Goodwin Procter and Boston Globe Need to Work on Their Timing
On Sunday, the Boston Globe released its list of the Top 100 Place to Work in Massachusetts. Goodwin Procter placed #74. That’s interesting because last Thursday Goodwin laid off 55 people.
Nice timing on the Globe report. In a companion article titled “They look past the paycheck” the Globe highlights Goodwin:
Under the traditional apprenticeship system at law firms, new lawyers learn from partners who handpick associates they want for particular cases. …A new approach matches the associate’s professional development goals with a partner’s needs, leaving associates less at the whim of partners and partners more assured of a good fit. Goodwin Procter has a site online where associates enter their availability and their interests, but it takes more than a grand schedule to make the program work. Staffing managers who are lawyers themselves make the match.
Wrong day for that story. Wrong day.
Goodwin wasn’t the only law firm on the list. Other firms after the jump.
The Goodwin Procter write up included this gem that recently laid off associates must have loved:
“The new generation of professionals isn’t as willing to just sit back and say, ‘Yes, I’ll do whatever you want.’ Firms are beginning to explore better ways to keep associates happy and better ways to train them,” she said. “I wish there had been something like this when I was an associate.”
Even though Goodwin was highlighted, other law firms were higher up on the Globe’s list. Bingham McCutchen was #21. Last year, Bingham was ranked the 30th best company to work for by Fortune magazine. Clearly, the firm is doing something right.
WilmerHale came in at #98.
Not listed, Ropes & Gray. Of course, Ropes is busy with other things right now.
Are you looking for a job in Massachusetts? Check out the full list below.
The Globe 100’s top places to work [Boston Globe]
They look past the paycheck [Boston Globe]
Earlier: Nationwide Layoff Watch: Goodwin Procter Makes Grown Men Cry?
Fortune Lists Top 100 Companies to Work For
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firrrst
"On Sunday, the Boston Globe released its list of the Top 100 Place to Work in Massachusetts. Goodwin Procter placed #74 on Sunday’s Globe list."
Worst. Writer. Ever.
"they firm"
2
Worst. Comment. Ever.
A law firm on a list of best places to work = oxymoron
Why is Sunday the wrong day to post this? Wouldn't Thursday be the "wrong day" and Sunday be part of the "worst week" to post the article?
Elie, you seriously ruined my morning with your sub-par writing. Usually, I'm okay with it, but your writing really sucks today and your editorial awareness is non-existent.
Obviously a business cannot lay off people if it is to be a good place to work. I mean, it's not like Comcast (#1 on the list) or Google (#10 on the list) have ever laid off people.
-- HLS affirmative action thinking
I don't know why the people at ATL can't figure out that all of these "best places to work" lists are ALL complete crocks. It's about how each firm's PR person is able to schmooze the magazine or newspaper publisher/reporters. It's one thing to note the interesting timing of the report and Goodwin's layoffs. It's quite another to say that Bingham "is doing something right." Bingham's PR person probably just bought more dinners or sent leftover summer associate firm goodies.
9 officially debunked the list (if it even needed debunking). Comcast as the #1 place to work? HA! The place is hellish and the employees are miserable.
Want to work at Comcast? Consider ripping out your toenails with needle-nose pliers. That would be more enjoyable.
DOJ secure
Bingham is on the list becuase they have the best Christmas parties.
Elie inserts typos on purpose to piss people off, I swear he is.
10-
My cousin works there and she raves about it. They get some pretty crazy perks... she gets practically 2 months a year off. The longer you work there, the better the perks get so they are all lifers there.
Boys have penises and Girls have vaginas.
-Kindergarten Cop
Another great post Elie, keep up the excellent work.
14 -
Well, my experience is from a few years back. I've kept in touch with several people still there and they complain as much as ever.
My biggest problem wasn't the "perks" or the compensation. That was fine (as good as any top tier company and better than many, I'm sure). The problem was with management. It is impossible to do ANYTHING to change the horrible inefficiency of the systems in place. Many higher ups don't care. Many are also incompetent. It makes doing your job tedious and dull . . . and frustrating. You do what you can to make things better, but it's always 1 step forward and 2 steps back.
If you don't mind being a cog (and I guess many here don't . . . we're lawyers, after all), Comcast is likely an adequate work environment. If you have an ounce of creativity in your body, Comcast is where it goes to die.
I didn't even know comcast existed in the NE.
I think you are, again, missing the mark here. If lots of companies are laying folks off, there still must be a "Top 100 Best Companies to Work For". Recent layoffs at GP, standing alone, cannot kick GP off this list. Not in these times, anyway.
18 -
then you, my friend, are fortunate. Horrible service. Horrible.
Comcast Cable?!?!? Who knew that the Dominoes Pizza of television would be such a great place to work. Who ranked this shit?
21- retarded monkeys
21
Comcast is not like Dominoes Pizza. There is nothing high end about that shit hole whatsoever. Comcast is the CiCis pizza of television.
This just in....Obama blames Bush administration for inclusion of Goodwin on list.
This just in....Obama says Bush administration at fault for educational system that produced the likes of Elie...more to come
I believe that JaKe and PE would make excellent counselors for a suicide hotline.
Bingham is just a big PR machine, that also happens to have a law firm. They are obsessed with getting on to all of those lists and improving their rankings once they are on. When they are especially excited about their ranking or placement on one of these lists, they throw firmwide parties by video conference, complete with champagne toast! Everyone is required to attend and toast Jay Z.
Oh yeah, and they continue to lay off associates and staff in certain departments little by little, so it all flies well under the radar.....
Agreed with 27. Lots of PR people and everyone who is fired flies under the radar.
Just because a firm is a good place to work doesn't mean everyone gets to work there. Logic fail.
I want to work for a company that is bloated with deadweight and would never even consider laying off unproductive employees, or selling unprofitable aspects of their businesses. Yep, sounds like a great setup.
Who would think they are going to take a job at Comcast to express their creativity?
The best place to work is one which 1) provides real opportunity, 2) places real expectations on you, and 3) doesn't care about being on some silly list.
I'm sure that some ridiculous in-house marketer will trumpet this up on an internal memo. Amateurs.
Bingham must be doing something right? Give me a break! I'm shocked they haven't folded already!
I have a friend who works at Goodwin Proctor in Boston and moral there is at an all time low. Not sure how this equates to being a great place to work. These lists are all crap anyway.
Ouch! That stings!
15,
I don't get it.
-HLS virgin
32,
Sorry to hear about your divorce. Betty must have some "daddy" issues to be with that old cat.
- Shafeef's law partner
bosTTTon is a cesspool.
Fire Elie!
32 you imposter ignorant slut. If you were Don Draper, and you/he were listing qualities of an ideal place to work, don't you think he'd talk about all the smoking and drinking permitted at any time of day, and the ability to come and go whenever you want with no explanation whatsoever, all the while having your assistant cover up your affairs?
I think the real story here is how far they've all fallen since last year:
http://www.boston.com/jobs/topworkplaces/2008/topworkplaces_chart/
Bingham is down from #8 in 2008 to #21 in 2009. I wouldn't say that means they're "doing something right." And FWIW, Goodwin dropped from #30 to #74.
Choate and Nutter both dropped completely off the list, and the law-firm-formerly-known-as Bromberg & Sunstein no longer make the list at all.