1

Although not a peer firm, MWE seizes the prize for exceeding the pain inflicted by my hybrid tough love package. On the bright side, you can get cheap medical care in certain alleys located throughout Chinatown.

"throughout corporate america" = at Kirkland & Ellis

Firm rankings for 2010:
1. Wachtell
2. S&C
3. Simpson
4. Cadwalader
5. Debevoise
6. Everyone else

PE,

That would be the "market" they are above, particularly the pharms.

When I started with your firm, back in 1980, we had full medical, defined benefit pension, and free sodas along with the coffee and two secretaries per attorney (one day, one night) then tough love began with the 401k on the way to dissolution -- then the partners realized that we had a better medical benefit --

"Lawyers who pour white milk in their dark coffee are symbolizing their racism. But the coffee will remain a shade of brown no matter how hard they try."

-- SotomayOR!

Note to MWE partners: Priapism is will no longer be covered by the firm's insurance after July 1 -- so take your medication at your own peril!!

Note to MWE partners: Priapism will no longer be covered by the firm's insurance after July 1 -- so take your medication at your own peril!!

5,

I thought Simpson had done layoffs.

K&E is the sphincter of Chicago.

N. Wacker Stud

Hey Greg and Seth! Here's another way you can squeeze the associates once everyone else has done it!

Good luck shitbags!

What self respecting 2L or 3L would want to work in a shit hole like MWE?

Do you think that MWE has re-arranged the deck chairs enough with this move?

This recession brings out the worst in people! These partners are freakin greedy and cheap.

For the life of me I can't figure out why firms don't get all this bad news out in one late Friday afternoon news release dump. This drip-drip-drip approach may make life better for ATL, but it's stupid PR management.

Big Law's next money-saving innovation - PAY TOILETS!

I hear the summers now have to take turns cleaning the bathrooms, so as to save on janitorial help.

...and McDermott extends its insurmountable lead as the world's worst law firm.

"Above market"?? Wow, MWE sounds cheap as hell in this letter. They might as well have just said: "We did a study and we determined that we are treating you too well."

The worst part is that they paid "benefits consultants" to tell them this--probably with the money that would have gone to provide the above market benefits.

No more color photocopies.

This place is a shithole. Those left should run fast and far. What a bunch of d-bag degenerates!

10 - STB has not done layoffs. Last year, someone wrote an article in law.com suspecting that the firm had done layoffs, but it hadn't. There have been some performance-related terminations, as there have been at every firm.

How can the firm just change its health care benefits? People give weight to the existing benefit structure when deciding which job to accept. There's got to be a lawsuit here somewhere.

pathetic.

Do the female attorneys at MWE shave their bush?

Just when I think McDermott has done everything possible to shame the firm, it totally redeems itself!

Last week I had lunch with a partner of a non-peer firm. He stated that his firm was considering instituting a "clean up after yourself" policy to its associates and staff so that building maintenance services would be reduced from every day to twice a week, thus, saving several hundred thousands of dollars in office housekeeping this year. I expect MWE to adopt this policy very shortly.

24, agreed...I mean, it's as if people who accepted offers there and turned down others that turned out to be better "relied" on a promise to their "detriment." Huh, there *must* be a cause of action there somewhere....

i don't get the complaints. this is shared pain, hopefully averting some layoffs.

It's hard to care about this when larger issues come up. Restauranteur Norman E. Brinker just died today:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/obituaries/vitindex.html

MWE is a complete joke of a firm. When will MWE's completely inept leaders realize that creating bad news every week is not good for the firm?

What's next? My guess is that MWE will hire some additional consultants to further humilate the firm (MWE's leadership loves to waste money on consultants).

The costly severance packages must be made up for one way or another...

Do BigLaw firms outsource their PR? Seriously, this is getting comical.

29, that's the general idea of what I was going for. It's totally unfair, and I don't think the firm should lawfully be able to get away with it.
--24

McDermoTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Do BigLaw firms outsource their PR? Seriously, this is getting comical.

Partner Emeritus,

What firm do you own/work for?

24 and 29-

Get used to it. I turned down 4 offers to take a Big Law job at a firm that laid me off after 6 months. As far as I know, the 4 places I turned down have yet to lay off anyone. It sucks, but that is life.

39, 29 here. I'm guessing the dripping sarcasm wasn't obvious enough for you...a play on the ever-present "Section 90" comments...

But all kidding aside, sorry about the layoff, that sucks.

#1, I order you to take a #2.

A new low.

Any idea if this firm is hiring?

Wow. What a shi**y thing to do. McDermott Will & Emery must be having some some serious financial issues. This can't be good for the future of the firm.

The ship be sinking...

Hey, I have a great idea. Let's pay a consulting firm a ton of money so we can save a little money.

Is Harvey going on an all-expenses-paid tour of MWE's offices so he can explain this development and give lip service to how well the firm is doing? Idiots.

So they just discovered, after sacking dozens of people, cutting pay, cutting off the coffee, that their benefits have been "above market"? I bet that analysis took about 30 seconds.

It is just sad now that they are still trying to save face with these lame rationalizations when it is clear their financial straits are dire. PE's suggestion of cutting cleaning services is actually plausible.

I remember when Initech brought in "consultants."

The biglaw bubble is bursting...

Either (1) financial straits are dire or (2) the firm is doing reasonably well (as they keep insisting) but is taking this opportunity to make cuts. Either way, ugh. Continuing to keep PPP as high as humanly possibly so that you can attract laterals with profitable clients is doomed strategy. First, I'm not sure there are any of those mythical beasts around anymore and second, if there are, there are lots of firms with even higher PPP that would be happy to take them in. If that's where you're making your bet as a firm, you've got to have something else to attract/retain your rainmakers -- you can't win on PPP. Unfortunately MWE's fallback appeal seems to be "cheap, disorganized and silly".

Somebody should be keeping an eye on Mystal's moobs.

MWTTT is "Heidi and Spencer" of law firms. What drama will happen next? Get your weekly MWTTT fix on Abovethelaw & the Chicago Tribune.

For the next episode I recommend that MWTTT replace the janitors & secretaries with the summer associates.

Keep it Classy MWTTT

McDermottt is on a race to the bottom. And it looks like they're in the lead.

K&E wipes our asses.

N. Wacker Stud

As a creative pro bono initiative, I think all of BigLaw should suspend medical benefits so that the best and brightest legal minds in the country will be incentivized to go out and advocate for universal health care.

Maybe if enough benefits get cut people will voluntarily leave so the firings can stop

What the hell is going on? Could some please tell the incoming associates? Are any of the offices or groups doing well?

I am still employed.

Skadden Secure

5,

I've heard rumors that Simpson is in big trouble. Anyone else heard anything about them?

56- there are massive amounts of layoffs, particularly among first and second year associates. 2009 grads have their employment deferred for at least four months, probably more. In addition to the several rounds of mass layoffs, the firm has been stealth laying off income partners and associates for at least a year now, under the radar of above the law. Good luck.

26 - I used to work in one of McDermoTTT's CA offices (they moved me out here...), and based on a friend who managed to have purely sexual relationships with 4 fellow associates over a 14-month period without much effort, the answer is that they wax.

The office was a mess: The amount of open messing around (sexual and just normal fooling around) was incredible, unlike any other professional office I've seen. I don't know how any work ever got done (assuming that they had any to begin with).

During meetings with summers, the message was don't let opportunities pass you by. Nothing like messages in the past that every summer had an offer unless they did something dumb.

Many people allegedly not pleased with posts here and looking for ways to mitigate. Supposedly know who made some posts. I would not be posting from the office or on a firm computer.

Be careful out there.

Elli

You have said many times that posts are confidential.

If people from MWE contact ABL about the posts, including to find out how many different people are posting, poster's IP addresses, locations, etc., will ABL tell people by making such requests public on this site.

I ask because there are rumors that this has already happened. Are you standing by your repeated promises that postings and tips are confidential?

60, SV?

26 & 60 (re: pubic hair at McDermott),

McDermott used to offer Brazilians to associates and income partners as a perk, but a memo went out in February that the firm had to nix the free waxingt. So while 60 may be correct that the ladies in the Cali offices were at one point silky smooth, ever since the recession hit the bitches of McDermott have pound of pubes.

64 = very funny.

Don't worry about the firm figuring out your IP address. McDermottt will probably tank in the next year anyways. Don't walk, RUN away from that place.

This might be good advice for people that can find something but what about those who can't.

N Wacker stud must either be a Kirkland reject (Skadden associate) or a very unhappy K & E associate.

A firm cut benefits = shock?
A firm RIFed attorneys = shock?
A firm told their summer associates work hard = shock?
A firm delayed the start date of the incoming class = shock?
A firm eliminated STARBUCKS coffee for one office = shock?

I just don't get the mean-spirited, hateful comments. Other firms are just stealth about their cuts. Turn the page, people. McDermott will be around for another 75 years. Move on.

69, the fact that you don't get it means you are THE PROBLEM. Jeepers crow.

To be fair, ATL has a way of piling it on.

In what way?

How come nobody ever mentions Jenner and Block?

Can it just be that they are -- classier?

Here's a cheery Alice in Wonderland video for 69 --

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAwR6w2TgxY

You don't get the mean-spirited, hateful comments?
Many don't get that the firm does not try to deal with the mean-spirited, hateful treatment of the employees that made you ton sof money. Remember, you cannot do it without us. Every partner on the top of the christmas tree got there with the help of MANY other people.

Be grateful

The coffee was strictly flavia since day one in San Diego -- nothing to take away.

Signed, Coffee Obsessed

Part of the issue is the hypocracy. It is not as though the firm was great about spreading the wealth when times were good. Sure, some associates got great bonuses a year ago, but that did not go to every great employee and was certainly the exception not the rule.

The firm has a long history of being cheap and it is hard not to be suspicious about the recent cuts -- did you really have to cut summer comp at the last minute or did you do it because the economy finally provided an alibi for cuts that you have longed to make since salaries last increased. The benefit cuts have the same bad smell.

73, Alice, you say. I raise you an Alizee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceSxEjwXHcM

Yikes. The benefits were never that great for IP's, anyway, but this is just bad. anybody know where the atty layoffs were - across the board (boston, mia?) or just NY/CA/DC (ignoring the mothership since there's no real upside to a roadshow by, you know, the MANagement....). And was it just associates, or IP's too? When does the ship sink/Xmas tree shrink for CP's?

How are the other Chicago based firms doing? Never hear much about K&E, Katten, Jenner or Winston.

77 = ERIC WIN

77,

you certainly made my 13 year old son, and maybe Elie, very happy!!

77,

you certainly made my 13 year old son, and maybe Elie, very happy!!

73

81, she is 25 and has a kid of her own.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alizee

80, epic win?

I need to know, how is Thompson Hines doing?

How are the other Chicago based firms doing? Never hear much about K&E, Katten, Jenner or Winston.

Supreme Court Clears Way for the Sale of Chrysler to Fiat

By MICHAEL J. de la MERCED
Published: June 9, 2009

Chrysler appeared poised to emerge from bankruptcy by early Wednesday after the United States Supreme Court declined on Tuesday to hear a challenge by three Indiana state funds and several consumer groups to the sale of most of its assets to Fiat.

83,

We won't tell him (or his mother). He is young -- let him dream. Or look it up himself :)

81/73

69--

Here is a bit of news for you from the June 1, 2009 edition of the National Law Journal about MWE. Apparently, the trustee in bankruptcy for St. Vincent's Hospitals (NY) sued MWE. The trustee basically alleged that the law firm purposefully delayed the bankruptcy filing of Saint Vincent's to keep members of the hospital's restructuring team in place and run up MWE's own bills, which delayed the hospital's emergence from bankruptcy. MWE settled. According to the article, the settlement was filed under seal at the insistence of the bankruptcy trustee.

One could be of the opinion that the recent cutbacks in healthcare benefits are, in a way, retaliatory...against the health care system, that is.

On a more serious note, MWE settled a lawsuit that basically accused the firm of bilking a bankrupt hospital with a religious affiliation, breaching the firm's duties to its client, etc. Now, either there was some truth to the allegations (perhaps they were completely true, who knows?) or honor isn't what it used to be. Either way, this looks really bad for MWE.

Looks like Sidley Austin was a bit ahead of the curve on this one.

They switched health plans last year from United Healthcare to Blue Cross, with the promise that there were no changes in coverage. Thousands of dollars out of pocket later for items that are not covered by Blue Cross but were covered by UHC, I can assure you that this was NOT the truth.

Look carefully at benefit packages kids - if the firm you choose offers crappy coverage or uses a crappy insurer (e.g., Blue Cross of Illinois), and you or a family member gets sick, this can be the difference, literally, between life and death, or good, modern treatments versus the insurer rejecting things that have been commercially on the market for years as "experimental," etc., between financial security and bankruptcy. Look carefully.

My premium went up $6 per month. In some of the plans it went up $30 per month. This is peanuts. I expect to see many little cost cutting measures as MWE tries to make the best of the year. Overall work is down at least 15% from 2008, more in transactional work and less in some other groups. Clients are paying slowly. This is going on all over the country at the national firms. MWE has solid core groups and no debt, but similar firms without a solid foundation must be sweating buckets, so I am surprised ATL has not reported benefits changes at many firms, just K&E an MWE so far?

The Washington Post noted that the U.S. government has cut benefits over the last 5-10 years for its employees by offering fewer and fewer plans. It might be for contractual reasons, but who knows? If you think MWE is being cheap, think again. All major firms are cutting everything, some are simply totally under the radar. Don't blame all "partners." From what people tell me, the decisions up high are made by the executive and management committees, and the remainder of the capital partners are told the day before the firm goes public with something like this. 44 & 52 are clueless and probably bitter. MWE is solid and will be around when you are great great grandparents. Lets not traffic in bashing a firm that pays for our kids to eat.

As for Blue Cross of Illinois - it depends what type of coverage the firm purchases. Some of their plans (including the one for my BigLaw firm in Chicago) offer really Rolls Royce coverage - three major medical events in our family in the last year and 100% of all expenses covered - including exotic stuff, chemotherapy which might be viewed as experimental, extra batteries of tests which were not mandatory by any means, second and third opinions). Blue Cross will sell a law firm any level of coverage that they wish to purchase. Don't place blame on BC - it is the decision of your benefits department if you are getting substandard coverage.

thanks 89, this has been floating around for quite some time and I was wondering if it got filed,

92, you are correct that it is unfair to blame all partners.

lol at 39

89: I forgot about that sketchiness. Unreal.

91 - No debt!?! Ha. We have been borrowing since mid last year. In addition to regular debt, ask any vendor who has not been paid or any capital partner who hasn't been paid either. Smoke and mirrors baby, smoke and mirrors.

11 / 53 (N. Wacker Stud) - You must get really tired carrying that huge chip around.

Sorry about your little white rejection letter, bro.

- N. LaSalle Stud

98: Are you sure about the debt???? That was MWE's one claim to (positive) fame. On Harvey's watch??? I hadn't taken the comments about dire straits seriously, but if they are now borrowing, that really changes the landscape. Do we know numbers?

100: open your eyes. Does what you see in terms of work seem to match the talk? Does the penny scrounging (coffee? really?) seem to match the talk?

101: The facts never matched the talk (let's talk about teamwork!!!!!) but I did know that they were debt free awhile ago. Penny scrounging has always been part of their MO so I wasn't at all surprised by this behavior. But I don't think that removing the coffee can be taken as "proof" that they are now borrowning. Is there any other evidence?

100 Yes. Just ask any capital partner how much more delayed their distributions are than last year. They are all bitching about it. That should be sufficient to show you how bad it is here. Proof on the other info is hard to come by (intentionally) as BK and company have all that data under lock and key and hiding the true amounts even from Management Committee. Notice that the "serious" comments from income partners have all but stopped in the last couple of threads. Even the disgruntled know when to circle the wagons to buy them time to exit.

BK=ML

MWE has no bank debt. May be stretching out some payables just as clients are stretching out paying MWE's bills. Capital partner final distributions for 2008 are still deferred to use the cash for 2009 working capital. Capital partners are ponying up more capital contributions too, but MWE capital contributions were very low. MWE will pick up some rainmakers from national firms with heavy debt loads that truly are in peril, and MWE has circled the wagons and will pay to keep its rainmakers. The service partners will bear the brunt of the downturn next. Not too much more to cut from associate ranks as that herd has been thinned and the bodies remaining will be needed if an upturn comes. RPL will undoubtedly be down significantly, perhaps 15% to 20%, and PPP will also drop by similar amounts but PPP will stay above $1 million with room to spare. MWE is on sounder financial footing that many of its comparable firms.

Dumb question: What does "TTT" mean?

105 - I'm not so sure that comparing MWE's unwillingness to pay out partner distributions to clients' unwillingness to pay MWE's bills is that reassuring, since a number of those same clients may fold up shop and never pay.

Then again, the comparison may be apt.

Ponying up "more" capital contributions? I would hardly call TRIPLING the share price (after several decades without changing) ponying up "more."

105 - Good spin. Did you write material for Clinton?

109:

Get a life.

Revenues are off because of the economy. Expenses have been cut as a result. There is still no debt. The economy will turn around, and MWE will be as strong as ever. We are all lucky to have a job. If you don't like it, quit and go work on a fishing boat in Alaska, go work in a coal mine in West Virginia, or go work on a construction crew in Canada in the winter; but PLEASE, stop complaining and acting like the world owes you something.

110 & 111 - get a life.

MWE was founded by tax attorneys during the Great Depression, which may be why its decisions are rooted in the bottom line and survival.

The "string of bad news" versus one big announcement is not the product of poor PR planning. It is likely the product of MWE wanting to do as little harm as possible. Rather than overslashing, it is taking small steps as need arises. The associates and staff who kept their jobs a few months longer likely did not mind that MWE places doing as little harm as possible above PR.

The partners at MWE likely do not want to personally guarantee the loans that would be needed to maintain the same level of employment rolls, benefits packages and perks during the down turn. No doubt, for some partners, these decisions are rooted in capitalistic wants untamed by a moral code of decency to others. But for most partners, these decisions are rooted in basic human needs. Partners are people, with kids going to college, parents in nursing homes, and little ones with health issues. If they put their family needs and security above the needs of a UM JD who wants but does not need a six figure salary in a deluxe office in the sky, who can blame them?

A lot of folks posting seem hopeful that MWE will fail. If you had a bad experience at MWE, I hope you made it known or are making it known or that you can leave on your own and do something that will make you happier. It doesn't seem to make much sense to disparage or wish doom upon an entire firm.

I think most non lawyers - especially non big firm lawyers - would look at some of these sarcastic and surley posts and scratch their heads, wondering why the posters are scratching their asses instead of pounding the pavement.

Best of luck to you all. You've been a wonderful audience.

Just can't let 113 have the last word - I'll just say that when 111 criticizes the posters here for "acting like the world owes [us] something," he seems to conflate MWE and the world. If your whole world is MWE, man, I pity you. This place sucks.

113, you just don't "get" it. You're probably one of those selfish pricks at the firm with a million+ salary and six cars. The new associates the firm is fucking over are facing financial ruin due to the bs they were fed over the past two years to bring them to the firm. Many of them would have been very happy to continue working at reduced hours and a reduced salary until the economy picks up, but the firm never gave that choice.

113, maybe they are pounding the pavement. posting and searching for something new can be done at the same town.

As to surley posts, aren't you wondering why people hate the place enough to write them?

People who have attempted to express concerns have been let go. The firm does not want anyone making waves. It may be that there were other reasons for why people were let go, but it is interesting that candid conversation leads to a cold shoulder.

NY and London in deep poop. Wait and see.

stealth layoffs of lawyers and staff occurred last week.

NY IP abandoned ship to Mayer Brown. TTTPM sure knows how to kill what was once the most profitable group at McDermott.

If rumor are true, 10M promised versus 1M billed won't keep you employed

Works for TPM!

MWE CANNOT STOP LYING

They want to cut our benefits to be "in market"

But PPPs are "way above market"

Where is the logic?

Fat cat partners who don't work, bring in business or lead in line with the "market" are entitled to line their pockets at our expense!

Thanks Co heads - I am so glad we have 2 heads making these decisions compared to one.

---Decade old staffer who is finally sad to have worked here instead of K&E.

I wish the three founders of the IPMT group came back. Clearly those bozos in SV can't run the group worth crap. Neither can the new leaders from AP or SAB.

The only thing that has grown under the new leadership is the size of someone's head in SV.Too bad that doesn't translate to coming into the office, actually being a leader, training young partners, bringing in business and getting people promoted within clear guidelines.

Instead, us income partners, aka associates (since 3rd years get promoted in our group) are all interviewing to get the HECK OUT.

One of the founders - RVL - is still at MWE. Doesn't seem to show up at the office very much though. Harvey made it impossible for the others so I doubt they will ever return.

Harvey and TPM only cared about growing their egos - so they made it difficult for everyone else. And now what? TPM has one case, one client; dating back from Orrick. So I guess he has nothing.

RL never fully recovered and I think stopped caring like he use to when his team of people were there. From what I see, his son Tony is the beneficiary as RL refers a lot of work to family versus lawyers at the firm.

Heard other aspects of IP practice are being shopped to other firms. More departures inevitable when talent not rewarded or promoted.

Saw a well regarded capital partner leaving another firm. Heard he was interviewing. What he heck is going on?