Supply meeting demand?

How about partners supplying the work associates demand to meet their hours?

1, can you please explain at what time the current President will be responsible for the current economy? Thanks.

I know someone who already has an offer from the Dallas office. He's HYS, of course.

Since the summer associates have left, it is time to resume giving associates their severance.

Yep, BB will take the incoming first year associates, just long enough to say hello and then goodbye. Time for new law grads to find another occupation, like yard maintenance. I hear most of the Mexicans have gone home, which means more jobs for Anglos mowing grass.

did they latham the first years?

Baker BoTTTTTTs!

"anybody know how OCI is going at Baker Botts? "

Im sure its going great for them -- 2Ls and 3Ls will/should take just about anything they can get right now.

Any word/confirmation on the distribution of layoffs in various sections?

Turns out Texas is not quite as insulated as many of the commentators would have us believe.

What is this "layoff" concept you speak of? On second thought, I don't really care.

Latham laid off 211% of its NY associates.

Latham laid off 342 first year associates four minutes after they started.

Latham laid off every first year associate that didn't pass the bar except for the second cousin of a Hong Kong Of Counsel.

Latham ruined by life and my career by forcing me to complain on this blog all day instead of looking for a job.

-(Never Been Laid)-Off Latham Associate

I've heard that Dallas expects to do their layoffs tomorrow. No idea yet how many are affected.

So law firms are now only hiring new people that show promise (instead of everyone that just looks good on paper) and are letting go the worst/least needed current workers.

Hello Law! The rest of the business world welcomes you!

to date latham is the only former v10, current v20 that has lathamed off over half a first year class. they did this only four months after these people started, with 0 days notice. they also did it the day after the February bar, ensuring that the NYers, who understandably would need to take a second bar to get a job, would have the largest resume gap possible. in short, latham management is either grossly incompetent, or they don't give a shit about their associates.

baker botts lathamed the NY summers, but we always knew baker botts was a TTT.

in short, Latham and Baker Botts are shitholes.

a little late... but the associate manifesto:

We are the drone, those unhappy souls whose toils in the machinery of justice get noticed only when more of our blood is needed to grease the gears.

The traditions of the legal profession are unknown to us because we were not born when they were established and we were not taught them in our law schools, electing instead, to take Law and Literature so we could catch up on our afternoon naps.

In this time of crisis we cower beneath our desks and avoid human contact for fear of catching the H1-P1 Associate Layoff Virus.

We fear to question, and have no power to change anything, and we use technology to assist the technologically illiterate partners from whom we often catch H1-P1.

We are innovators, pathfinders, and Mavericks only during our one hour of allotted sleep time each evening.

We are the Drone - Resistance is Futile

15

LOL. that Latham partner's son who failed an exam 90% of first of his peers managed to pass sure outshined his LaTTTham classmates.

Although not a peer firm, BB gets a hearty acknowledgment from yours truly for executing part two of my hybrid tough love package. Most may argue that terminating associates during this dour economy lowers morale at the firm. I say nonsense. There is nothing more demoralizing than being unemployed. Thus, firing associates from time to time will make the remaining staff work harder and more efficiently in order to stave off future outplacement. You can thank me when your existing staff begin to appreciate their jobs more than ever as a result of seeing their colleagues being shown the door.

On the other hand, I've heard rumors that say that the associate of today isn't able to force itself to work harder and more efficiently, even under threat of outplacement. They're too busy feeling sorry for themselves after receiving a temporary long term negative increase in pay. Sissies.

I <3 PEmom.... she's right: she should have taken a coat hanger to PE's yet-to-be-developed body.

Baker survives.

PE = Lat

Here's why:

(1) No one else has that much time to post on every article of a blog, unless he's jobless

(2) PE has a decent amount of legal knowledge and writes pretty well

(3) Lat wants as many comments as possible - and PE haters generate like at least 20% of the comments

18 - of course great connections (Daddy included) are part of the overall package and will often pull you out of the fire. Doesn't seem fair? Wow. I say again, this time louder, welcome to the business world. - 15

I love the fiction that "hours" are under an associate's control. To a minor extent they are, to a major extent they are not. Find yourself attached to a sinking partner, client or practice area, and there's this bizarre notion that somehow your low hours are somehow
"your fault". Efforts to pick up hours outside your feeder is often viewed with suspicion by your boss, and downright hostility by affected peers.

The law firm model is utterly broken, from top to bottom.

24

your counterargument is retarded. if you have a job you should promptly be laid off. 90% of the lathamed first years most likely have better credentials than you.

16

we get it. Latham is managed by a bunch of incompetent sadists. they're they're already tumbling through the rankings. we don't need you to remind us on here.

The ship be sinking...

Hi, guys! Slept late today. Gotta catch up on the news now.

i agree with 23

and oh, 21 FTW!

Where's that hot breadline chick, St. Thomas? I want to read, then trash on, her column!

I am in a generous mood today so I will offer some wisdom that your career services office will not care to share with you. If you received an offer from your summer stint and you feel the firm will defer or terminate you within months of employment, reject the offer. You have a better chance of obtaining employment later on by telling other firms that you were the one that rejected the firm and not the other way around. Let's face it, if you received a no-offer this summer, you are damaged goods. No peer firm will hire someone else's rejects. On the other hand, if you were the one that rejected the offer, you have a redeeming quality in your favor. That is all.

I lied, and even jobs in Texas died.

I'm Barack Obama?

To me, PE is like Bill O'Reilly. I don't really like him, but he makes interesting points.

I should probably know the answer to this, but where has the poster gone who always asks if a law school is accedited?

Stupidest thing PE has ever written at 32.

Why isn't ATL covering the firm which have not extended offers to the c/o 2010 yet e.g. Baker McKenzie?!?!? Is this not newsworthy?

Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while for the condom in your night table drawer, you could end up with a son like PE.

Did James Baker get laid off?

http://www.abovethelaw.com/2008/07/racism_and_sexism_baker_botts.php

The only reason BB layoffs make this blog is because BB (and its Texas peer firms) are so damn secretive about it. BB layoffs have been slight compared to the drastic layoffs taken in NY by NY firms. Texas has weathered the economic storm better than most, but it is by no means insulated from the economic realities at hand. 12 layoffs at an 800 attorney firm is not big news - its not news at all.

This firm should be ashamed of itself. How can it layoff current associates because there is not enough work and then turn around and give ANY summer associate an offer. How about you tell the associates who have already worked for you, who have actually billed hours and have actually done real work (unlike any summer associate has) that they are going to have to take a leave of absence, unpaid of course, and bring them back on when the work does pick up. These firms are ridiculous, screw law students and your "reputation" in their minds, how about taking care of the associate who has already gone into repayment of their loans or has a family to take care of.

BB's DC office, and possibly all of their non-Texas offices, are not doing callbacks for a couple of weeks. They said they were planning to do all of their OCIs before they make decisions.

I agree that 12 layoffs is not that much in a firm the size of BB.

HOWEVER, it appears that there may have been more layoffs--of various kinds--over the last nine months.

"In January, Baker Botts had 825 lawyers firmwide, 554 of those in Texas. In May, Baker Botts had 766 lawyers firmwide, 505 of those in Texas."

http://texaslawyer.typepad.com/texas_lawyer_blog/2009/08/more-layoffs-at-baker-botts.html

So what happened to the ~60 lawyers, ~50 of those in Texas, who disappeared between January and May? Laying off almost 10% of the lawyers in Texas, BB's "homeland," is a fairly big deal.

I love you, 38.

Keep the posts coming.

BB was one of my worst interviews during OCIP last year. The two douches assigned to cover the West coast (one was from Houston, one from Dallas) were rude and completely awkward. Awful. I'm originally from Texas, so I can be patient with Texans, but these guys were intolerable.

44 = 38

Comment removed by moderator.

When are the Paul Hastings layoffs taking place?

48 - between the first and second trimesters.

41 - your argument assumes that lawyers, unlike law students, have debt and families.

Additionally, previous work may prove incompetence, while a summer associate, with no work, has a shot at being a decent attorney.

Not that those who were laid off were not good attorneys - it's simply that new blood may be what the firm wants.

At least BB will admit to needing economic layoffs, unlike some of the other firms in Texas (I'm looking at you, V&E). And if BB is anything like my firm, I'm guessing that they still want to bring younger associates on because you need associates to do the grunt work at first and second year rates. Partners who have no work can unfortunately take away midlevel and senior work for themselves, and get away with billing the client for it, but they can't get away with billing clients for first and second year work at partner rates. If you have a lot of deadweight partners (and I'm not saying BB does because I don't know), you end up with a situation where midlevels and senior associates are screwed, because the partner hoards that work.

41: why should BB "take care of" an associate who doesn't do good work?

WhAT ABOUT VE HOUSTON? Why ATL not report on the stealth layoffs and no offers at VE HOUSTON? Why the hate for BB?

THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN IN TEXAS! You New Yorkers should have moved to Houston--Lexis, 3500 sq ft wife.

Any word on Haynes and Boone offer rates in Texas?

53: wah, wah, wah. The world isn't fair.

55, I don't think they've been made yet.

I heard that some Dallas associates were let go as well. I do not know how many.

They fired about a dozen Dallas lawyers too. And this isn't the first time. BB is just sneaky about it.

VE IN HOUSTON? WILL ATL EVAR REPORT ON THAT FESTERING TTT?

58/59 Do you know if they were they let go today? I heard Dallas layoffs were scheduled for Friday?

Baker Botts cancelled OCI at the last minute at my law school. Now I've heard that at least one office has called students attempting to set up screening interviews over the phone.

Baker Botts cancelled OCI at the last minute at my law school. Now I've heard that at least one office has called students attempting to set up screening interviews over the phone.

Baker Botts cancelled OCI at the last minute at my law school. Now I've heard that at least one office has called students attempting to set up screening interviews over the phone.

Anyone heard anything about canceled OCI participation and possible screening interviews over the phone? Anyone?

60, ever thought that V&E Houston's offer rate wasn't as low as reported and maybe that is why there is no story. I can tell you for a fact that they gave out more than 50 offers. This crap that they gave out 30 or something is just made up.

V&E other offices weren't bad either. Admittedly they were not as high as in the past but they definitely were well above the 50% many are claiming. New York was even 100%. How is that TTT?

V&E will be referred to a TTT again when they start laying off a shitload of people because they offered too many summers.

61 - yes, 11 dallas lawyers were let go today. Some were first years.

Regardless of whether it's termed a lay off, three of six associates being terminated in BB DC are female; three of six are minorities; only two out of six are white males; none are (explicitly) attributed to performance. At least 2 of 12 associates terminated in Houston were minorities. Disproportionate impact?

Disproportionate impact? No, not really.

BB in its entirety is beyond predominantly white anyway! BB DC office only has 4 black Associates and 3 black Partners (that's out of 57 Associates, 46 Partners, 9 Special Counsel, 2 Of Counsel and 1 Senior Counsel...that I can count from BB lawyers list on-line). I would say there is definitely a disproportionate impact!

69 - can you clarify "minorities"?

Total layoffs at BB this week in all offices will equal about 45-50 associates. Layoffs are effective as of Friday 8/28. The pain was spread fairly equally across all departments. Most layoffs were of mid-level and senior level associates with only a smattering of 1st and 2nd years.

To the Baker Botts associates.... It wasn't easy. I'm sure we'll regret it.

You should do a story about the Summer Associate from BB who puked out a partner's window on the drive back to San Francisco after a cocktail party. That was awesome.

If "high hour, good work product people" are being let go, and it's mostly midlevel and senior associates, it sounds like forced attrition is in fact that cause (rather than deeper financial issues).

But, regarding incoming first years: "We made that commitment and we felt we had to honor it." sounds a bit more dire. It could mean these new folks have about six months to earn a paycheck before they're let go as well. Or it could mean that BB had a choice between hacking off some midlevels who hadn't show partnership material or jettisoning the entire class of 2009, and made what was probably the more prudent choice.

Good luck to all, either way.

42 - Nope

-2L w/ BB callback

76 - I would not take that callback.

It is really a shame. A lot of good lawyers and good people are now looking for work.

Having BB on your resume is more of a detriment than an asset. They're better off not working at a second-rate firm. I recd an email from a partner telling people in his department to contact their representative and tell him/her to vote against Obama's health plan. I guess that's how they do that in Texas. As my colleague said, "I feel like I'm working for the Devil."