Is it just me, or does Elie need to get off NP's dick?

3 articles on NP in like a week....I know there are other firms out there being just as shady, if not more so...

Don't forget to shave another 60+% off for Obama's redistributive tax plans. Enjoy billing 2300 hours for that 4% bonus, with the rest of it going to unemployed Democrat voters.

Seriously, I would format Word to auto-update my resume whenever I opened a new matter.

Great. Now first years get bonuses based on how well they can do a partner's job (new business, high-profile firm-building activities), all to get the lousy $15 or 20k extra that they used to earn as a matter of course.

Why should anyone be excited about these "bonuses?"

Graduating 3L glad to be doing a COA clerkship.

Great point #3. Obama's going to take all of our money! I hear that if you make over 120K theres gonna be an 80% tax! Then he's gonna give it all to the stupid poors! Man, I'm sure glad I voted for George W. Bush all these years, he was always so fiscally intelligent.

"Other tipsters feel that the new policy really hurts average performers."

GOOD. Fuck those losers. I don't want them dragging down my kickass bonuses and salary with lockstep any longer.

- Quality associate who hits insane hours even in these tough economic times

Everyone's a winner at Nixon Peabodddyyyyyy!!!!!*

*(Associates not included. Only applies to partners.)

In an Obama economy, is it possible for an associate at a non-peer firm to bill 2,300 hours? The bonus structure is illusory.

this is a fucking joke. 2300 for a 10% bonus. what a complete and total fucking joke. will never, ever consider working at this firm.

-T5

Who the hell has this many hours. I will probably end up with 1500 hours this year. Seriously, anyone else in this position?

Can we get a posting about hours?

If you want me to bill over 2000 hours you had best be paying me market.

-Entitled 3L

Manny tests positive for juice. Obviously he has adapted to LA quickly as he already invoked the CA drug defense -- it was for medical purposes.

Terrible bonuses, no one is going to get 2,300 hours, or a discretionary bonus for that matter.

The NP system gets at least one thing right: if you bill under 2000, you are not "value added".

4 - As if you had any Word formatting skills to begin with. Please.

NP associates-

what kind of hours different practice groups are hitting?

3 is clearly an idiot who has no idea what the graduated tax levels are and probably thinks everything Rush Limbaugh says is the truth.

3, 6 & 9 -

Thank you for your support. Keep
telling everyone how things were so
much better when I was President. It's
all Obama's fault.

If you want me to bill over 2000 hours, you had better be paying me market.

-Entitled 3L

Elie, please retitle:

"Dissolution Watch: Nixon Peabody"

6 - Criticism of Obama does not necessarily imply praise of Bush.

Wait, wait, wait.

I bill 2300 hours, my friend bills 1900. That means I billed more than 20% more. I get 10% bonus? That's crap!

And, those 400 extra hours I bill are worth more per hour. The fixed costs are presumably covered by working the minimum, so anything over is pure profit. And I get crap for it. Way to motivate me.

I think PE is correct. The promise for a 2,300 hour bonus lacks consideration. If only I could sue the firm for detrimental reliance. . .what claim would I have?

Management of Nixon Peabody has not been fooled by the bear market rally. They realize that the demand for legal services will not increase until the 2nd quarter of 2010. These are prudent measures.

23 -But you know, Bob, that will only make someone work just hard enough not to get fired.

This structure is ridiculous, thank God I don't work there. Do they realized they have totally disincentived going the extra mile? I'd rather spend time with my family than get a 10% bonus for working 2300 hours.

I mean COME ON.

This structure is ridiculous, thank God I don't work there. Do they realized they have totally disincentived going the extra mile? I'd rather spend time with my family than get a 10% bonus for working 2300 hours.

I mean COME ON.

23 - SPOT ON!!!!

Clients love these kind of bonus structures because they know that people billing over 40 hours a week turn in very high quality work product

If I can blow myself at will, am I prestigious enough for Nixon Peabody?

#23 is correct. Lap dances at 2:00AM are worth more than lap dances at 7:30PM. Or so I hear.

Random question: Did Nixon Peabody increase the billable hours requirement when it joined the $160k club? If so, does the bonus structure above reflect a decrease in the billable hour requirement commensurate with the reduction to $145k?

30: To add to your point, clients love these bonus structures because they guarantee that associates will never pad their hours.

I read this memo a bit differently. At 2300 hours, I think you will get the 10% bonus, plus one of the four discretionary bonuse figures (I don't think 0 is an option at that point, as it is with the 1900 hours billers). So, really, you get between 16% - 30%.

35, discretionary means discretionary.

Ask any associate who got screwed over in the past (even during a good economy) what discretionary means.

2 hit the nail on the head.

35, like anyone will bill 2300 hours, or more importantly, who wants to? I'm all for billing over 2000, but 2300 guarantees you no life. So really, billing 2100 hours guarantees you 5% only? So not worth it to bill over the minimum. Great.

PE/24 -

Stop trying to prop yourself up by posting anonymously. You aren't fooling anyone. You're done here. Go away.

I think a quota system could be helpful here - bottom 5% get the lowest discretionary bonus, next 15% get 2nd level, next 70% get 3rd level, and the top 10% get highest discretionary bonus (or some variation on those percentages).

Otherwise, I don't see very many people getting those higher bonuses.

The discretionary bonuses are just carrots dangled in front of the associates, giving them a reason to hope. In reality, the discretionary bonuses may be given to one or two associates--just so associates can "know someone who got them" but that's about it.

The bonus memo is moot. Nixon won't be around when the bonuses are to be paid under this new formula anyway.

The bonus memo is moot. Nixon won't be around when the bonuses are to be paid under this new formula anyway.

36 is dead on.

Most lawfirms pay only a discretionary bonus, which, for whatever reason, is tied only to class. It's meaningless whether the bonus structure is "discretionary" versus "hour-driven." And the buzzwords surrounding what you have to do in order to get a discretionary bonus are also meaningless, as is whatever bullshit stated criteria every other law firm claims to evaluate with respect to their bonus structures.

The bad news for associates is that the cap is so low. If the salary's down to $145k, a 30% cap means a maximum $43.5k end year bonus. Compare to 2007, in which market bonus for average performers were 45k. It's a moot point in this economy, where everyone's expecting dogshit for Christmas. But the economy's not going to stay down forever, any number of firms are going to return to and surpass 2007 form, and taking the time to put together a to-be-below-market bonus structure is a pretty shitty signal by NP to its associates.

Quick math: At 1900 hours, you are paid ~ 76 dollars per hour

At 2300, assuming the 10+ 6 bonus, because we know they arent giving the 10 +20 bonus out, you are paid 58 dollars per hour for that extra 400 hours.

I'll pass.

Before many of you get excited about Obama's economic turnaround, let me point out certain things that are transpiring outside of your prosaic legal lives. GM just posted a 6 Billion 1Q loss for 2009. Dupont announced it will be laying off 2,000 more employees, the price of oil is rising, Wells Fargo needs $15 Billion in capital as a result of the regulators' stress test, the NHL Coyotes team is about to fold, GMAC lost $675 Million last quarter, Chrysler's bankruptcy proposes that the Treasury will lose $7.2 Billion of aid money, Bank of America needs $33,9 Billion to pass the regulator's stress test, etc. When Obama's administration talks about the economic recovery, how come these tidbits of fact are not divluged? Why is Obama trying to hide his failure on economic policy?

Everyone who is pissed at this: blame yourselves. It's our own fault that everyone is willing to try and work a few hours longer than the next person to try and make a little more money. All the while everyone is working tons of hours, answering to unreasonable demands from people who are making about 10x our salary and all the while having no life. This is what happens when we all agree to that system. We are then asked to work 2300 hours for 145,000 and 20% of our bonus is "discretionary."

This system won't change until associates stop agreeing to unreasonable demands. But, they won't because like partners, associates are greedy too and everyone wants to know they are making a little more money that those around them and their friends and family, etc. STOP FEEDING THE SYSTEM.

It's cute how all these law students think that work hours are within the choice of the associate. Do people seriously think many associates actually aimed to bill more in order to earn more money at $50/hour (in a good economy)?

Thanks Prez O! For those of you unemployed and reading these posts, what do you think? Are you happy about the futhere severe steps firms are taking in salary, bonus structure, etc? Come on, it makes you happy to see us suffer too, right?

I guess in theory if you lived at the office, billed 2300 hours, worked additional pro bono that you didn't bill, worked on every committee possible, had some scholarly work published, did more rainmaking than the average associate, and clients you had any contact with gushed about you, you might get the full discretionary bonus.

PE --LEAVE. Nobody wants to hear your pointless rants.

34 -- very good point. I'd missed that angle . Nixon is probably bidding on an RFP and wanted to attach that new bonus structure to it to show the value they deliver.

30

MANNY BEING STEROIDY!!!!

Why on earth would anybody working at Nixon Peabody bill 2300 hours? I thought this was a lifestyle firm. I would bill jsut enough to not get fired and let them keep their $10k after taxes.

@PE and all other doomers...

It's always darkest before the dawn...this thing has already begun to turn around. Intial jobless claims have dropped by 35k...a significantly significant number...will things be bad for a while, perhaps...but we're at the bottom...YOU just don't know it.

Someone Who Knows Things...

Shut up PE - nobody ever wants to hear from you again. Shut the f*ck up.

35: 0% is one of the firm's options. There are five levels of 'discretionary' bonus under this new plan, 0% being one, and the other four levels are listed.

Retired partner here: Even I agree that this bonus system is total BS. It's better to simply say that the firm will distribute bonuses per the discretion of management, without any details. The details given indicate that no bonuses will be given except to those highly connected.

Amen 52 & 57

35: 0% is one of the firm's options. There are five levels of 'discretionary' bonus under this new plan, 0% being one, and the other four levels are listed.

35: 0% is one of the firm's options. There are five levels of 'discretionary' bonus under this new plan, 0% being one, and the other four levels are listed.

Law student here: Even I don't not agree that this bonus system is whackety whackerson. You may as well tell us you pay like a public interest firm.

Wow, this bonus structure is the most miserable way to make money (and obviously, not a lot of it).

This comment is addressed to the distressed poster known as no. 52.

I realize my "rants" are a reminder of the terrible choice you made at the voting booth last November. You can do something about it in the midterm elections by voting against Obama's comrades in Congress. These folks are trying to destroy Capitalism and the merit system. When you get fired or your salary is adjusted, don't blame the firm or the partners, place the blame with the folks that are really responsible for this mess.

PE must be kicking himself. For about 2 weeks he was the best known personality on ATL. Now he's just a douche that everyone hates. One stupid mistake.

I would very much like to see a column written by PE.

PE - once again, your "facts" are bogus. The Coyotes went into Chapter 11 in a fraudulent attempt to force a sale to a Canadian billionaire who wants to move them to southern Ontario. They're not folding, regardless of whether they stay in AZ or move to ON. Obama and the Habs rule!

Go and troll a GOP website. Bother 15% of the American public for a change.

67 = PE. dude, you gotta be unemployed to post this much on ATL.

You know what is ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS IN ALL OF THIS?? Associates are expected to be 180% perfect for a job. And even that won't be enough to reward them. At what point were we ever expected to bend over backwards BEYOND imagine just to keep a freakin job that gives us excuse after excuse after excuse for lay offs, pay cuts, bonus decreases, etc. And now they want us to work EVEN HARDER (when there isn't any work to be had because partners are sitting on their asses) to reach some vague bonus that is "discretionary". Eff that. DISCRETIONARY MEANS YOU AIN'T GETTING SHEEYIT. We are all smart and educated people-- why are we being treated like peons? Why are we stressing ourselves out beyond belief for some BS promise?

hELL, THERE NEEDS TO BE A REVOLT. ASSOCIATES NEED TO DEMAND RESPECT!! AFTER ALL ASSOCIATES DO ALL THE PARTNERS WORK ANYWAY!!

Shut up PE.

46 -- I think you make a really good point, but associates in a busy practice often have little choice about billing a ton of hours. Obviously, this is less of a problem INE, but for an associate at a firm that has not historically had great bonuses (like many firms not strongly associated with Wall Street), this plan is actually pretty good. It includes a measure of certainty, a reasonable bonus, and the possibility of discretionary increases. Outside of a lock-step mega-bonus system, I like this proposal. Certainly, it's far superior to the "we'll give you whatever we want based upon whatever undisclosed criteria we decide" calculation done at many firms.

good call 69...I would try and get a new shtick (or a job) PE, because everyone hates you...you even embarass us conservatives...DISAPPEAR FOREVER

Please block all PE posts. Not because they are offensive, just because they are moronic and annoying. To think that this guy was once considered a top ATL personality is sad.

Man, he must be kicking himself for that suicide post.

What do you get when you have a devious president who likes rap music?

No, not Obama...

A Nixon P. Diddy!

PE - you post on the comments of this site about 15 times a day. Either go study for finals or look for a job. Either way, you are not someone who has actual work to do, or a social life. And you definitely aren't smoozing with clients to be on this website so much.

Latham fact of the Day:

Latham gave me a full bonus few weeks before I was laid off with 6 more months of pay. That is how mismanaged Latham is.

PE - Even the asslobsters have turned their backs on you. How the mighty hath fallen....

PE has to be the lamest ATL personality ever. Please, please stop posting. Everyone hates you.

This paints a pretty bleak picture. 2300 per year is 46 hours per week (assume two week vacation, which I know is nuts to consider now). For a 5 day work week, that means 9.2 hours per day BILLABLE and 7.6 per day BILLABLE if you plan to work every Saturday. At some point, the money is not enough. Anyone with a family or a single mother has to be INSANE to work under these conditions. At 165 per year plus bonuses, one could rationalize devoting so many hours of your day to a job that so negatively impacted your social/family life in the hope that one day the brass ring of "partner" and a secure future would be yours. See the item regarding Jenner & Block to deconstruct that myth. Why are law schools full of students eagerly waiting to jump on this gerbil treadmill?.

@77: Latham also ruined you career, durrrr.

This paints a pretty bleak picture. 2300 per year is 46 hours per week (assume two week vacation, which I know is nuts to consider now). For a 5 day work week, that means 9.2 hours per day BILLABLE and 7.6 per day BILLABLE if you plan to work every Saturday. At some point, the money is not enough. Anyone with a family or a single mother has to be INSANE to work under these conditions. At 165 per year plus bonuses, one could rationalize devoting so many hours of your day to a job that so negatively impacted your social/family life in the hope that one day the brass ring of "partner" and a secure future would be yours. See the item regarding Jenner & Block to deconstruct that myth. Why are law schools full of students eagerly waiting to jump on this gerbil treadmill?.

"Is it just me, or does Elie need to get off NP's dick?" -2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, yes he does.

This is what we've come to? Bill 2,000 hours, which is called "doing good" by any rational human being, and NP will "reward" you with a whopping $7,250 as a 1st year!

Hey NP, thanks for making our cross-firm recruiting efforts in 2010 so much easier. We'll happily take your best and brightest and pay them on the 160 scale with a measly $15000 bonus and they'll all be so happy they'll cry.

Hey firms, the law students (who never pay attention even when they claim they do) won't remember this crap in 5 years, but we associates will. When all of your "future partner material" stars suddenly leave in 2 years, don't wonder why it happened.

PE -

Even though I never cared for the law or lawyers, except when they justified "harsh interrogations," I want to thank you for reminding everyone that this whole "economic tsunami," as you call it, hit the economy on January 20, 2009. Before then everything was just humming along. You remember how well the financial sector was doing when I was President. You remember that people lined up every day outside of auto showrooms to buy cars made by the Big 3. You remember how the economy boomed when I turned that $500 billion surplus into a $1 trillion deficit. It's all Obama's fault. Keep telling everyone that. Don't back down. Continue to dazzle everyone with your brilliance.

82 -- 2300 does indeed suck, but if you can get the hours fairly consistently without ruining a lot of weekends, you can have a life too at that pace. Less of a life than you'd have at 2000, but 2300 is doable.

#46 -- thanks for an intelligent analysis. Please keep comments on ATL objective with thoughts along those lines.

PE -- go away. Really. You have nothing to add and are embarrasing yourself. Next time you look in the mirror, think about it.

PE, you're absolutely right. We shouldn't blame firms or partners, we should blame the "folks that are really responsible": the ones who voted for the W administration which got us in this mess.

PE rocks.

PE-haters can go suck it.

Fuck you, PE

@86: you must not be a lawyer or something beause you are on crack.
2300 is retarded. are you kidding???????? you have NO LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And good luck trying to even find work to give you 2300 hours.

Assuming the firm bills you out at $350/hr (and that's low), and you bill 2300 hours, and let's say only 100 of it is written off... that means the firm has made:

$770,000 off of you. And you get a $145K salary. And then a measly bonus???

YOU GUYS ARE CRAZY!!! IF YOU OPEN YOUR OWN SHOP YOU'LL MAKE WAY MORE MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PE to President!

89, 92= PE. You're not fooling anyone fool.

@16

Some lawyers actually have technical skills. Those that don't are learning thanks to ambitious staff reductions.

love, 4

89, 92= PE. You're not fooling anyone fool.

SERIOUSLY YOU GUYS WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU??????

THE ONLY REASON THE FIRM IS WILLING TO DOCK YOUR BONUS IS SO THAT THE PARTNERS CAN KEEP MORE MONEY FOR THEMSELVES.

ABANDON SHIP!

Would anyone like to fondle Mystal's balls?

Mystal's Mom

SERIOUSLY YOU GUYS WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU??????

THE ONLY REASON THE FIRM IS WILLING TO DOCK YOUR BONUS IS SO THAT THE PARTNERS CAN KEEP MORE MONEY FOR THEMSELVES.

ABANDON SHIP!

Wow, this is pathetic. 30% of base is a pretty typical bonus target for IN-HOUSE attorneys... At my former V5 firm, our lockstep bonuses were much closer to 40-50% of base. NP proposing this as a maximum is a JOKE.

91 -- I am a lawyer, and 2300 is tough but doable. I agree that if I had my own law firm with enough clients willing to pay me $350 per hour to keep me busy, I'd leave my current firm. I don't though, so I'll be staying right here.

#72 -- either you're kidding or do you work at executive level at NP? Anyone want to guess.

SERIOUSLY YOU GUYS WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU??????

THE ONLY REASON THE FIRM IS WILLING TO DOCK YOUR BONUS IS SO THAT THE PARTNERS CAN KEEP MORE MONEY FOR THEMSELVES.

ABANDON SHIP!

NUMBER 7.

Are you for real?

If you are actually an associate and not some tragically bent law student (or undergrad), you win. You are the WORST OF ALL TIME.

Also, some hopelessly delusional person above was trying to argue that billing 2300 hours "wasn't that bad." I believe that something about "not ruining to many weekends" was thrown out. HELLO! Billing 2100 or 2200 hours ruins plenty of weekends. Even billing 2000 keeps you pretty busy. 2300 BLOWS. HARD. TYPHOON HARD. Your life SUCKS. You work MOST Sundays, and good luck wrangling a vaction over three days long.

Sure, the bonus check is nice, but getting a 10% bonus for billing 2300 hours would not be much of a carrot for this mule.

Where is Willis Reed when you need him? "The ship be sinking....."

Where is Willis Reed when you need him? "The ship be sinking....."

93 - I am not PE.

- 89

P.S. Apparently you are one of the aforesaid who can go suck it. Proceed therewith.

Is anyone a winner? Yes, Elie you fat fuck, these guys still have jobs.

@100: CHECK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU WRECK YOURSELF.

@100: CHECK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU WRECK YOURSELF.

@94 (aka 4)

Those lawyers are few and far in between.

Your #4 comment alone suggests (nay, fairly confirms) that you are not one of them.

If you're not just pulling that fantasy out of your ass, pray, tell us how you would go about engineering that.

Look 103, 2300 isn't a walk in the park, it's not a bowl of fucking strawberries either, but lots of lawyers bill that much and still manage a semblence of a life elsewhere. I think that "blowing typhoon hard" is an exaggeration, as there are always the people who bill 2500 per year.

Anyway, I agree that a 10% bonus isn't much of a reward for such sacrifice, but in my experience, my hours are controlled less by my own motivation and more by how hard partners are slamming work on my desk.

I grow happier by the day with my current job when I read this crap.

Question:

Since Obama's proposed taxplan is very close to the tax plan under Reagan--

Do anti-Obama Republicans now agree that Reagan was a card-carrying socialist that redistributed the country's wealth?

106 = PE. How sad that's he's desparately trying to pretend he has some supporters.

Everyone hates PE. Everyone.

Open mouth, insert foot.

Douche.

99 -

30% might be a target for an in-house bonus, but right now I will be damned if I give my business to firms that throw more money than this at know-nothing associates. Market conditions must be considered when making sound business decisions. Go learn something.

In light of the fact this firm is making the right choice at this moment in time, they will still never receive a phone call from me when I need counsel.

I agree this a shitty mess, but its time for ATL to stop the Nixon Peabody bashing.

Since most everyone who reads this is a law student or not working at a V20 firm, just know you’re screwed if you let yourself believe NP is just a junk firm (or the only one).

As shitty as NP’s structure sounds, it’s already the reality for many firms and is going to be a reality for a lot more people by the end of this year.

114 = Some asshole former Biglaw associate who can't get his shit in gear and get a job.

I am not PE. And, unless you have some keen psychological insight and can prove to us that PE hates himself (and, of course, proof is impossible in psychology, but never mind, you claim to be a lawyer), STFU. Clearly not "everyone" hates PE.

You must be a liberal.

-106, who is NOT PE, and not a lawyer, and not a law student.

2300 is busy, no doubt. But not that horrid. Personally, I already have 1000 or so in the bank due to an insanely busy January and February. The nice thing about having a couple of 280+ months back to back is that when you go back to billing a relatively sane 200 or so it feels like a vacation.

117 = PE.

113 = Idiot

Were you even alive during the Regan years, have you read Obama's plan. He intends to both raise income and SS rates for those over $250,000 and take away/limit mortgage and charitable deductions.

Obama = Carter

116's comment wins the prize. The rest are from mostly people who are not connected to reality.

This is not something unique to NP right now...and NP has laid off very few associates.

116's comment wins the prize. The rest are from mostly people who are not connected to reality.

This is not something unique to NP right now...and NP has laid off very few associates.

119 = Douchebag laid-off Biglaw asshole who can't read.

Got to say, I liked PE before he decided to get on his political soapbox. If a real PE existed, there is no way that he would be so insular as to think that Obama managed to wreck the economy in 4 months (because, you know, it was doing just fine on January 19th).

113 - Without entering into debate about the merits of Obama's policies... have you noticed that the general economic situation of the US is not what it was in 1981?

Think that might be relevant?

113 - Explain that please. Under Reagan top marginal rate was dropped to 28%. Obama promises to raise it to 42%. What exactly to you consider "very close?" Idiot.

nice try 117, aka Partner Emeritus

And if you want to know whether PE hates himself, just ask yourself, since you are in fact PE.

Everyone hates PE!!!

Hey 19 - Actually Dumbya - the country started to go to hell in late 2006 -- now let me see what happened then. OH YES I REMEMBER! The stupid tax and spend liberals took over CONGRESS! They control the spending by the way, not the President.

...you're trying to be funny with you GWB avatar but in reality you are just a clueless Obama koolaid drinker with your head so far up your ideology you can't even see that the US taxpayer is being robbed blind at every opportunity.

Please get off this website and go take an economics course dumbass...
I

106, 117, 124 all = PE

128 - By the time you figure out that I am NOT Partner Emeritus, it will be too late for you. Sorry.

131 is PE. How sad.

This comment is addressed to post no. 125.

I am not as dense as you think. The U.S. economy was on the decline before Obama assumed the presidency. Nevertheless, once he became president and began touting his wealth redistribution/socialist agenda as his vision for economic and domestic policy, businesses reacted by engaging in massive layoffs (over 5 million jobs have been lost since Obama took the oath) and cross cutting measures such as moving operations overseas. The consumer index has suffered, retail is on the decline and if you cannot understand the impact of Obama, please visit a local mall and see how many empty spaces you can count. I guarantee the occupancy rates of those malls were higher in the prior administration.

132 - See 131. Goes for you too, loser.

Good luck.

82, what are you doing with your days? If you arrive at work at 7:00 AM, take an hour lunch at noon, and work until 7:00 PM, that is 11 hours a day in which to work in your 9.2 billable hours, and that leaves you every weekend and weeknight free. If you are efficient at time management, hitting 2300 shouldn't be an issue. That's the schedule I kept as an associate.

Also Reagan's tax plan was partly regressive. Do you think Obama supports a regressive income tax 113? Idiot.

-127

Shut the f*ck up PE. Shut the F*CK up! nobody wants to hear from you. You are the least amusing or informative ATL personality ever.

133 - nice quick switch of logins to make it look like you aren't PE.

But you are. Nobody, other than perhaps PE himself, would suggest that PE is funny/informative/interesting.

134 - nice quick switch of logins to make it look like you aren't PE.

But you are. Nobody, other than perhaps PE himself, would suggest that PE is funny/informative/interesting.

137 = PE

PE = Bi-Polar

137 = PE

PE = Bi-Polar

PE, 125 here- my point is more that your schtick is that you are some old school dude. Old school dudes don't generally talk politics or religion with others because they feel it is no one else's business. If you want to bash Obama, then do it under "guest" because it is diluting your brand name.

LOL 140/141. PE is losing it. Completely bi-polar.

And....let's not forget...the new higher income tax rates will kick in for everybody starting in 2010! You get what you voted for.

133 -

You are so sad. 5 million jobs lost in 108 days? Check your facts. And then, go away.

PE posts so far today: 12. Just ignore him. He's obviously a law student or unemployed loser who spends at least 7 hours a day checking ATL. Either way, just ignore him. That's the only way to make him go away. Every time someone responds to him, he just posts again.

I don’t get why so many lawyers want to work for Big Law. Everyone knows the atmosphere is terrible, the training is negligible, the hours are brutal, and the majority of associates leave in 2-3 years for lower paying jobs. I graduated 4 years ago, took a job as a GS-11 with the federal gov’t, am now a GS-15 making 120K. Great hours, awesome benefits, good place to work, interesting cases. I work with plenty of Big Law refugees who left after 2-3 years. You don’t need Big Law to get in with the Feds.

I mean what’s the point of all his Big Law grief, if this is where you want to end up anyway?

I wish 113 would explain his reasoning...

129 -

I don't fucking care what you think. Go fuck yourself.

PE -

Mission accomplished. Apparently they misunderestimated you. Don't let them intimidate you. Tell them to "bring it on." As long as you keep telling everyone that it's all Obama's fault, even when they suicide themselves, I don't care that you can't spell or think Chicago's a state. I don't care that you make stupid statements like "over 5 million jobs have been lost since Obama took the oath." Tell them when they stand up, you'll stand down.

The excerpt from the memo says that the discretionary portion is based on "overall rating & quality of hours." If it's not obvious to outsiders, that means that if your work is all done at reduced rates you don't get it. If there are a lot of write-offs of your time, don't expect to get much. If your clients only pay 80% of their bills, don't hold your breath. The firm has been hinting for a while that it wants to consider these things as a measure of the "quality" of hours to avoid giving top bonuses to associates whose work is not very profitable. It is discretionary, so it can be taken away, but it's likely to ba calculated mathematically, not determined arbitrarily. Will anybody get 30%? Probably not. I don't know anybody billing 2300 hours on full-rate work. But some will get close and certainly more than 10%.

@135

That's nice in theory, but assumes that the junior associate is in control of his or her schedule. And that's simply not reality for most junior associates, because most partners at the sort of firms that require 2300+ hours expect and demand their junior associates to instantly respond to their blackberries, regardless of the hour or day of the week. Billing 2300+ hours doesn't kill your life. Your inability to predict your schedule does.

Sincerely,
Junior associate with 2,400 hours and no life.

149 -

ROFL. That's the typical liberal answer when you don't have any facts to back up your arguments. Please do everyone a favor - hit ALT+F4 now.

Thanks 129

Man am I happy Nixon Penis dinged me 2 years ago. Thanks!

Not 113, but I'm guessing he/she was referring to top marginal tax rates, which only hit 28% in Reagan's last year of office. Obama's proposed top marginal tax rate (39.6 or whatever) is less than it was in all but the final two years under the Reagan administration. Of course the income qualifying numbers need to be inflation adjusted, but attempts to pin the economic crisis on fear of Obama's tax plan are laughable.

http://www.truthandpolitics.org/top-rates.php

There are differing opinions, but nobody actually knows how to get us out of this mess. Hopefully Obama's plan will work. It might not. But it's a desperate and dishonest move to pin anything on him.

I love how posters feel the constant need to call out PE like he is a real person or something. Do you really think some former Big Law partner is sitting on the internet frenetically refreshing ATL all day? He (definitely a he) is obviously some unemployed TTTer reveling in flaying T14 grads for finally being in the toilet with him. Give him credit thou, it works.

129/152 -

If you think that saying the economy tanked because the Democrats had control of the Congress for two out of eight years W was President is an "argument" that needs to be rebutted, then you are an even bigger dumbass than I thought you were.

You're welcome. Now go back to studying for your finals.

Dubya

To number 155 - I am indeed a former "BigLaw" partner, as you refer to it. I received a top of the line undergraduate education at Auburn and a law degree from American University. Please address me with respect.

154 - Just because it took Reagan 7 years to get his policy implemented (while working with an opposition congress), doesn't mean Reagan's policy wasn't starkly different than Obama's.

154,

You are simpleton. Back in the early 80's there were various ways that individuals could reduce their effective tax rate, none of those tax shelters are available now. The effective rate under Obama, particuarly when you add in the increase in SS rates plus the elimination of deductions will be WAY higher under Obama. Obama is attempting a redistribution of wealth. I wish he had the balls to say that.

Tax Partner

72 & 87 - 46 here. Thanks and in a healthy economy, you bill what is there. So, yes, you have little control on workload, if the firm is overflowing.

In this economy, you have the option of being a super team player and not pimping yourself for little pay. If you think you can bill 200 - 400 over, throw that to another associate if possible. 162.5 is the equivalent to one month's minimum billables on a 1950 scale.

Instead of billing those 162 extra hours, which brings in an extra 9K before taxes, throw them to someone who is on track to bill around 1700. They bring themselves into the "sufficiently billing" ball park and you look like a good guy amongst the other associates. Hell, you may even be able to spin it as a managing junior associates / peers bullet for your annual review.

159 - He did say it. Remember? Maybe he just doesn't have the balls to say it again.

Hey Dumbya - I could pretty much make the argument the Dems controlled Congress (and spending) since Jumpin' Jim Jeffords made his switch to the Dems back in 2001. The doors to the treasury have been wide open since then running up huge amounts of unsustainable spending and debt. Your buddy BHO and the tax and spend policies you love is DOUBLING DOWN on this idea that we can spend our way out of debt.

You really are clueless. Nice try tho.

- 129/152

132 - You get three warnings.

This is your third.

But in the spirit of charity...

Did you see "Saving Private Ryan"?

When the landing craft is approaching the beach, the coxswain announces:

"Clear the ramp! Thirty seconds! God be with ya!"

Are you in the port side stick, or the starboard side stick?

Consider yourself well advised, even if... the value of aforesaid advice is not evident until it is too late.

-131

129/152/162 -

No, you moron, you can't make that "argument" for several reasons:

1. Jeffords switch made it a tie. The Republicans still organized the Senate because the VP vote breaks ties. How quickly you forgot Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and his video medical diagnosis of that brain dead woman from Florida;

2. Appropriations bills must originate in the House. and the House was controlled by the Republicans under Speaker Hastert; and

3. Bills must be signed by the President to become law.

Your failure to take numbers 1, 2, and 3 into consideration cause me to wonder whether you have taken Con Law, or basics Civics. In the spirit of Bill Frist, I believe you suffer from "Obama Derangement Syndrome." It is quite common in right-wing ideologues. It is often accompanied by acute dumbassness. Your case may be incurable.

Dr. Dubya

This kid is ready for Skadden --

ARCADIA, Mo. – Thirsty, dirty and tired after spending two days and nights barely clothed in the wet, chilly woods of Mark Twain National Forest, 3-year-old Joshua Childers was ready to go home.

The boy was lying on the ground of a hollow near a creek bottom Wednesday afternoon when a volunteer searcher spied his bare bottom.

"Hey, bud!" called out Donnie Halpin, a 57-year-old construction worker from nearby Fredericktown, who wasn't sure whether the grimy figure was even alive.

But Joshua sat right up and grinned at his rescuer.

"You ready to go home?" Halpin asked.

"Yeah," said Joshua.

The boy was wet and only wearing a T-shirt and one tennis shoe. Halpin called 911, then wrapped the child in his shirt, scooped him up and carried him about a half-mile to a house.

"He hung on to me pretty tight," said Halpin, who didn't have any water for the child but gave him some candy. "Outside of a few scratches, he was in really good shape."

Joshua had slipped out of his family's mobile home near Arcadia in rural southeast Missouri around 11:30 a.m. Monday, while his father slept and his mother talked on the phone.

Terry Schulte, the boy's grandmother, told KSDK-TV that Joshua told her he was on his way to visit her. She lives about five miles from his home, and he was found covered in ticks about a half-mile away. Somewhere along the way he lost his pull-up diaper and one of his sneakers, which searchers found near a pond Monday.

164,

1. The Jeffords switch changed the Senate from an existing tie (50-50) to 49 Republicans and 50 Democrats + 1 Democrat-caucusing independent. In other words, Jeffords switched the Senate to Democratic, which kinda explains how Tom DASCHLE became the Senate MAJORITY leader then.

2. The origination requirement has been meaningless since 1790, when the Senate discovered that they could replace the entire text of any House bill with its own "amendments", like completely new Senate-desired spending.

3. Bills do NOT have to be signed by the President to become law. It is just one of the ways. This is Civics 101.

So you just got pwned, pwned, and pwned. How do you know a liberal is giving you wrong information? His mouth is moving.

Hey, wanna hear a joke?

Q: Why are Biglaw attorneys so miserable?

A: Because they deserve to be.

The current economic problems can all be traced back to the Clinton administration. He's the one who presided over the dot com bubble and foreign policy disasters that led directly to 9/11. Bush was dealt a terrible hand and certainly didn't play it that well by overreacting both internationally with Iraq and domestically by creating another bubble that popped at the end of his watch. If Bush's term ended in 2007 instead of 2008 then he would look just like Clinton did in 2000 (in terms of the economy).

PE, unemployment is a lagging indicator. Businesses will continue to lay people off until well into a noticeable, firm recovery. Those firms that chose to lay people off after November 4th did so based on the grim economic condition of the economy, specifically the lack of liquidity in the financial markets. If they can't get capital to invest and make payroll, they cut cut cut. Perhaps your firm would be better off by cutting you?

168, the economy cannot be blamed on one person. If that were true, then the economy should have boomed at 5% growth each quarter after 2005 because Bush cut taxes.

I was just thinking about the time W nominated Harriet Miers, who had never been a judge, to the U.S. Supreme Court. . .

And remember the time W appointed the Judges and Stewards Commissioner for the International Arabian Horse Association to be the director of FEMA and all those people died because the guy was completely incompetent to handle actual emergencies?

Party-line debates re: economic woes hijacking this thread= interesting.

Nixon doing what 1/3 of V100 are doing = not interesting.

Seeing how many associates from that 1/3 jump ship to the other 2/3 = very interesting.

PE, Elie, an asslobster and a blumpkin = priceless.

yes let's talk hours. first year here, 1200 at best this year.

yes let's talk hours. first year here, 1200 at best this year.

yes let's talk hours. first year here, 1200 at best this year.

51 - You just described me. Last year, I got a 15% bonus.

But I'm stupid enough to continue that streak this year. In fact, I've already billed over 1200 (real) hours this year, not including pro bono.

Talking hours (not PE). 5th yr lit. 1800 If and only if I drop six consecutive 200 chargeable hr months before the end of the FY. And if I plan to make the higher "target" here, it will be snowing again before I see my daughter awake on a weeknight.

106,
Although I am from India, it has been said that we, along with the Japanese know more about American History than you do. But I don't think it takes a rocket sccientist to see that there is no similarity between Reagan's economic plan and Obama's other than deficit spending. The spending is in completely different places.

Which failed companies did Reagan continuously prop-up with tax payer money for the sole purpose appeasing the unions so they will support his party?

When did Reagan think $250,000 was a "rich" household.

You could not be more uninformed about your statement...but then again, I don't know a single Liberal bastard who is informed.

173 - Get your resume together. I billed around 1200 last year (after three years of >2000, including one 2700-hour fun-fest, with stellar reviews). Had a little meeting with the managing partner in March, and guess what I'm doing now? Sitting on the couch, watching DVRed the Price is Right, applying for government jobs that pay 1/3 of what I used to make.

Partner Emeritus: I remember fucking you up the ass with my big dick, you jerked your little cock off after I shot my load in your ass without a rubber, you were a little horny bitch in heat that lunch hour

Partner Emeritus: I remember fucking you up the ass with my big dick, you jerked your little cock off after I shot my load in your ass without a rubber, you were a little horny bitch in heat that lunch hour

*****UNIONIZE*******

Latham fact of the Day:

Latham gave me a full bonus few weeks before I was laid off with 6 more months of pay. That is how mismanaged Latham is.

I fucked Partner Emeritus up the ass during the lunch hours also, but I am bummed, I used a condom when I nailed him...although it ripped. He was a wild bitch.

166 -

Please provide us with an instance when George W. Bush vetoed a spending bill and that veto was overridden by Congress.

147,

I'll have sex with a goat before I go to work for the Gov't. Representing criminals is one thing for a lawyer to do...but working on the payroll of criminals is not an option for me.

With all this Obama talk, does anyone else realize he is breaking his fiduciary duty to the investors (us the taxpayers) by giving the union 55% of Chrysler, and we get 8%, despite the fact that we the investors (taxpayers) are infusing all of the capital!

Obama is a moron and a crook.

-T

I fucked Partner Emeritus up the ass also, he moaned a lot, although his ass wasn't very tight on my 8" sausage cock

Latham is loosing their Paris office already.

http://www.legalweek.com/Articles/1197991/Winston+taps+Latham+for+Paris+litigation+team.html

171 - The incompetent guy who was unable to handle emergencies was Ray "School Bus" Nagin who he had help from the incompetent Governor Kathleen Blanco. I know you probably don't realize this because you get all your information from liberal talking point memos, but in the real world (by that I mean the part of the world not run by liberal pussies like yourself) the Federal Government can't just send FEMA into any old state they want to - the request has to come from the state governor. In the case of Katrina - inept Gov. Blanco waited an entire DAY after the hurricane hit to make the request (see National Response Plan that was in effect at the time)

Thanks for playing!

Seriously 189? Not that Ragin responded to the disaster particularly well, but you probably want to pick and choose your talking points. And making excuses/placing blame elsewhere for the Fed Gov's response to Katrina is one you definitely want to let go.

Seriously 189? Not that Nagin responded to the disaster particularly well, but you probably want to pick and choose your talking points. And making excuses/placing blame elsewhere for the Fed Gov's response to Katrina is one you definitely want to let go.

117, MOST people hate PE. Certainly everyone who bothers commenting. And every friend I've ever spoken to who reads this blog but never has.

190/191 - Nagin responded HORRIBLY to the disaster. That's the point. He's supposed to be the first in line. You see it goes, Mayor, Governor, then Feds.

He let a fleet of 500 school buses that could have been used to rescue folks caught in the flood DROWN because of his inaction.

...try again.

193 - you're right. leaving buses unused was a fiasco. i didn't mean to (nor do i think i actually did) suggest otherwise. but again, let's not pretend that the fed government didn't completely and utterly botch that situation. many parties can be complicit in a disaster and it's retarded to trivialize (or wose, deny) bush and browny's role.

173-5, what department?

Are any departments on track to give their associates 2000+ hours for the year?

99: 30% may be a common bonus TARGET for mid to senior in-house attorneys, but: (1) the TARGET is just that -- a TARGET, which depends on a number of factors, including quality of work and performance of the COMPANY. Many in-house attorneys work the equivalent of 2300+ hours but would not get the full or any bonus if the company doesn't meet expectations. (2) the in-house base pay (on which that 30% is based) for a senior attorney often does not exceed that of a BigLaw first year. Total comp for an in-house lawyer often is much lower than base pay for an equivalent-year associate at BigLaw. Having said that, I am...

-- very happily in-house.

188 - today's lesson for you
- loose - 1. not tightly fastened; 2. not confined
- lose - 1. to fail to sustain or keep

129/152/162/166 -

Well, you are persistent. However, your derangement syndrome has clearly addled your brain. Let's do this one last time:

1. The Jeffords switch returned Daschle, the Democrat, to the majority leader's post for such a brief period of time, June, 2001 to January, 2003, it was easy to forget. Lott, the Republican, was majority leader from January 2001 to June 2001. Frist, the Republican, was majority leader from January 2003 to January 2007. Therefore, Bush, the Republican, was President and the head of the Executive Branch for 96 months. His party, the Republicans, controlled the House for 72 of those months, and the Senate for 53 of those months;

2. If the Senate cuts and pastes an appropriations bill that begins in the House, as it must under the Constitution, it is acting on a House bill. The Senate is part of the appropriations process, but it cannot start the process; and

3. A bill can become law if the president's veto is overridden by Congress. The point I was making, which seems to have gone over your head, was that if Bush was opposed to Congressional spending, he could have vetoed the spending bills. However, the only spending bill that Bush, the self-described "compassionate conservative," vetoed was the SCHIP bill that would have expanded the number of children eligible for medical coverage. He vetoed it twice. Neither veto was overridden.

My internet diagnosis of your condition stands. Now, put down the video games and study for your finals.

Thanks for playing, but there are no consolation prizes.

Goodbye and good luck,
Dubya

Ursula,

I'mmm Naakkeed

198 - You can't possibly be an attorney. You're not that bright.

Do you try to blow smoke up a judges ass like this when you're at trial too?

None of your fancy "facts" are enough to disprove the original premise, The country started to go to hell in late 2006. The official "depression" officially began in December 2007. The Democrats, who control the purse strings (not the President as you may recall), were responsible for the budget that year. True, Bush didn't use his veto pen much at all - but he's not the President anymore...

The Democrats are also responsible (even more so) for this year's bloated shitty tax and spend budget that will bankrupt America. So when you're out there sucking dick for beer money because you can't find a job in your chosen field you'll have no one to blame but the tax and spend Democrats who are running the show now...

Choke on the change asshole. Choke on it.

Let the politics fucking die...jesus.

Anymore info from NP associates? If not, let this thread die.

201,

We're pissed. NP already had a laughably below-market bonus structure, and this in addition to (i) the decimation of 2008 bonuses and (ii) the salary cuts that affected everyone (I don't know a single associate who didn't see a significant cut, including those who billed 2000+), is just another slap in the face.

I think people are starting to wonder seriously about the stability of the firm. Management keeps telling us that we're in great shape, but when they try to stiff you out of even a full 30 days notice on paycuts, you have to wonder.

I'll tell you one thing... nobody's going to put in 110% anytime soon. What would be the point?

hope to add an end note to this pathetic blog. the goofmonkey in charge is laughing and scratching his way all the way to the american lawyer --enjoy those nits and all of you stupids who read this silly BS. Hope some of you actually have jobs,

202,

The people I've talked to at the firm all seem happy. They just putting on a good face? Any advice for an incoming SA?

NP going down?

204,

202 here. Of course they are... nobody's going to unload how they're really feeling on a summer.

Advice? All the usual stuff -- work hard, focus on litigation, bankruptcy, and labor/employment, ask a lot of questions, don't be a jerk, don't look like a slob. The plain fact is that NP doesn't have enough work for existing associates at this point, so we certainly don't need you now or in a year. The only reason there's still a summer program at all is cancelling it means openly admitting defeat. I wouldn't be surprised at all by a 50% offer rate.

206,

Hey 204, any advice for an incoming associate?

206, thanks for the advice. I really appreciate it. So litigation, bankruptcy and labor/employment are really the only groups that have enough work? Any others?

Thanks again

-204

207- Yes, find another place to work as soon as the economy picks up. Nixon is not a great place to be long term.

Honestly, incoming SA, I agree with the last comment. I should have taken the "other" offer I had.

My salary was slashed and I have been really busy, thinking I would "make up" the lost salary with the bonus-- as promised when I got the call cutting my salary.

Unforunately, with this new bonus structure, it DOES NOT pay back top hours performers. Okay, time to start looking elsewhere!!! Unrealistic and unfair to tie discretionary bonus with new business, especially for those of us who are junior associates who don't have time to look for new business because we are too busy BILLING!!!