Biglaw, Contests, March Madness, Reader Polls

ATL March Madness: The Coolest Law Firm Final Four

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There haven’t been any VCU-style upsets in our Coolest Law Firm Bracket. That’s probably because lawyers don’t like upsets. Lawyers get paid to make sure no “surprises” happen; lawyers like things to proceed in a predictable and organized fashion. Sure, Davis Polk (ranked #5 by Vault) topped Skadden (ranked #4) in the Elite Eight. But the real surprise there is that the gargantuan-sized Skadden couldn’t whip up enough of its own people to vote it through to the next round.

As we move into the Final Four, we’ve got some intriguing match-ups. On one side of the bracket, people will have to choose whether or not making money is cooler than being attractive. On the other side of the bracket, we’ll answer the question: Is being “first” more important than being “best”?

Let’s get to it…

Here’s how the bracket looks heading into the semifinals:

The Wachtell/DPW pairing is really interesting. Wachtell associates usually make more money than any other group of Biglaw associates. That’s pretty cool. But DPW associates are renowned for being attractive. At Wachtell? Well, I had a Wachtell friend who once said to me: “Have you noticed that everybody who stays at Wachtell for more than a few years develops some kind of obvious physical deformity?” He said it a year before half of his face froze in place. (For the record, this WLRK friend wasn’t Lat.)

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The other pairing pits the firm that started spring bonuses against the firm that raised spring bonuses: Sullivan & Cromwell versus Cravath. Let nobody forget that if it wasn’t for S&C, Cravath and the rest of Biglaw would have been quite content to pay out the paltry recession-era bonuses that Cravath initially offered. Cravath tried to low-ball the entire market, and they would have gotten away with it if not for S&C.

On the other hand, when Cravath finally got into the spring bonus game, they got in strong. Cravath’s spring bonus topped S&C’s offering — and it doesn’t look like S&C will be matching the higher Cravath payout (but let us know if we’re wrong). Which firm is cooler? You tell us.

Law firms will advance to the next round based on the results of the reader polls below. Voting closes at 11:59 PM (Eastern time) on Sunday, April 3, 2011. Vote early, and tell your friends.

Earlier: ATL March Madness: The Coolest Law Firm!
ATL March Madness: The Coolest Law Firm Elite Eight

Which firm is cooler?

  • Davis Polk (52%, 543 Votes)
  • Wachtell (48%, 510 Votes)

Total Voters: 1,053

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Which firm is cooler?

  • Sullivan & Cromwell (56%, 586 Votes)
  • Cravath (44%, 467 Votes)

Total Voters: 1,053

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