The firm itself is typical of a big, reputable, NYC firm – solid training, time in court for junior associates, mentorships, high salaries. The feel… not so great – partners have attitudes, as if they know something Cravath doesn’t. If they do, I’ve never been able to figure it out. If it were a Mad Men character, Kaye Scholer would be Pete Campbell to Cravath’s Don Draper. The physical offices look like a finished basement (full disclosure: they keep promising that we’re moving soon), and we junior associates are put in windowless offices, creating the full casino-effect of not knowing whether it’s night or day. The dress code is casual, which is nice, but sometimes makes you forget that you’re a professional, especially when you’re passing empty office after empty office, and abandoned secretary stations. It’s like an administrative ghost town, reminding you that trimming the recessionary fat means cutting secretaries so that we are forced to do more ourselves, which, if you think about it, creates more billable hours, and what more could you ask for in a recession?

Jr. Associate