Willkie NY gave 100% offers.

Compare with offer rates at these firms:

Milbank
Paul Hastings
Akin Gump
Baker Botts

What are the cold offer and no-offer rates for these TTT firms?

Any word on Winston and Strawn? How come Winston never gets any press on this site?

Welcome to the suck.

"Check out the big move by Munger. Hopefully . . . current 2Ls) will take note."

Uh, if those current 2Ls aren't at least borderline SCOTUS clerk material, there's no point in them looking at Munger. Easily the most selective litigation practice in the V100.

Willkie have "given" 100% offers but I'd bet my sweet bippy that some of them were as cold as ice.

Did Allen & Overy give everyone offers this summer?

6 - that's the most biased and irresponsible comment I've read in some time.

Think highly of yourself much?

What firm would give a cold offer in this economy? Those who get cold offered are going to accept their cold offers. The alternative is unemployment.

@ 9: I don't work at Munger. I work at a "V10" firm. I don't pretend for a second that I could have gotten an offer at Munger though. They did not hire anyone from my HLS class that didn't graduate magna (top 10%). Wachtell is the only other non-boutique firm about which I can say that. Just look at their atty bio pages -- lots of former SCOTUS clerks and basically no one that didn't do at least an appellate clerkship.

-6

And how about Freshfields? Offer rate?

One minor correction:
"Munger's managed to do all of this without laying off a massive number of associates."
should be"
"Munger's managed to do all of this without laying off a single associate"

7 is obviously an idiot, see comment 10 for explanation why.

2 - no need to compare Willkie's offer rate to only those 4 firms. Compare it to _any_ firm.

Vault is so TTT. Why is Munger 40 and Irell 60 when they are better firms than most the V10 for lit?

Why is Willkie ranked 20 place BELOW Latham? This is batshit mental. Who wouldn't take a firm that has grown responsibly, balanced its practice groups, and treated employees with respect?

Funny how Munger isn't really a heavy hitter despite having all of those prestigious attorneys...

15 - the reason is that Munger and Irell are not really well known in NYC, at least not by very young and not very smart associates. Since a typical NYC firm has 400 associates who sit in their offices doing their face time and answering Vault'a questionnaires you can do the math and see why firms that don't have offices in NYC are not doing well in Vault.

Vault, while always of questionable utility, is hopelessly inaccurate when it comes to smaller firms, particularly those without an East Coast presence.

The idea that Paul Hastings is number 32 while Munger is 40 and Irell is 60 ... at that point, you might as well put Baker & McKenzie number one and call it a day.

11 - that's very interesting. I'm certain that east coast bias is at work there (including in my own opinions), as 18 alluded to. I'm glad I learned that about Munger, though. Thanks.
-9

I don't work at Munger. That said, 6/11 is absolutely correct. If you weren't borderline SCOTUS clerk material, you won't get a job at the firm.

Look at the profiles of attorneys that work for Munger. It's stupid.

This post is addressed to commenter #19:

You are the moron; there is no noticeable difference between a V32 and a V40. Remember, there are only two types of law firms: preeminent peer law firms and loathsome law firms, the latter of which hire only ignorant and unqualified laborers.

Incidentally, I have an outstanding offer at my father's preeminent peer law firm.

Uh, munger had stealth layoffs. I think at this point it's safe to assume all firms had some serious stealth lay offs.

24 -- not true at all

I hear Whole Foods is hiring.

jake's shtick is brilliant--ridicule people for not being privileged even though he got to be privileged because of nothing other than his birth. good wit, good irony.

ELIE, I've got a civil rights story for you:

"After 35 years, next Atlanta mayor could be white"

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ipppnQkUGwkdyYwc3BuStTfVibpwD9AE3JLG0

"Atlanta could have a white mayor for the first time in a generation — a possibility that has some in the black community scrambling to hold on to City Hall."

22: I looked at the Munger profiles and they are indeed crazy stupid. Hardly an attorney without a federal clerkship among them.

I don't understand why ATL picks on Baker Botts so much....V&E/F&J haven't been talked about at all and they are both rumored to have no-offered a large portion of their summer classes. According to Valut, BB is the highest ranked Southern firm and definitely the best firm in Texas and this blog has some vendetta against the firm that is beyond me.

30 -- if you are a white straight male, then the firm is great. all others need not apply.

Question: have offers from both irell and munger. who should i choose? don't mind ip work, but i don't love it any more than other litigation either.

16,

Because Latham has more "prestigious" clients and hires students with better grades form higher ranked law schools. Prestige is more than just a one year blip phenomenon that occurred due to a short term miscue by firm management, given its history and reputation. Retard.

Latham ranked above Wilkie and Munger is absolutely insane.

Latham management is incompetent. They ruin the lives of first year associates, and you're telling me this shit pot is better than Wilkie and Munger.

Vault needs to be Lathamed.

Akin no offered 1/3 on its ny class and deferred others untl sept of 2011.

These are a bunch of loser law firms. Why would anyone want to take it up the ass at one of these.

What's a "Paul Hastings"? Is it like a "Dirty Sanchez" or a "Rusty Trombone"?

I am not at munger, but I have a lot of respect for the firm. Without a doubt, do not apply unless you graduated top 10% or have some federal clerkship experience. Their standards are insane. But I've only heard good things about them.

Dear Latham (sore) Loser:

Stop already! No one cares anymore. Every thread for the last six months--we get it! We once cared. We no longer do. We once pitied you. Now we think you are a huge asshat. Get a life. Get over yourself and your problems. Incessant bitching about your place in life will never get you to a better place.

4 - Rumor has it that Winston has undergone a number of rounds of stealth layoffs, however they have purchased the laid off associates' silence with lifetime supplies of Wow Bao.

Winston & Strawn to Wow Bao.

I had a girlfriend who refused to let me give her a Paul Hastings, but she had no problem letting both me and my buddy Munger her Tolles.

Paul Hastings is Marvel Entertainment's counsel.... Marvel is being sold to the Mouse for $4Billion. Yeah... that's revenue for ya!

30,

How can BB be the best Southern firm when it's not even the best firm in its home city (Houston)?

30,

You must be an offered BB summer or current BB employee. I'm not sure who Valut is, but if he/ she proclaims BB to be the best "Southern" firm, so be it.

BB, to its credit, has been more forthcoming about some of its layoffs than many of its peers. That said, honest, yet poor, firm management is still poor firm management.

Don't be mad, UPS is hiring.

- Biggie Smalls

40. Yes. Winston did a big stealth "performance" layoff in Jan.-Feb. after reviews were issued. Those people left in May. Since that time, usually four to ten people (assocs. and partners) firm wide are canned on a bi-monthly/rolling basis.

Where is Future Elie? Every Present-day Elie post should be perfect at this point. I mean, come on, Future Elie has been back in the year 2009 for days now, and he does nothing to warn his present-day self of his mishaps.

Also, Future Elie, please tell me what Kash looked like before you time traveled back to 2009? In 2009, she looks like a haggard, cancer-ridden hag on the cusp of death. In your time, Future Elie, she must literally be living dust in a bottle. Also, how far has Lat's asshole been stretched out in the future? Is Laurie Lin still trashy and classless; writing a tasteless column for some bullshit legal blog?

Elie, if you ever need help though, call me. I'll be there for you.

Bovery? Mulva?

--G. Costanza

[QUOTE]
One football-related occurrence to which I would never look forward, however, is any halftime resurrection - officially or unofficially – of the so-called “Chief Illiniwek,” controversial retired sports “mascot.”

Every time “Chief” is mentioned, we Illinoisans look like rubes.

Why? I’ll tell you why!

“Chief Illiniwek” never actually existed. There was no historical figure named Illiniwek. Evar.

Much like “Bart Simpson,” ”Chief” is a fictional character. (This means he is not real)!
[/quote]

I can't believe they actually placed a link to this drivel on the front page. Off the top of my head:

1) Chief Illiniwek does not require quotes or the nefarious-sounding "so-called" before his name. He was a real mascot, acted out by a real person. Chief Illiniwek may not have been an actual historical figure, but he represented decades of Illini pride. Maybe he was an ethnically or racially insensitive stereotype, and maybe he should have been removed, but suggesting that he was somehow a fraud because he was not an actual Westward-Expansion era Native American chief is simply farcical.

2) How does referencing a nearly century-old football mascot, who everyone knows (and most people) accept as being gone, make us look like Rubes? Should we just pretend he never happened? Should we just cleanse our history of an important cultural icon, at least to those of thus that attended college and/or law school in the cornfields of Illinois?

3) How many mascots are "real" people? Is that the yardstick, now, for sounding like Rubes? Someone better called the Hunchback living in South Bend and congratulate him for saving the Fighting Irish from looking like "Rubes." Or maybe we should head over to Ann Arbor to observe the only known world habitat for maize and yellow colored wolverines?

I am not saying bring back the Chief. But I am certainly not saying (like the blog stated) that we should never mention the Chief. Let's call him what he is: He is a cultural institution that embodies values and traditions that are no longer socially palatable.

But let's not forget about him, or be embarrassed. The blogger sounds like the kind of schmuck who travels to Europe with a Canadian Leaf sewn on his Northface backpack so everyone in Europe won't think he's an American Rube.

Piss off.

*farts*

11-- looks like the Munger trolls are out in full force. first guy i pulled up was hardly "scotus material" and did not have honors or appellate clerkship. so stop exaggerating.

http://www.mto.com/lawyers/bio.cfm?id=382

Willkies a great firm and should be ranked higher- its not, because its NY only. Latham is a national firm, Willkie is a NY firm. Thats the deal.

BUT, that said, come on. WIllkie has been laying people off very consistently and very quietly, for quite some time. They are shaving down their ranks and pretending all is well. Awesome for the incoming associates, but pretty shitty for the ppl that work(ed) there.

Can someone please, please tell me why Kash looks like a white raisin that's been out in the sun too long. And why Laurie Lin looks like a pale, pasty-faced elderly shut-in?

47 - Thank you for your offer to help me through these trying times. Like most attorneys ITE, I am struggling to stay afloat. My cardboard box is located on the corner of 37th St. in between 8th ad 9th Aveues. It is a manilla colored UPS box, with the words "Mystal Manor" scrawled across the friont i black magic marker. I would appreciate your company, and of course any change you might bring with you.

As for Kash, she is a doll. A real funny lady in person, even though she has really bad hair that frizzes up on humid and rainy days and makes her look like a 1950s housewife. She has also perfect the art of taking pictures at flattering angles to make herself appear better looking than she actually is. Very clever woman. When Lat fired me, Kash hugged me, but was quickly grossed out by my sweaty, syrup stained t-shirt (I had had some McDonald's pancakes that fateful morning). She continues to stay employed at ATL well beyond my firing, but never does get to become the "real journaliust" she had always hoped to be.

appellate clerkship + LR + COIF does NOT = rainmaker. hence MTO's ranking. if MTO were a law school, they'd be in the top 10. too bad law firms are BUSINESSES.

24 - I'm at Munger. The firm did not perform any layoffs, including stealth layoffs of associates in the last few years (it is said that the firm never had layoffs. I can't verify that). Moreover, the way in which the firm is organized and operates makes stealth layoffs almost impossible - everybody (and I mean everybody) will know of this layoffs within 5 minutes.

32,

Many (lucky) people have struggled with this choice. My take is, if you want to do anything related to IP, there's an initial presumption that you'd be better off at Irell. If not, there's an initial presumption that you'd be better off at Munger. But you should also take many other things into account...

To begin with there's the Downtown/Westside issue. Beyond that, Irell associates are one step up when it comes to take-home pay while Munger is one step up when it comes to prestige (although they're close to each other on both fronts). In my experience, associates at both firms tend to be, with some notable exceptions, nice, smart, and friendly. And finally, although it sounds like you aren't sure what kind of litigation you want to practice, if you have any particular areas of interest you might look into each firm's practice in that area.

Both are excellent firms. Good luck with your choice, and congratulations on your offers. I don't work at either firm, by the way. But I've known associates from both places well.

Uh, 56. That's not true. I actually have a good friend who was laid off in a pure stealth fashion. She called their bluff and basically took copies of her reviews, which were stellar until this last round. MTO ended up provided a massive amount of severance and basically let 'em stick around until they landed somewhere else.

Uh, 56. That's not true. I actually have a good friend who was laid off in a pure stealth fashion. She called their bluff and basically took copies of her reviews, which were stellar until this last round. MTO ended up provided a massive amount of severance and basically let 'em stick around until they landed somewhere else.

Winston NY and the rest of Winston are basically two different firms.

any news about what fried frank offer rates were this year?

Fun fact about W&S? Like Kirkland, there is a list of associates who senior associates and partners are not allowed to staff on new deals.

57 is right. I had to make the same choice a few years ago and it is a difficult choice between two very good firms. Many people at both firms had to make that choice. Consider yourself lucky.

I will add a few points to 57:
1. if you are doing litigation at Irell there is 99% that you will have to do some patent lit. Some people really hate this type of cases (some love it and Irell has an amazing practice in it) but in Irell, even if you hate it, you will not be able to completely avoid it. If you consider a summer position that is not a big deal and you will learn over the summer if this is right for you, but if this is a permanent position you should really think about patent lit and whether you like it or not.
2. The hours in Irell are slightly (only slightly) longer than in Munger.
3. if you consider corporate work - Munger is better.

57 mentioned the other important considerations (bonuses, location, prestige).

Btw 62 W&S also has a do not staff list of associates for litigation matters, too. Corporate people aren't the only ones shitting themselves.

That "straight white male" schtick re: Baker Botts is total bullshit. I am not a straight white male and I think it's a wonderful firm. Houston may be the flagship but it doesn't set the cultural tone for the other offices. HTFH.

MTO is slightly more prestigious.

Irell pays associates significantly more.

MTO has a significantly higher probability of making you a partner.

But Irell's PPP is more than double Munger's.

Irell for IP.

MTO for corporate-focused lit.

Both are great shops.

Munger is downtown.

Irell is in century city (muuuuch better).

But Irell's building is old.

We are the change we've been waiting for?

Akin just took a Dump on a bunch of summers.

Why does Duke publish the Alaska Law Review? Please look into this, ATL.

59,
56 here. We are a small firm. Very few associates leave. I personally know all the associates that left the firm in 2009 (and almost all that left in 2008). With the exception of 3, I talked with all those people and know why they left (governmental positions or relocation). 1 of the other 3 started his own practice and since I know him I can’t believe he was fired. That leaves us with two mid-level associated (1 male and 1 female) that left for reasons that I didn't verify. Could Munger be doing stealth layoff of 2 associates per year?

fuck milbank

70: Done. (You can't wait on Elie.)

http://www.law.duke.edu/journals/alr/about

What's the deal with the Winston list of associates not to staff on cases?

Duke publishes the Alaska Law Review because Alaska doesn't have a law school and someone needs to focus on Alaska's legal issues. It's actually a pretty cool arrangement.

To answer your question, a lot of times when people leave they tell you the "where," but not necessarily the "why."

Just because somebody's leaving to do x, y, or z doesn't mean they weren't told to leave. And if they were told to leave, rarely will they eagerly publicize the fact to people other than close confidantes.

Willkie treats its associates like crap. They laid-off people based on phony performance reasons. And yes it does cold offers.

". . . basically let 'em stick around until they landed somewhere else."

Man. That's the way to go. If my firm's doing layoffs like that, a layoff doesn't sound so bad.

Elie in the future is hilarious. As for BB they suck. Their Texas offices might be okay but their NY office sucks. They have the worst bonuses that I know of, they won't even pay for PMBR, and no stub bonus.

39,

"Listen, and understand. That [Latham guy] is out there. It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead."

Kyle Reese

Proskauer Was Here.

RIP, Proskauer.

No honors:
http://www.mto.com/lawyers/bio.cfm?id=48
http://www.mto.com/lawyers/bio.cfm?id=331
http://www.mto.com/lawyers/bio.cfm?id=289
http://www.mto.com/lawyers/bio.cfm?id=312
http://www.mto.com/lawyers/bio.cfm?id=296
http://www.mto.com/lawyers/bio.cfm?id=128

No clerkship:
http://www.mto.com/lawyers/bio.cfm?id=303
http://www.mto.com/lawyers/bio.cfm?id=80
http://www.mto.com/lawyers/bio.cfm?id=88
http://www.mto.com/lawyers/bio.cfm?id=349
http://www.mto.com/lawyers/bio.cfm?id=345
http://www.mto.com/lawyers/bio.cfm?id=22
http://www.mto.com/lawyers/bio.cfm?id=138

MTO, uh, hotties:
http://www.mto.com/lawyers/bio.cfm?id=214
http://www.mto.com/lawyers/bio.cfm?id=217
http://www.mto.com/lawyers/bio.cfm?id=299
http://www.mto.com/lawyers/bio.cfm?id=246
http://www.mto.com/lawyers/bio.cfm?id=296

Renaissance Men (popular with the MTO hotties):
http://www.mto.com/lawyers/bio.cfm?id=330
http://www.mto.com/lawyers/bio.cfm?id=279
http://www.mto.com/lawyers/bio.cfm?id=141

Munger's stacked full of highly qualified people. Granted, they lack personality and they're ridiculously elitist, but the average MTO associate is more distinguished academically than the average associate at many MTO firms.

That said, MTO is by no means a heavy-hitter in the national litigation market. Gibson, O'Melveny, and Latham take most of the big cases in California, and Munger doesn't even begin to compete for work in DC or NY.

I work at a V100 firm - I work in Los Angeles. I do not work at either Munger or Irell. But, Munger & Irell are the best litigation shops in California. If you say you worked at Munger or Irell you get more respect than any other shop more than OMM more than Latham more than Gibson.

The majority of the Ass's at those firms could not get a job at Irell or Munger.

The fact that munger is 40 and Irell 60 shows that Vault rankings are BS.

Out here on the westcoast Cravath and/or Wachtell - are not known - whereas Irell and Munger are. Yet - munger and irell are at the bottom of the vault and Cravath which did layoffs and gave crap bonuses are the top... I got a bonus that doubled the bonus at Cravath this year. . .

WAR WESTCOAST FIRMS....

To students considering the V30-40:

With enough courage, you can do without a reputation.

84 - you're embarrassing yourself. please just stop.

$100 says you're a law student.

84 has some problems with logic:

1. "Munger and Irell are super duper firms."
2. "Munger and Irell are only ranked 40 and 60."
3. "Vault is, therefore, inaccurate."

Any OBJECTIVE evidence of these firms' greatness?

There's a reason they call that hellhole Achin' Rump.

84,

I’m practicing in a V20 firm in Los Angeles. Munger and Irell are good firms, but certainly not “the top firms in California.” Some people frankly have never heard of them.

Consider Vault’s regional law firm rankings. These are based on the votes of associates and partners in each regional area to determine regional prestige rankings.

Vault’s Southern California ranking for Munger and Irell, as determined by SoCal attorneys:

5. Irell
6. Munger

They are preceded, of course, by Skadden, Gibson, Latham, and O’Melveny. I should note that Irell and Munger have never occupied any of the top three slots for SOCAL for as long as Vault has been tallying regional rankings.

Los Angeles is not to be taken seriously.

"Our 188 lawyers are extraordinarily talented and unusually diverse, nearly 70 percent served as law clerks to federal judges. Eighteen of our attorneys were law clerks to U.S. Supreme Court Justices."

source: http://www.mto.com/about/

33

laying off 45% of latham ny, including more than half the first year class is no blip.

latham's model is to utilize much higher leverage ratios than other firms during upswings, then to fire everyone during the downturn. latham has done this time and again in the past, and this is why they're in free fall in the rankings.

wilkie is much more stable, hires people with better grades from better schools, and will probably be ranked ahead of latham in the next year or two.

33

Latham uses a materially higher leverage ratio than many other firms and bulks up associate ranks in a big way during each boom over the last 20+ years, followed immediately by mass firings in the ensuing contraction (whether the partners prefer to admit they're "layoffs" or not).

No, while everyone knows the global economy is contracting and this is causing problems everywhere, the problems at Latham are engineered - they systematically overhire, and then fire en masse, with economic cycles, much more so than other firms, and on purpose. To see people here defending the firm as though the partners felt bad about doing something again that they've done repeatedly, so that each of them could reap millions on average, is laughable. Be careful about drinking the Kool Aid - sometimes the hangover is fierce.

MTO guys, we got the message. You should be the #1.

Latham seriously screws people over. If you were a junior in the NY office you'd have a 90% chance of being fucked right now.

Imagine, being laid off with 0 days notice, in this economy, as a junior associate. Imagine, worse, being laid off with no notice, as a FIRST YEAR. Not even getting to pretend you still work there while you search because Latham wants you out the door as quickly as possible, because it can't be troubled by a bunch of laid off people wandering the building. Oh, but it's okay, they call it an economic layoff so there's no stigma. Yah, exactly.

In a good economy, they work you to death and treat you like shit. They're too poorly managed to predict hiring needs.

Go elsewhere.

not so fast.

who cares about the stellar academic credentials of Munger attorneys? academic credentials DO NOT make a good lawyer. who wants a firm staffed entirely by law professors?

clients may love the idea of having an associate on the case who clerked for SCOTUS... that is, until a natural-born lawyer from the bottom of the class at HLS starts kicking his ass around the courtroom

82,
I have low standards for hotties (it improves my chances) but that is revolting. You should have posted a warning.

Munger has been sending out letters to 3Ls with top grades telling them to interview: the letter is like the Jones Day memo on steroids.

akin ny seems to have added a bunch of staff attorney profiles to its website so that its attorney numbers dont go down after stealthing a few associates recently. stay classy akin

82 - the ones you labeled as hotties are gross, all of them.

I worked with Milbank attorneys and summer associates on a case. The attorneys were pretty good at their job. The summer associates were horrific. I couldn't believe they had jobs at Milbank.

96= not a natural born lawyer whose only "courtroom" experience is doing undergrad mock trial where witness preparation constitutes scripting every answer from first to last and performing opening statements means not talking longer than 5 minutes.
Trials only happen after months or years of discovery and motions. Only after does a client need a mouthpiece and he probably would't hire a bottom of the class HLS student who most likely went into Biglaw anyway, where he's sure to not get any trial experience before he turns 40. Good luck with life 96.

I'm not at MTO, but I once engaged them while at a former employer, and they were hands down fantastic at beating the pants off of a certain NorCal firm that went the way of the dot coms (at about the same time). I couldn't say enough good things about them.

And to the poster who thinks they're all academic - if the name partner is good enough to be Warren Buffet's right hand man, I suspect he's got at least a little bit of practical skills too.

Its almost 930 and no morning brief...what? long line at the dunkin donuts Elie MysTTTal

89, you are wrong. The Vault's SoCal ranking is #3 Munger. #4 Irell.
However, and while the local rankings are more reliable than the general rankings, they also don't mean much. I'm a third year in a SoCal firm - do you think I know these firms SO well that I can really evaluate their prestige accurately? In my time at my firm I never worked with Skadden-LA, worked with GDC once, 3 times with Muger, twice with Irell, one with LW, 3 times with OMM and so on. Do you think that this sporadic experience makes me an expert? And what about all the first year who answer the vault survey?

8 - I don't know if all of the Allen & Overy summers got offers, but I do know that all of the incoming first years are starting on time - no deferrals.

82 FTW!

Man 107 comments to read about Munger and still gotta enter August's time by noon. Chrometa time, baby.

@ 102

"good luck with life"? what is that supposed to mean?

look, there probably is a correlation between high academic performance in law school and high performance as a lawyer, but it is far less than 1. it may not even be 0.5. so, why is everyone jizzing in their pants when they read munger attorney profiles?

don't take it so personally--academic achievement is great. i am just pointing out that we are ranking firms based on their achievements, not the pre-career achievements of their lawyers.

Freshfields is a tremendous firm and rivals top NY firms globally. The NY practice is small but expanding and has more the feel of a high-quality boutique practice. Clearly outclasses the other firms at this leve.

@ 110: offer rate at Freshfields?

can someone PLEASE TALK ABOUT FRIED FRANK.

How many Wachtell, Cravath or Williams & Connolly trolls feel the need to get on ATL and defend their firm's honor? That MTO trolls are out in force on this story demonstrates their patent inferiority. The obvious does not need stating, and the more ardently Munger folks push their self-importance on this blog, the more pathetic their firm looks...

Munger? I don't even know her!

Wachtell people don't need to defend their firm's honor...they're too busy making double that of everyone else...

113: What is a Williams and/or Connolly?

Akin DC had an offer rate over 90%. Fact.

Munger will have an offer rate of 80-90%. The same rate it had in the last 5 years.

W&S is seriously one of the most miserable offices on earth. I think they don't get much press on this site because associates (and partners) there are all to depressed and resigned to their fates to even care enough to complain.

119 -- Winston people complain. Hypothetically speaking, it's easy to imagine that people bound by confidentiality clauses in severance agreements might not...

I worked at W&S and left for greener pastures before the shit storm that was this recession. It is a shitty place to work at simply because you generally have no clue where you stand in the firm. And I can vouch for the do not staff list for litigation cases from my friends still there (one of whom incidentally learned she was on said list by inadvertently being given the list by a harried capital partner).

Any word on offer rates at O'Melveny's NYC office?

99 - PH did the same thing by cross-listing attorneys in different offices. It doesn't help the numbers overall, but when looking at one office it makes it look like there are more people there to cover up those who have disappeared. I don't even think two of the attorneys listed as co-residing in my satellite office have ever even set foot in it. Stay classy, PH.

113 -- great point. "Lions don't need to roar." Too bad MTO is a pussy cat.

A&O's NY office mostly serves as local counsel for deals and cases originated in its other offices. A&O does great work in London, Asia and other parts of the world but is a middle-market firm in NY, at best.

Fried Frank is awesome; belongs in the T10.

gary wigmore

Akin has not been given its fair share of shame since the onset of the capital markets crisis. Poorly managed stealth layoffs and a predictable, yet pathetic approach to the layoff trend--aspiring to match the lowest common denominator among peer firms while patting itself on the back for adherence to its firm values and respect for its people. A small scratch through the superficial reveals the flimsy moral spine of the perennial follower afraid to step out and lead.

Latham will be joining this group next year. And please don't fall into a mispreception that there is just one crazy latham guy who posts all the time. There are total of 500 attorneys who were laid off by Latham and I bet 90% of them do not have real jobs (no, pro bono internship does not count) and they feel that they have been mistreated and disparaged by the firm. They have a right and will express their opinion and disparage Latham now and in the future.

P.S. Willkie is a shit firm as well, but not as bad as Latham.

PH = a bunch of good attorneys and good people who are constantly shit on by management and flushed down the toilet

Why Freshfields is below most of these places I have no idea. No idea why it dropped in the rankings. Hasn't had U.S. layoffs or mass layoffs worldwide. Isn't no-offering its summer class. Hasn't frozen U.S. salaries. Higher profits per partner than any of the UK firms listed higher in the list - and all of A&O, Clifford Chance and Linklaters have all had huge layoffs in the past year. Recently actually expanded in New York by opening up a litigation practice and started hiring litigators.

Something's weird about the rankings this year. And places like Latham and Clifford Chance that have been getting rid of people left and right should be much, much further down the food chain.

130: SO SO SO TRUE!!!

Fried Frank - thieves..

any word on fried frank's offer rate for the summer 2009 class?