first. boo.

First to say ouch

Elie, "it's" does not = "its"

First of the losers, 2

- 1

To the 13 revoked: Easiest $50K you will ever make in your life. Enjoy your good fortune.

"A tipster reports that Katten has broken up it’s first year class into three groups"

ITS not IT'S

OMG

You Katten make this shit up.

CHECK YOU START DATES!

Katten a noose?

I have goat balls!

-Billy Goat

This may be a Thelen situation in the making.

This firm just ditched 2/3's of its new class (The 1/3 of the class "re-deferred" to October will never start, either).

How have the existing associates been affected? How far down is headcount from 2007 levels?

Anyone care to wager on how long Katten will be with us?

sounds like I could learn a thing or too about suspense and horror from these guys lol

Proskauer next to re-re-defer.

Never heard of them.

Skadden Secure

How were the decisions made? By practice group?

PE,
Do you find Hillary Clinton to be a handsome woman?

Early-mid Nov. is pretty late in the fucking game, guys. Were they waiting to see who failed the bar first?

Pillsbury doughboys are circling the drain.

Condolences. Sorry young men and women. You will be okay.

Fat people should always be fired first.

Horrible news. My sympathies for those affected.

Does anyone want to take a guess at what the REAL unemployment rate is? I mean taking into consideration all the people on federal extended benefits, all the young people graduating college/grad school that have no prospects but don't count since they've never been employed in the first place, and all the people going back to school and foolishly taking on more debt trying to wade through this mess.

FIRST to say: KaTTTen

What an absolutely horrible time to be in biglaw. No job security; a lack of quality work; difficulty making hours; not learning anything... ugh. Clerking or other government work is the way to go

The next layoff I want to hear about is Elie.

dickstein revoked last week and no story....30 grand hush money

Love the GGR reference

Reed Smith is slashing salaries: http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2009/11/10/reed-smith-slashes-associate-salaries-billing-rates/

Mission Accomplished!

did the re-deferred group get any money to tide them over for their year off? if not, i'd so much rather just have my offer revoked outright.

28 you are as dumb as Elie. Suggesting that having your offer revoked is indicative of under performing or "third place" is asinine.

I am inclined to give credit where it's due and Katten deserves tremendous kudos. I believe many firms will adopt Katten's "Solomon" method in dealing with an oversized class of incoming associates during a bad economy. Kids, if you are hiding out in law school hoping to ride out the recession, remember, the Solomon blade awaits you. Will you make the cut?

Is it Katten's policy to procrastinate this badly when dealing with client matters?

27-

If this happened, how is ATL not getting wind of it? Are the revokees just too scared to send in the tip?

The problem isn't that there are too many lawyers at every single law firm. The problem is that there are too many law firms attempting to compete in the same sphere. Katten is one of them. Thelen and Heller found this out the hard way. Once a firm gives up its niche and attempts to compete with all of the big NY firms, it risks failure.

Suggestion - carve out a market. Be it geography, practice area, whatever. Don't try to compete with Skadden for the top clients. The risk is not worth the reward.

As for the incoming associates at Katten, I feel for you. $50K seems like little consolation for this disappointment. However, remember these words in five months: Be glad you got the money now . . . it won't be there once dissolution time comes around (and the three or four months you would've worked for Katten would be a fate much worse than this).

35 -

If you want Elie to report something, you have to wait for Law Blog to publish it first.

How is it going contract doc review monkeys?

Learn a new language, it will open up a new world of doc review possibilities.

Go to someplace cheap and tropical - you can live in relative luxury on $50k for a LOOONG time if you do it right.

This would never happen in Texas

@34 - yes

Anyone have any info on how the pussy passes fared?

What's wrong with Kitty Munchin?

At least Katten gave away $50k. Wildman Harrold rescinded offers and gave NO money.

Wildman Harrold = a sinking ship

33, this gross misapplication of the famous biblical tale is like the thirteenth chiming of the clock for old PE. The point of the story is that nothing, in the end, was cut---the purpose was to detect the greater interest in the baby by identifying the one who would part with it rather than see it die. Please take note that this display of ignorance is inconsistent with the character and should be avoided in the future.

At my firm, I voted to revoke offers of all incoming associates who did not bang me during the summer. Plus the fat ones.

This comment is addressed to the nimrod poster no. 44.

The Solomon method has been adapted as a term in the field of dietary studies. Particularly, when it comes to weiner eating contests where the franks are partitioned in half. Solomon did not make the cut but I can assure you that folks partaking in these contests do emloy the Solomon method. Thus, it would appear that your narrow application of the King Solomon tale, in addition to being trite, is simply cloddish. That is all.

43: That would never happen at WILDMAN HARROLD.

can we get a list of all firms that have deferred again, revoked, etc?

Who killed whom? Did Katten kill Rosenman and Colin, or vice versa?

They never should have merged.

35, a lot of firms are doing this only the sly and not getting reported because they're only revoking a few at a time. The firm would easily be able to narrow down who tipped off ATL. I know of at least three firms who have revoked a portion of their classes and yet didn't make ATL. I don't think it's my place to send in the tip because it isn't my firm.

#50,

It absolutely is your place to send in the tip, because this is your profession.

what do the newly axed incoming associates have to lose by tipping off ATL? they're already (1) minus a job and (2) plus the stigma of being no/un-offered...

I like the fact that firms are formally separating incoming classes into two or three tiers. Firms have been doing this informally for years - usually the people from the questionable schools get dumped into the bottom of the barrel while the legit recruits get fast tracked.

The people who got revoked on were likely to be gone w/in a year anyway.

Partner Emeritos is the only one on here who has any brain, good buddies. He also made the post about Obamo's Red Oktobers which I thought was very "hee hee." At least he is being legit about some of these situations. 50K is good money for a firm that may be on the banks of the mississip in a few months. and it's better to get the axe now than later. granted, they should have not made offers in the first place and should have told you all to get fed clerkships like i got. so be whootie whoo and remember "saturday weekend up all night jump in the back baby hang on tight." say thy name, good buddies.

The Barkeep

afternoon good buddies. you should not have gone to law school. i'm an actor about to play a disgruntled young associate at "the Met" in Hoover, Iowa. come out and see the show. should be a play almost as good as "The Bucket List" which I starred in last season in Tulsa. law school is for suckas. as zack morris once said, "there's no hope w/ dope." what is all this complaining anyway? okay good buddies back to rehearsal.

The Barkeep

shocking Katten had to do this after at least 6 litigation associates of varying experience levels resigned in a three month period, even more if you count a couple months back.

52: they have gotten some measure of retribution against the firm

Nice associate? I don't give a sh#*t.

Good father? F^$K you! Go home and play with your kids.

You want to work here . . . BILL!

Agree with 51. 50, if you know something, send it in. Firms that do this need to be shamed.

Does anyone know if those who didn't pass the bar had their offers rescinded at Katten?

Fuck and them.

I inherited this mess!

I'm Barack Obama?

BHO: what's your name?

AB: Fuck you, that's my name. You know why mister? Cause you drove a Hyundai to get here tonight, I drove an 80,000 dollar BMW. That's my name. (To wanna be associate) And your name is you're wanting. You can't play in the man's game, you can't bill the hours? Then go home and tell your wife your troubles. Because only one thing counts in this life. Get the hours in and the bills out. You hear me you fuckin' faggots.

(Partner to associate) You see this watch? You see this watch? (Associate stares back timidly as Partner continues) That watch costs more than your car. I made 2,970,000 dollars last year, how much you make? You see pal, that's who I am, and you're nothing. Nice guy? I don't give a shit. Good father. Fuck you, go home and play with your kids. You want to work here, bill. You think this is abuse? You think this is abuse, you cock-sucker. You can't take this, how can you take the abuse you get slaving here 24/7. If you don't like it, leave. I played the game with the materials you got and made myself shares. Can you? Can you? Go and do likewise. (Associate looks down, and notices for first time the ketchup from lunch on his shirt).

Holy fuck this is LATE IN THE GAME to defer. Why didn't they just make this decision when they bumped up the start dates for some in October?

Katten is the model for bad management.

Who cares about incoming associates? My pussy got me into NYC Biglaw and I still have a job at Katten NYC despite my dire credentials and the economic crash. Like Keith Richards, I just keep on going, despite expectations of my demise.

Regards,

Katten NYC Pussy Pass Associate

This is incredibly late in the game to rescind an offer. The affected incoming associates have now sat out of the job hunt for almost a year and a half.

Sorry and good luck to everyone.

Katten, this is deplorable. Why on earth did you string these kids along for so long?

This is good news for current associates. Work is slow, and the firm owes its loyalty to its CURRENT employees before any future employees. I commend Katten for recognizing this fact and hope that other firms will show such courage.

Elie, love the Alec Baldwin quote. Keep it coming.

Mel Katten is a scum bag.

That is all.

Anyone have the names of the management committee who decided to string along these young attorneys for over a year?

FIRST!!!

Dewey & LeBoeuf lays off attorneys..................

60 - i hope not. i think i may know one

got rescinded today from the chicago office. $50k is an amazing silver lining, no question. but the timing sucks considering it's too late for a lot of federal clerkships. i guess the time to get laid off is never right. but i actually enjoyed my time at the firm and met lots of good people. then again, the firm has let lots of good people go. it's all good, better times are ahead of us.

Does that 50k get taxed at bonus rates? Either way it gets significantly reduced after taxes. Firms revoking offers should offer to pay 50k OR student loans, whichever is higher. That is the fair thing to do.

#76 - what planet are you on? $50k is still a nice piece of change, notwithstanding the hurt and disdappointment those who have been passed over will expereince - and probbaly 95% of people in the US who have been laid off and are unemployed would be green with envy iver $50K.

#66 - please post photos.

#76 - what planet are you on? $50k is still a nice piece of change, notwithstanding the hurt and disdappointment those who have been passed over will expereince - and probbaly 95% of people in the US who have been laid off and are unemployed would be green with envy over $50K.

#66 - please post photos.

My NYC offer was revoked yesterday. Really glad I've been spinning my wheels doing nothing since I took (and passed) the NY Bar.

79 - who called you? What did they say? Did you ask them why they strung you along for a year?

I don't want to go into it. I didn't have any questions because it really doesn't matter. The only thing that matters at this point is it's time to look for a new job.

76, There is no such thing as "taxed at bonus rates." if you get 50k of salary paid all at once, or 50k of salary over 12 months, it gets taxed all the same.
-tax lawyer