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Susman Godfrey Insight

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Jan 16, 2019 9:39 am

I am considering applying to Susman Godfrey in NYC. (I was told I can get an interview from an inside connection, and I know how hard it is to get there, but I'm focused on whether I should take this opportunity.)

I am curious as to what the life is like from someone who used to work there. All of the info I've gotten is either (1) from people currently working there, who are likely a biased source, or (2) a thread on TLS from years back, which seemed to simply reiterate reputation of being a meat grinder. The people I've talked to have said yes, the hours are very long, but they don't bill by the hour and schedule 98% of things on their own, so it makes it easier to have a life. (E.g., no Friday evening calls from partners with tasks that need to be completed in 24 hours.) Interested in any firsthand information people have, either from themselves, or from friends who worked there!

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Re: Susman Godfrey Insight

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Jan 16, 2019 4:37 pm

First, you're just asking about APPLYING. Do it. At the least, if you get an interview and offer, (1) you'll have talked to people there and gotten a sense; (2) you'll have an offer (and a signing bonus!) that you can use to negotiate with other firms.

As far as accepting an offer... for one, it's a very small office, so be sure you like everyone, and the work that the partners are bringing in.

From a first-hand source, I've heard that they work extremely hard. As you talk to associates, ask not only what their total yearly hours were but, especially if you haven't worked at a law firm before, what those hours translate into as far as daily and weekly schedule. Are they not getting home until 10PM every single night? How many weekends do they work? How much of a life is actually possible?

If you're interested in the work, like the people, and have a realistic expectation about hours, then go for it.

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Re: Susman Godfrey Insight

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Jan 16, 2019 5:41 pm

They get paid more than associates anywhere except Wachtell. They also work harder and longer hours than anywhere except Wachtell.

That sorta gives you a sense of what you're in for. You're going to hit 2400 easily and approach 2700 per year if you're gunning to last there.

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Re: Susman Godfrey Insight

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Jan 17, 2019 7:47 pm

I have not worked at Susman, but I have worked with Susman associates. It's a meat grinder.
Anonymous User wrote:They get paid more than associates anywhere except Wachtell. They also work harder and longer hours than anywhere except Wachtell.

That sorta gives you a sense of what you're in for. You're going to hit 2400 easily and approach 2700 per year if you're gunning to last there.
These numbers are about what I've heard. Expect an average of about 2500.

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Re: Susman Godfrey Insight

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jan 22, 2019 1:27 pm

I'm a current SG associate. For starters, it sounds like you know at least one current associate fairly well. That is going to be your best source of information and generally I find that people are willing to be pretty upfront and honest about life at the firm because we don't want to just sell the firm to people and have them later leave because it failed to meet expectations. So I would talk as much as possible with the person you know and have them link you up privately with other associates in the NY office (or even other offices) to have one-on-one chats with outside of the interview process (because you can have a more fulsome conversation than the 20-30 minutes in an interview setting).

Your question is pretty broad--what "life is like" there. Most people seem to focus on just hours as if that's the end-all and be-all of the equation. It isn't, but I'll address it first and hit on a few other things that I think are important to consider about "life" here.

Hours
There is no denying that SG is a place where you're expected to work hard. And people here generally seem to be about right when it comes to raw number of hours annually. You can expect about 2400-2700 most hours I would say. That seems like a lot, and it is. But I do think there are a couple of things to keep in mind when putting that into context:

1. There is very little expected facetime here. It is very common for people to leave at a reasonable hour (5:30) and not feel like there is some added pressure to be in the office for the sake of being there. As long as you're getting your work done, nobody really cares where you are doing it from. And it is not uncommon for people to occasionally take a day here and there to stay at home and work there if they feel like it. I have personally never felt that I needed to be in the office just because I needed to put in some facetime and I think most would agree with that.

2. The substantive work. Doing a lot of hours is easier to do when you're doing exciting things in a case. Almost every associate has taken/defended depositions, argued in court, or even gone to trial in their first year. Being able to do substantive things in a case so early in your career--assuming that is something you're actually looking for--makes the hours seem much more reasonable in my opinion than doing doc review for 2,000 hours your first year somewhere else. But that's all based on what it is you're looking for.

3. The quality of the people. I know it seems cliche to talk about collegiality and all that jazz, but I think SG is rare in that people really enjoy working with their colleagues. One only need attend a firm retreat or any other social event (which, yes, isn't common in the recruiting stage) to know that people here really think of each other as part of a family and enjoy working with each other. That also makes the raw number of hours much easier to swallow.

4. Travel. There is a fair amount of travel in our line of work and all of that travel time counts as billable hours. So gotta keep that in context too.

Other Things to Keep in Mind
A few other things:

1. Contrary to what I see happen at a lot of other places (based on observations from law school colleagues), SG is a place that tends to show that the work of its associates is appreciated and valued. In my opinion, the partners know that we work hard and show that appreciation by the great bonuses, firm-sponsored trips with your spouse/SO each year, and the level of trust they place in you even at the earliest stages of your career.

2. It's also a bit cliche to hear that places look to hire new associates with the view of making them a partner. But at least at SG I feel like it's a reality. And they treat you as such, with associates even getting a lot of information about the business side of the firm that you'd rarely expect to get at another firm.

In no way am I trying to imply the place is perfect. And it takes a particular type of personality to handle the "sink-or-swim" approach that the firm takes with the responsibilities the firm places on associates. But I would say there is a lot more to the lifestyle of the firm that has to be considered than simply "it's a meat-grinder". In closing, I urge you to reach out to as many current associates and talk to them about their experiences.

Also, if you're at all thinking about applying for this current fall--especially in NY--then I would do so ASAP. Generally by now, each of the offices is already starting to seriously consider who they are going to extend their few offers to.

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