply isn't so. Getting into college is only half the battle and even that half isn't won yet. The other half -- making the most of the opportunity still lies ahead and, to a great extent, depends on your foundations in high school. I told you many times ho w much better equipped some people were at Cornell and how these people were invariably the honors students. Others got good grades but the extra special experience you can acquire only when you have all the basics mastered. Some people were forever fumbling with simple history background material and elementary composition, because in high school they never completely mastered them.

I don't want to sound pessimistic - because I'm not. I'm proud of my brother and I have a lot of confidence in you, Jim. But I know that most of my success at Cornell was not due to any brilliance but rather a facility with the basics. I was good at simple composition and simple math and physics. My history background was not a very complicated and intellectual one. But I knew the facts of American history and the trends and their importance. So in Government I didn't have to fish around for analogies -- all the principles could easily be seen in the light of history and that I could do….

At any rate, from what Mom and Dad tell me about your conscientiousness in other fields, I'm sure that you are beginning to get a better perspective on what's important and that you'll follow through and keep us all proud. By the way, don 't forget to write to all the colleges and tell them about your new position. It might be just the thing to tip the scales in your favor….

Keep up the good work….

Bart

Douche de la Douche.

Bart is on the Highway to Hell.

See if you can take your $15 million 2008 comp with you there, you arrogant jackass.

It's not an adult diaper.
Jack just has wide hips and a distended belly.
Don't make fun of his deformity, you insensitive dolt.

looks like one from the charlotte office, a first year...

down to 14 in that office, at least based on the website

Let's talk about the viagra and thurs afternoon BJ's... much more interesting.

Let's talk about the viagra and thurs afternoon BJ's... much more interesting.

Dechert took the opportunity to lay off certain secretaries who had over 15 years of experience.
They didn't even try to ask if staff would mind a %5 pay cut to help other co workers. Or some furlough days off no pay! Winokur and 1 or two others make a ton of money, Yet Dechert is hosting 23 summer associates.
They lay off to keep their bottom line tight Lets not forget MVK from the Philly office.
Some of the HR people are tripping voer each other.
They also too this time to rid themselves of one secretary they were trying to rid themselves of from 2008. They do not like people who who question the party line.
They moved to a new spot and yet it seems now that they will have to rent/sublease one fo the newer floors.
They hire people who have a degree in the staff manager side of the firm - but they are paying them and training at the same time!

Dechert took the opportunity to lay off certain secretaries who had over 15 years of experience.
They didn't even try to ask if staff would mind a %5 pay cut to help other co workers. Or some furlough days off no pay! Winokur and 1 or two others make a ton of money, Yet Dechert is hosting 23 summer associates.
They lay off to keep their bottom line tight Lets not forget MVK from the Philly office.
Some of the HR people are tripping voer each other.
They also too this time to rid themselves of one secretary they were trying to rid themselves of from 2008. They do not like people who who question the party line.
They moved to a new spot and yet it seems now that they will have to rent/sublease one fo the newer floors.
They hire people who have a degree in the staff manager side of the firm - but they are paying them and training at the same time!

Dechert took the opportunity to lay off certain secretaries who had over 15 years of experience.
They didn't even try to ask if staff would mind a %5 pay cut to help other co workers. Or some furlough days off no pay! Winokur and 1 or two others make a ton of money, Yet Dechert is hosting 23 summer associates.
They lay off to keep their bottom line tight Lets not forget MVK from the Philly office.
Some of the HR people are tripping voer each other.
They also too this time to rid themselves of one secretary they were trying to rid themselves of from 2008. They do not like people who who question the party line.
They moved to a new spot and yet it seems now that they will have to rent/sublease one fo the newer floors.
They hire people who have a degree in the staff manager side of the firm - but they are paying them and training at the same time!