'Fearsome Foursome' Is Exactly The Kind Of Name That Biglaw Attorneys Think Is Cool

Don't encourage them.

Why do we have to inflate the egos of these people?

In lieu of a report that just identifies law firms that general counsel respect, a new stab at the same old ranking frames the question as the law firms that general counsel “fear” the most in litigation and then dubs the top tier of responses the “Fearsome Foursome” giving those nerds the sort of swagger that can only make them even more insufferable.

Certainly the four firms — Kirkland & Ellis; Latham & Watkins; Quinn Emanuel; and Skadden — are prestigious adversaries in any matter. But giving them this “fearsome” label seems like handing a bunch of paper pushers a leather jacket and letting them pretend they’re the Sons of Anarchy or something. It indulges the worst impulses of the legal profession to reward “fear” and incentivize people to act like unreasonable jerks in litigation. At least when labeled “most respected adversaries” firms aren’t encouraged to front.

From Law360:

“The things we heard about these law firms is that they have killer instinct. They go for the jugular,” Rynowecer said. “Not only do they understand complexity, but they relish complexity. And they all seem to hunt in packs. One client described them as endless teams of excellent people who all have the same killer instinct.”

Oh stop. This is the kind of talk that inspires a whole legion of TTT-trained potzers who mistake good lawyering with unethical harassment. This “killer instinct” begets a million baseless cease and desist letters from misguided fans. Don’t frame elite Biglaw firms as feral dogs — they’re highly competent professionals. They may want to think they’re badasses, but they’re bookworms with a talent for complex problem-solving not Tony Soprano.

And the worst thing about this whole story is that it worked. I’m now writing about this report because it’s tagline legitimately forced me to read it. This is why this profession can’t have nice things.

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The 4 Firms That Scare General Counsel The Most [Law360]

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