Biglaw, Job Searches, Kathleen Sullivan, Technology, Videos

Quinn Emanuel: No Video for You

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We aren’t the only ones having fun with the story of the Quinn Emanuel recruiting junket to Deer Valley. Check out this cartoon, over at The Recorder.
As noted by some commenters, Quinn Emanuel just launched a new, upgraded website. Sadly, the “Day in a Life of an Associate” video — which featured a fictional associate, a Yale and Stanford Law-educated hottie named “Ivy” (geddit?) — appears to have been pulled. (The site says that the video is “coming soon.”)
Some of the speculation about why the video was pulled is amusing. Check it out, after the jump.


One tipster described the video as follows:

The video depicted an attractive (fictional) new associate’s life at Quinn Emanuel. It also featured interviews with several partners, including Bill Urquhart.

Urquhart described how Quinn gives associates experience early. In one segment, he describes how one Quinn lawyer was allowed to argue in court the day she was admitted to the bar. I have it on good authority, however, that the lawyer in question was Kathleen Sullivan…..

I’m not sure why they took it down, other than it was as corny and self congratulatory as any recruiting video.

Here’s one possible theory. From a source at the firm (but not John Quinn, despite the lowercase type):

oh my god. that video was completely outrageous. word on the street is some female partners were outraged. the video showed ‘Ivy’ chatting it up with John Quinn, Bill Urquhart and Eric Emanuel (all name partners), with Urquhart even carrying a box for her. then it showed her working out and toweling off.

i think some of the women found it too erotic. hysterical.

Should we really be surprised by such an unorthodox approach to recruiting? After all, at Quinn Emanuel, Aquaboys — and, presumably, Aquagirls — are rewarded with offers, not ignominy.
From Susan’s Beck fantastic firm profile, in the American Lawyer:

The rigors expected of associates don’t stop in the office. One firm tradition is the summer hike — or death march, depending on your point of view. [Name partner John] Quinn has led bands of lawyers and summer associates on grueling treks through Olympic National Park in Washington State and up Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. On a trip to the Wind River Range in Wyoming, the troop finally reached a glacial lake at 9,000 feet after hiking 10 miles.

Quinn turned to a summer associate and told the fellow that he’d give him an offer if he’d swim across. Quinn was joking, but the young man wasn’t. He stripped down and dived in. “I was worried,” Quinn admits. The lake, no more than 300 feet wide, was icy cold. The student made it across safely and got the job. On the drive back from the trip, Quinn called one of his partners. “Is this guy any good?” he asked. “I just made him an offer.”

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This Week’s Cartoon [The Recorder]
The Mighty Quinn Makes Its Mark on The Am Law 200 [The American Lawyer]

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