Career Center Survey Results: Top Partners to Work For – Washington, D.C. (Part 2)

Today we take one last look at some of the finest Washington, D.C. partners to work for (if you missed Part 1, click here).

Not only are these six partners great at what they do, but perhaps more importantly, they are great people as well. And they work at some of the top law firms in the nation: Dewey & LeBoeuf, Cooley, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Crowell & Moring, and Bingham McCutchen.

Kudos to these partners for making Biglaw a little less brutal….

Catherine McCarthy. Associates are happy to work for McCarthy, a Dewey & LeBoeuf partner and co-head of the firm’s Energy Regulatory Department, because: “She is an absolutely marvelous human being, which is something not often said of Big Firm partners. The work we do is highly interesting and she is a fantastic mentor. She is eager to take associates under her wing and help them navigate firm politics. Highly intelligent, helpful, and decent.”

Ryan Naftulin. Naftulin, a Cooley corporate partner and partner-in-charge of the firm’s D.C. office, is one of the best partners to work for because: “(i) he’s more knowledgeable about his practice areas than almost anyone else; (ii) he gives specific and meaningful feedback and advice; and (iii) he makes a concerted (and usually successful) effort to help associates keep a sustainable work/life balance.”

Craig Primis. A Kirkland & Ellis litigation partner, Primis “[i]nspires associates to work hard by trusting them to do good work — he won’t rewrite just for the sake of rewriting, and if you produce quality product, it will often go straight to the court or the client.” In addition, he “[m]akes it possible to balance Biglaw and a family by letting associates work on their own timetable as much as possible, so long as the work gets done.”

Abid Qureshi. An associate describes Qureshi, a Latham & Watkins litigation partner and co-chair of the D.C. office’s Litigation Department, as “incredibly smart, savvy, and the nicest litigator you will ever work with.”

Terry Ross. What sets apart Ross, a Crowell & Moring IP litigation partner, from other partners, is that “Terry is an absolute expert in the field of intellectual property,” “[h]e trains and trusts his associates to perform substantive work far beyond their pay grade,” and “[t]he opportunities he provides associates for growth are far beyond other partners at the firm.”

David Salmons. It doesn’t get much better than Salmons, a litigation partner and chair of Bingham McCutchen’s Appellate Practice Group, who an associate says “is building an appellate practice from the ground up, and he involves his associates in every aspect of that — including hustling for clients, preparing for and making arguments, and intense writing training. He is also a dear, close friend to his associates, fiercely loyal, and committed to seeing each of them make partner.” Another associate adds: “David has been around the block, both at Gibson Dunn with Ted Olson and then in the [Solicitor General’s] office, and knows how to craft an argument and write a brief. More importantly, he is fantastic at delegating work, providing constructive criticism and valuable insight without unnecessary work or revisions.”

Stay tuned later this week as we head to sunnier and warmer climates to present the top California partners to work for. Not as satisfied with the partners you work for? Let Lateral Link help you make a lateral move.