St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions Forum

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Jul 26, 2012 4:29 pm

Corporate/real estate.

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Jul 26, 2012 5:01 pm

Anonymous User wrote:Corporate/real estate.
You mentioned 1750 hours as the billable requirement, are your colleagues generally billing substantially more than this? Thanks again for the responses.

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Jul 26, 2012 5:03 pm

Biglaw: Hours requirement 1900, bonus requirement 1950, average billed probably 2000-2100. Varies by group: Some groups are closer to 2300/2400 while others, within the same firm, hold tight at 2000.

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Jul 26, 2012 11:03 pm

Anonymous User wrote:Biglaw: Hours requirement 1900, bonus requirement 1950, average billed probably 2000-2100. Varies by group: Some groups are closer to 2300/2400 while others, within the same firm, hold tight at 2000.
What does this look like when converted to actual hours worked/week.

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Jul 27, 2012 9:44 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Corporate/real estate.
You mentioned 1750 hours as the billable requirement, are your colleagues generally billing substantially more than this? Thanks again for the responses.

1700-1750 apparently is the average. If you do more, you are eligible for a bonus but the hours must be good and there can't be a lot of write offs. Last year one did more than 1900.

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Jul 27, 2012 9:48 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Biglaw: Hours requirement 1900, bonus requirement 1950, average billed probably 2000-2100. Varies by group: Some groups are closer to 2300/2400 while others, within the same firm, hold tight at 2000.
What does this look like when converted to actual hours worked/week.
It depends on how efficient you are. But I'll take 2000 and break it down pretty basically:

The firm has 10 holidays (two weeks). Assume, for this exercise, that you won't work those days.

Take 2 weeks of vacation. Most firms offer more (or unlimited) but we'll say you take 2 weeks.

That leaves 48 weeks a year to bill.

2000/48 = just under 42 hours a week. Assume you're roughly 80 percent productive, you'll be at around 52 hours a week working.

Remember, though, that hours often come in spurts: when you've got a big deal closing, you might bill 70 hours in a week. When nothing's coming, it might be 25.

Ease of meeting hours also depends on whether firms give billable hour credit for recruiting, external events (e.g. court watching), pro bono work, etc. Firms in the market differ on their allowances for these.

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Aug 01, 2012 3:40 pm

Bryan Cave offers went out today. Still trying to get in touch with a few people, but it looks like they may be 100%.

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Aug 01, 2012 6:14 pm

Anonymous User wrote:Bryan Cave offers went out today. Still trying to get in touch with a few people, but it looks like they may be 100%.
Relevant to my interests. Please post as others hear about theirs.

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Aug 02, 2012 12:41 am

What do you know about Armstrong Teasdale?

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by Slevin Kelevra 2011 » Thu Aug 02, 2012 9:08 am

Anonymous User wrote:I've been getting a lot of questions about the St. Louis legal market and about biglaw lifestyles in the city and thought it might be good to start a thread to help those of you preparing for interviews. A few people at my firm said they might come on and take some, too. I know people at every major firm in the city: Bryan Cave, Thompson Coburn, Husch Blackwell, Polsinelli Shughart, Greensfelder, Lewis Rice, and Armstrong Teasdale.
You realize that there is no such thing as St. Louis Biglaw right?

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Aug 02, 2012 9:15 am

Slevin Kelevra 2011 wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:I've been getting a lot of questions about the St. Louis legal market and about biglaw lifestyles in the city and thought it might be good to start a thread to help those of you preparing for interviews. A few people at my firm said they might come on and take some, too. I know people at every major firm in the city: Bryan Cave, Thompson Coburn, Husch Blackwell, Polsinelli Shughart, Greensfelder, Lewis Rice, and Armstrong Teasdale.
You realize that there is no such thing as St. Louis Biglaw right?
Secondary market. There are probably only 6 firms that qualify as secondary-market biglaw, but they do. HTH.
Anonymous User wrote:What do you know about Armstrong Teasdale?
They've got a relatively small class, but they're a good firm. I think they were voted one of the best local firms by St. Louis business leaders. I think they've got a little inferiority complex and they hire mostly from SLU/Mizzou type law schools, but that might have changed this year.

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Aug 02, 2012 9:26 am

Anonymous User wrote:Bryan Cave offers went out today. Still trying to get in touch with a few people, but it looks like they may be 100%.

Turns out 14/15. The one was due to work-product.

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Aug 03, 2012 2:45 pm

How do we feel about sending post-CB thank-you emails? There's a lot of conflicting advice, and I'm trying to gauge whether it's worthwhile/expected for STL firms.

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soccerfreak

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by soccerfreak » Mon Aug 06, 2012 3:25 pm

OP, if you can PM me I have some more specific questions.

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Aug 07, 2012 11:07 am

Thoughts on Brown & James? Interested in litigation.

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Aug 07, 2012 11:54 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:
beachbum wrote:Any word on SNR Denton? I know their STL office is small, but I've heard next to nothing about it.
Tiny, tiny office. Pretty sure they've got no summer program in St. Louis this year. Doesn't really count as STL biglaw at all. They're on one floor in the Metropolitan Square building (just below BC's 7 floor suite at the top, in fact) and they don't make much of an impact in the market. They maintain an office and get some work that they spread to their other midwestern offices in KC and Chicago. Of course, they've got good resources and talented people, but they're not considered a market heavyweight by any stretch.
This isn't quite right on SNR Denton. Having interviewed there I can tell you they have a summer associate program in STL every year (may have been just one SA this year with no 1Ls but in other recent years they have had 2-3 total SA's). They have 40 lawyers in St Louis on two floors in Met Square. And they interview at OCI every year in WashU and, I think, SLU. Obviously they're a big international firm and they're extremely selective, but they do recruit in St. Louis.

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Aug 07, 2012 12:13 pm

3L here from STL....any advice on which firms to mass mail for a entry-level associate position for 2013?

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by 2LsAPlenty » Wed Aug 08, 2012 9:58 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Corporate/real estate.
You mentioned 1750 hours as the billable requirement, are your colleagues generally billing substantially more than this? Thanks again for the responses.


No, most do that number. One went way over.

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Aug 08, 2012 10:00 am

Anonymous User wrote:Thoughts on Brown & James? Interested in litigation.

Ok, if you are ok with starting salary of $ 54,000 or so.

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Michael Bluth

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by Michael Bluth » Wed Aug 08, 2012 5:16 pm

So, uh, strange happenings over at SLU. Does something like that even register on employers' minds? I would imagine not, but an image of disarray is never good regardless.

http://abovethelaw.com/2012/08/law-scho ... on-letter/

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Aug 14, 2012 5:08 am

What do you know about SNR Denton's St. Louis office?

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by Michael Bluth » Tue Aug 14, 2012 10:26 am

Anonymous User wrote:What do you know about SNR Denton's St. Louis office?
This is answered a few posts up.

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by Michael Bluth » Sat Sep 01, 2012 6:17 pm

OP, any chance for a PM? I have some burning questions.

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Sep 10, 2012 10:46 pm

Any info regarding CB/offer ratios at the big St. Louis firms? Also, any idea when we should expect St. Louis offers to start rolling in? Gracias.

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Re: St. Louis Biglaw Summer Associate Taking Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Sep 10, 2012 11:01 pm

Anonymous User wrote:Any info regarding CB/offer ratios at the big St. Louis firms? Also, any idea when we should expect St. Louis offers to start rolling in? Gracias.
I think generally around 30 to 40 percent. They call back a bunch from the local schools.

Some are worse. Greensfelder comes to mind....they called back something like 30 for two spots last year.

Most people I know who ended up working in the market got their offers in mid to late September. Thompson Coburn was notoriously late and didn't get many out until October.

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

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