Email Scandals, Screw-Ups, Summer Associates

Too Much Free Time at Winston & Strawn?

onJuly 21, 2009 at 9:59 AM

Last summer, Winston & Strawn only had a 90% offer rate for summer associates. Last year, that was worrisome. This year, summers would likely injure baby seals for a 90% offer rate.
Summers are getting nervous, and it appears that a video conference from Winston’s managing partner, Tom Fitzgerald, didn’t help matters. Here is one tipster’s report of the proceedings:

The entire Winston summer class watched a video-conference speech given by Tom Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald explained that we would be notified of offers during Labor Day weekend. We were also told that the demand for legal services has plummeted, and that we were very talented and would do well no matter whatever field or firm we joined. He even talked about some past Winston summers who went on to do great things … Overall Tom seemed to be preparing us for a slaughter come September. He also mentioned at the end of his address that those who did get offers would start January 2011 at the earliest. Needless to say the summers were feeling pretty s****y.

We haven’t been able to confirm that Winston & Strawn will be instituting a mandatory deferral for summers that receive an offer to return full-time.
Of course, it’s not all bad news for the firm. Just last week, Winston hired Thomas Cottingham III and a number of other attorneys from Hunton & Williams. The move should bolster Winston’s Charlotte office — good news for the firm, as well as the city of Charlotte.
But expanding during a recession is always a difficult thing to do. After the jump, take a look at one attorney’s thoughts about how Winston’s expansion in China is going — thoughts apparently intended for the firm’s former and current chairmen, but accidentally disseminated firm-wide.
UPDATE AFTER THE JUMP (1:00 P.M.): One Winston tipster says the “attorney” weighing in on the Chinese expansion is just a spammer.

Sponsored

Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace

How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use.

From LexisNexis

Last November, we reported that Winston & Strawn was expanding its Asian operations with the help of refugees from Heller Ehrman.
But in the eyes of one Winston attorney based in Hong Kong, this acquisition has not benefited the firm. The email was apparently sent, accidentally — whoops! — to every Winston attorney.
UPDATE (1:00 P.M.): One Winston tipster challenges the authenticity of the e-mail below, writing:

FYI, it was not a legitimate e-mail and reveals nothing about the goings on at the firm because it was a spam e-mail (obvious from the number of errors in the e-mail — no W&S attorney–American, Chinese, or otherwise–would send an e-mail to Dan Webb and Jim Thompson with so many errors). We have received a number of these spam e-mails over the past few months and everyone at the firm knows that they are fake.

Here’s the e-mail:

Dear [former firm chair] James Thompson and [current chair] Dan Webb;
Good morning!
Time runs so fast. 9 months have passed since we met in Chicago last time. I hope you are fine and also bless the depression will not cause trouble to the firm.
It appears that the takeover of Hellerehrman Beijing office is a terrible choice. I went to China for several times this year. I heard that Hellerehrman ever had a very big corporate team in Beijing, but they all went to HK and founded the Proskauer Roze HK office. I wonder why you acquired its beijing office even there is no lawyer in the office. I heard from somebody that the employees in the beijing office have nothing to do but play basketball in the huge office everyday, is it true?
Maybe you should reconsider whether or not to keep the Beijing office. Take a look at the financial statement and find out how much they have earned and lost for the firm. I suggest you drop the Beijing office and use money to hire more talented lawyers in HK. For the Asian business, forming a better HK office is much better than waste huge to rent a huge office in beijing.
Best wished for you and the firm!
Regards,