STFU about Latham already. No one cares anymore.

WHO CARES!

4th, my best finish ever!

The ship be sinking...

Foley was consistent in holding down the 68th spot. Foley is vastly underrated: no mass firings.

I'm tired of these muthafuckin' LAYOFFS on this muthafuckin' TRAIN.

- Samuel L. Jackson

Everyones a winner at Nixon Peabody.

3 ftw.

Okay, look, I don't want to be "Above the Law Junior" guy. But, seriously, are firms ranked below V60 really worth an open thread here? What's next, open threads on working for the DA?

Mystal has an eating disorder.

here's a question: guess which one of these firms has zero junior corporate associates in its new york office? "junior" = 1st-3rd years.

I'd love to see an open thread on working for the DA.

Seriously, though, something on federal government work would be nice.

I agree with 13. But the vast majority of the posters here are overprivileged T14 kiddies who think gov't work is beneath them. That is, until they get laid off or counseled out of their precious V50 firm.

2/27/09
Never Forget

WTF happened to PE's twitter account?

14, I think you said "laid off" when you mean to say "Lathamed."

14, I think you said "laid off" when you meant to say "Lathamed."

Someone should talk to Mystal about his eating disorder.

Whatever happened to nervouse T-10 1 L. Did he finally implode?

I wiped my ass with Pillsbury's offer.

- Orrick dude

Who wants to ride my baloney pony?

thoughts on kaye scholer from people there?

15 - i already forgot.

Every kiss begins with Kaye.

Vault rankings are meaningless and only matter to prestige whores who need some kind of external validation of the life choices that have made them miserable.

K&L Gates Boston = most awkward associates and partners ever.

26 is absolutely right.

I am pounding my secretary in her ass right now, as I type this, thus providing my external validation for the day.

SkaddenDC Skrilla

yeah, vault rankings don't matter to anyone...except lawyers and law students and clients.

V60 is the new V10 for law students in this economy.

13, there were at least two posts just in the past week on federal gov't work. Don't be afraid of the "older" button at the bottom.

I externally validated all over your mom.

I'm nervous.

Who else finds the beauty school advertisement on this site hilarious and extremely depressing at the same time?

Please don't go on with this, Leave us some dignity to remember. Spare us this last.

Anyone have any news on if these firms have made offers to summer associates?

ATL you are getting tired and stale. These meager questions offer meaningless exercises in comparisons that at best are transitory and always subjective. Bring on the dancing AntEater Troupe and ask us to compare them to the Wallowing Hippo Band, or something. Hey, they're all animals, that eat, drink and you know the rest, so there's a basis for comparison, no? And much more fun.

Nixon Peabody = no class

Terrible interviewers to our T14 OCI in 2008, total jerks, totally full of themselves. Terrible representatives of their firm.

39: i agree, i have never met a group of more obnoxious interviewers and recruiters.

for some reason they thought they were "cooler" than everybody else

I'd rather work as a consultant, public relations twat, or burger flipper than work at many of these places.

How can this list include a place where a partner was overhear blabbing about layoffs on an Amtrak train? Even my old McDonalds manager had more respect that that.

How can you include places where large percentages of the junior staff has been laid off? Sad, indeed.

10 - you are an elitist piece of shit.

39-40: might be... but Nixon gave offers to its summers.

39-40: I had a completely opposite experience. I thought NP interviewers were very down to earth and personable. I can't think of anyone I met who was full of themselves. Perhaps you got dinged?

43: What? Nixon no offered many of its summers

Agree that Foley is underrated. But in the interview they kept telling me that they were "conservative." Why did they feel the need to repeat that thrice? Was it the Michael Jackson jokes? I was merely brandishing my interpersonal skills.

What is the latest at NP? What groups are still laying off? Any further fall out on the salary and bonus reductions/changes?

36 = gay

44:

Come on, you think everyone loses perspective b/c of a ding? Get real man, we're all adults here, they were arrogant and disrespectful, and stood out from the 26 interviews that I had. Nixon Peabody may very well be a fine firm, but they failed in their OCI interviewer selections. Poor form. That's it.

I agree with 44 (and I'm a different person). All the NP interviewers at my T-14 school were very down to earth, cool people. I smell a DING!

On the other hand, my H&K interviewer was a second-year associate who asked questions about politics. Totally unprofessional.

49, I'd be curious...how were they disrespectful? And yes, I think many lose perspective because of a ding. "We're all adults here"....that's some laughable shit mang.

Thoughts on Cahill, anyone?

Nixon had about a 50% offer rate

52: I used to work at Cahill (work at a bank now) and it should be ranked much, much higher. In my few years there, I worked on more front page deals than any of my friends at V5 firms, including Skadden and Cravath (don't really have any friends at Wachtell, so I can't answer there). I'm convinced you'll get better finance training than at any law firm anywhere, but the downside is that the hours can be brutal, especially in terms of predictability, and finance work can be somewhat boring. But I also did a good bit of M&A, which is pretty boring too. Truthfully, all in all, being a lawyer is a boring job, so you'll have to deal with that anywhere.

Anyway, great people and great training. And it's been doing great through this recession, so that's another positive.

No stealth layoffs in the anywhere else, perhaps the V10? Do your research Mystal.

No stealth layoffs anywhere else, perhaps the V10? Do your research Mystal.

Disagree with 6 and 46. Kaye and Steptoe do seem to be underrated, though.

Disagree with 6 and 46. Kaye and Steptoe do seem to be underrated, though.

Cosign on Foley being underrated. A good friend works in a satellite office and it seems like they're weathering the storm better than most.

Foley is great; I worked in the Washington office and really appreciated their efforts to cut and control costs without cutting associate jobs. It's a place that is actually appears to be loyal to its lawyers, which is a refreshing change in light of the current climate.

There was lots of Foley love in the Quarles & Brady thread last week. Even though Foley increased soda prices, they seem to have a lot of happy lawyers.

30 is dead on, except for the part about clients and lawyers (with the possible exception of first year lawyers).

My classmate was a Summer Associate at Pillsbury and didn't get an offer...but at least half of the other Summers didn't.

Interesting that out of all these firms steptoe has not had any layoffs (that we know about)... and yet people would be willing to work for higher vault firms based on "prestige" ?? how is that prestige treating you guys over at latham or cadwalader ?

Anyone have any opinions on Steptoe?

What was Kaye Scholer's offer rates?

I passed the MPRE on the first try without studying. Talk shit on BLS now!

1

Latham does have a whole crop of incoming first years to massacre.

*cringes over the upcoming bloodbath*

for proof, see this:

http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1020848&mc=27&forum_id=2

basically, a Latham recruiter says anyone who fails the bar is done (except for partners' sons, of course). Latham's policy is 2 tries, so axing first time failers can only mean more layoffs to come at LaTTTham. They only target bar failers when they're doing mass first year layoffs.

14,

Lathamed, as defined by urban dictionary?

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Lathamed

cahill offered 38 of 39

63- which Pillsbury office?

I know that in one of the smaller offices the offer rate was roughly 80%.

54 is dreaming if he thinks Cahill works on more high profile stuff than Cravath or Skadden. Dreaming.

What good is an offer from Pillsbury if the firm just defers you into oblivion like it did to everyone in the class of '09?

Foley is solid mostly because of the copious amount of blowies distributed on a daily basis. I believe it was Mother Teresa who said "Blowies but for the grace of God I would not get to give."

72: Name the 10 most high profile corporate and finance deals in the past 2 years and I'll tell you if Cahill worked on them. You'd be surprised about how many Cahill was involved in. And I never said we worked on more high profile deals in general, just that, during my tenure, I worked on more high profile deals than any of my friends. Their deals are generally M&A though, but when those deals require financing, Cahill often does that.

74 - Don't forget the lean, mean saefood diet many (or at least some or at least one) of the attorneys are on. Omega-3 my a$$!

74 - Don't forget the lean, mean seafood diet many (or at least some or at least one) of the attorneys are on. Omega-3 my a$$!

45: "Many" is not defined as "me and that other guy."

I summered at Steptoe and had a terrific experience. The work was interesting, and I can honestly say I liked everyone in my summer class. We're still waiting on offers, and start dates are slated to be January 2011. Doesn't bother me though. Getting the job would be worth the wait.

I had a great experience as a summer at NP. Partners and associates at the firm generally seemed happy and upbeat.

foley cut TONS of associates over the last year in all their midwest offices and LAST SUMMER no offered more than 50% of their summer classes in Chicago. Classy

Agree that most Foley lawyers are decent people from what I have heard. But it remains a third tied firm at best. It has no real presence in any market that really matters in BigLaw. Avoid in my view.

Latham sucks ass.

Latham sucks ass.

Weeks after my screening interview, I got a rejection letter from Pillsbury DC that said Ms. so and so really enjoyed meeting with you blah blah blah... but "Ms. so and so" was not my interviewer... No class. Pillsbury needs to learn how to gracefully reject and fire people.

Pillsbury and K&L Gates are much, much better than these rankings would suggest. Goes to show how worthless Vault really is.

wow can 79 and 80 be more obvious examples of firm pr people pretending to be SAs

87- believe what you want, but 90% of the people who post on here are law students. I'm not sure my experience as a summer was an accurate reflection of associate life, but I stand by my post.

-80

81, while Foley messed up communicating offers... the offer rate in chicago was more like 85% not 50%. And you're making up the TONS of layoffs... maybe a few... but I don't actually know anyone laid off... so, can't be that many.

81, while Foley messed up communicating offers... the offer rate in chicago was more like 85% not 50%. And you're making up the TONS of layoffs... maybe a few... but I don't actually know anyone laid off... so, can't be that many.

I actually can't believe that recruiting people post as SAs in the comments section on a fucking law blog. So outrageous!

I was a SA at Pillsbury and enjoyed my time. That aside, how can ATL honestly pretend as though falling six spots in the vault rankings means anything, anything at all? Is it because Vault advertises through ATL and ATL wants to vastly overstate the meaning and import of the rankings or that falling six spots (from the 50s to the 60s) actually means something about the firm?

Correct: Foley has NOT had tons of layoffs. In fact, only a handful of associates have left the firm (some on their own terms).

Instead, Foley had the balls to tell some non-business-generating partners to take a hike = about a dozen firmwide.

Bottom line = Foley deserves a lot more credit for avoiding layoffs.

Cooley Culture still dead.
Top partners still jumping ship.
Asshole partners still there.
More layoffs still planned.

Foley is a good place to work, especially if you're in the midwestern offices (Milwaukee, Madison, Detroit). In those places, the salary tops out the market for 1,850 billables, and it gets really ridiculous for the area if you hit 1,950 (Foley is on a two-tier salary track with deferred comp at the 1,950 mark).

The quality of life is great, and the firm is conservatively managed. They haven't had layoffs that I'm aware of, just regular performance reviews. From what I can tell, the only people disappearing so far are under performing partners.

Foley has also added partners. Seems like they're poaching some good people, which is probably a good sign re: health of the firm.

Cooley has a Culture, but it's one of blatant greed-inspired overhiring in good times, followed by mass layoffs when the economy slips. Their piss poor management will undoubtedly cause the firm to fall significantly next year.

Good point, 96. The perception of laterals who can see the books is that Foley is doing better than other firms, for whatever that's worth.

39/40 re: Nixon 2008 OCI: For which office were they interviewing? East/west coast office culture can differ dramatically within the same firm.

FWIW, the SF folks are very cool and down-to-earth.

Only one blowie comment on a Foley threat? Weak.....

I summered at Steptoe too and thought it was an awesome firm! Great work, great people and lots of support. Nobody is waiting for you to screw up and everyone has actual lives. I decided to clerk instead but would go back if I wanted to go back to a big firm.

If I were a law student with options, I would choose Foley, Steptoe, or Cahill over most of the firms ranked ahead of them.

Foley is doing mass layoffs today and tomorrow.

103, I call bullshit. What office(s)?

My Foley management sources told me earlier this year that Foley, at least at that time, had no partner or associate layoffs. Times may have changed, though. I am sure that Foley is doing okay due to conservative management, but it still is a lower tier firm at best. It operates on a highly centralized management.

What have you heard, 103? I haven't seen anything in Milwaukee.

103 = 2L at Brooklyn Law School

While 96 and 98 may have a point, Foley has been losing productive partners in the major markets for years.

I worked at Foley this last summer. I had a chance to meet lawyers in four offices. They were consistently some of the best bosses I have had. I will be back next fall. Who cares about PPP when you are starting out.? How about people that treat you like an actual human being.

What's up with all of the Foley partners writing on this blog. Don't they have work to do, or business to generate?

110, your mom has business to generate.

foley no offered a bunch of summer this year. On the plus side they were honest, and let us know it was the economy, not our performance.

52: I agree with the other posters here that Vault's low ranking of Cahill (and other firms) is rather odd. In general, I think it's a testament to the flaky nature of Vault's system (What the heck does "prestige" mean? On what basis is it determined? Isn't comparing firms with different specialties sort of like comparing apples and oranges?) than on the situation at any of the firms. No self-respecting lawyer does or should care about Vault's rankings. We should, rather, do our own due diligence.

At that, here are some numbers on Cahill - form your own conclusions.

- 38 out of 39 summers received offers this year.

- This past quarter, Cahill ranked #1 in deal volume and value among High-Yield Manager advisers (more deals than #2, #3, and #4 combined). See page 15 of the following report done by Bloomberg: http://www.van.stikeman.com/en/pdf/Bloomberg_Legal_Adviser_League_Tables_Q2.pdf.
(They also ranked highly in other corporate areas)

- Cahill's first amendment and commercial litigation practice is also well-respected. http://www.chambersandpartners.com/editorial.aspx?ssid=32737#per_181708
http://www.chambersandpartners.com/editorial.aspx?ssid=33007#per_161313

- Cahill consistently ranks near the top in Profits Per Partner, Revenue Per Lawyer, etc. See AmLaw 200 rankings from 2006.
http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1180602332815

Enjoy!

Any Kaye Scholer information out there at all? I'm really interested in them and was wondering what people think.

Steptoe clearly the best of these firms...Its ranking at 70 is bizarre considering it had no salary cuts or layoffs (staff or lawyer). Uncle Steptoe quietly floating underneath the rader as a premier DC firm

haha, well, 113 is clearly cahill HR, but the past few months have certainly made it clear that the firm is the top HY underwriter's counsel. whether its corporate practice can achieve similar feats in other areas remains to be seen.

I think that 116 agrees, however, that 113 has a point about Cahill. And I think 113 gets credit for doing it in good style - with hard facts and without cheap shots at other firms. Well done.

Also should point out that if you look at the Bloomberg tables that 113 cites, Cahill is pretty strong in a number of corporate areas, not just HY.

114: I'm about a month late in answering, but Kaye gave 90%+ of its summer class offers.

114: I'm about a month late in answering, but Kaye gave 90%+ of its summer class offers.