Boom Times for Barry: Simpson Litigation Going Strong
Last month, Simpson Thacher announced a new public service fellowship program. The move was widely praised as a creative, public-spirited way of dealing with the downturn.
Some commenters wondered whether it reflected work slowness at Simpson. If STB is willing to let 15 junior associates go off and do public interest work for a year, could it mean that there isn’t enough work to go around?
In the corporate department, maybe; but apparently not in litigation. Check out this email from litigation department head Barry Ostrager (he of the poor bathroom etiquette):
In this slow economy, billing over eight hours a day might seem… harsh. Is it fair for STB litigators to stay at work until 10, while the private-equity folks leave by 6?
If you’re a Simpson associate, however, you should refrain from complaint. Instead, after getting staffed on doc review for some stupid reinsurance case, email Barry O. and say: “Thank you sir, may I have another?”
(42) 
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Abigail: “I feel sorry for all those people laid off this week.”
Britanny: “YOU feel sorry for THEM? How about feeling sorry for ME! I’m joined for life to a bitch that won’t shut up about how sorry she feels for all the spoiled Ivy grads - who lost their silver spoon overpaid jobs that they never deserved in the first place, because they only billed 1600 hours and half of that was padded time anyway . . . wah wah wah!”
Dude, conjoined twins must just stare at atl all day to get these firsts. Get a life!!!!
"In this slow economy, billing over eight hours a day might seem... harsh. Is it fair for STB litigators to stay at work until 10, while the private-equity folks leave by 6?"
Lat, I expect better from you. Who do you think was billing 2600 hours in the past years and driving the salary increases from $120-160K? Not the litigators working till 9 or 10.
it's funny how many of my classmates suddenly developed an affinity for litigation.
*prepares a canned response for interviews explaining how much i love reviewing documents for 4 years with a small chance of being 3rd chair on a deposition*
-nervous T-10 1L
soon to be nervous 1L sa
How do I know if I am prestigious and classy and stuff?
Texas2L
I'm not impressed by Simpson's 8 hours... I'm billing 10+ hours a day, and yes, the corporate people are leaving at 4 everyday.
It's 8 hours a day for EVERY MEMBER of the lit department, partners and associates. That IS impressive, since at any given time you'll have some people who are busy and others who are not (e.g., case just settled, in between matters, etc.).
Happy to see Lat writing more. Definitely browsing this site less in his absence.
what is up with your servers? It took me 20 minutes just to post a comment
What's so stupid about reinsurance cases?! Or: what makes them any stupider than any other case?
Litigators may be there until 10 these days, but two years ago the PE lawyers were working around the clock...
10 = MKV
Mr. Ostrager will now be swimming in resumes.
But why would Simpson hire litigators when they can just bring over first- and second-year corporate associates with nothing to do?
Why is 8 hours a day harsh? I'm pretty sure he means work days not all days...no entire dept is that busy.
Who cares? Let's get back to the blood-letting
15: But the litigation dept is that busy. That is why he is announcing it, knowing would be posted on ATL.
Anybody can write anything that anybody wants in a memo. This is a P.R. bulletin and, in my view, Ostrager is bullshitting.
I frequently bill hours for servicing fellows, often in public.
How come you can never reach the litigators there by phone? Oh...let me try their Pukeberry
10: Do you know anything about reinsurance at all? The answer to your question is that it's the most boring application of contract law ever and all reinsurance disputes are arbitration pissing matches between old white men.
Thank you! Thank you Lat, for that intralink to the missed deadline cross appeal notice. That seriously just made my fucking day.
Thank you! Thank you Lat, for that intralink to the missed deadline cross appeal notice. That seriously just made my fucking day.
23 here. I pressed "submit" once, but the server is cranky.
Not that I wasn't overjoyed enough to have posted twice anyway.
Because corp. associates only know how to cut/copy/paste?
Only in Elie's world does one have to stay until 10 pm to bill 8 hours. What time do you think they arrive at work? 2? I bill 8 hours a day and I'm out the door at 7 each night.
It is obvious from the wording of the email that the email was drafted for marketing purposes and designed to be published on sites like ATL. Despite the PR bulletin presenting everything as pink and rosy, the reality is that things are fairly quiet at the litigation department and I find it hard to believe the "8 billable hours per day average" crap. If things were so busy as they are claiming, why don't they call in the corporate guys to help out? Because there is not enough work to share. And why are there litigation associates being asked to leave? I know for a fact that a 2nd year associate in the litigation department has been asked to leave last month (D.C. office).
27 - They have. They've circulated emails about borrowing corporate associates for doc review. AFAIK, most corporate guys have turned them down because we don't want to miss out on the one deal that *might* come through. One of my friends, nonetheless, decided to bite. He told me that he was told "expect to be fully booked for four months."
Not impressed. Many a couple of old cases went to trial.
12=BRO.
21=not BRO.
Simpson Thacher, I love you!
All your bases are belong to us.
--Simpson.
26, you are much more efficient than I am (or much less conscientious about accounting for your time).
33, a primer on how to bill time:
(1) at end of each day, count number of hours you were at work.
(2) add minutes spent thinking about work while commuting, in the shower, at lunch, etc.
(3) add minutes spent working last evening at home that were not included in previous day's tally
(4) subtract only those minutes that are absolutely not work related
(5) allocate, according to approximately what you remember you did that day, the total from 1 - 4 to all your open matters.
I followed these rules (especially doing time every day) for five years at biglaw and billed very efficiently (usually an hour or less of dead time per day).
Do not sell yourself short. Billing your time efficiently is everything.
- Happily in-house and no longer billing time.
^ Wow, most useful comment I have ever seen on this website.
@35-
Thank you Hon!!
Do you want me to be more 'useful' (and comment LOUDLY!!!)
;)
Complete and utter bullshit like everything else Harpo does.
"Harpo" - giggle.
In Harpo's defense, I believe he may still be fighting against a corporate Fenrir. Hence the STILL ongoing PR sounding memo about how busy litigation is.
Every village needs a sociopath.
"Look at me, look at me, I'm short, arrogant and freakishly insecure." And let's not forget MK Velocoraptor, lead backup vocal in the BROstreet Sickophant band. About as useless as a butt plug in a proctologist's office that one. Those who know, know, those who don't are healthier for it.
That said, Roy Reardon is the tops.
"s it fair for STB litigators to stay at work until 10, while the private-equity folks leave by 6?"
Is this a joke? How can anyone ask that question after YEARS when the MA folks were here until midnight and week-ends while litigators barely had anything to do from 9-5?
Wow. More than a decade later and there's still that much hostility felt in the litigation department of STB.
But they have a high vault ranking! And big revenue! Yaaaaay!