Summer Classes 2015 Edition--Distributions in OP Forum

[ymmv]

When Skadden visited my school in the fall, their brochure had in enormous lettering "Skadden is NOT A SWEATSHOP"

I'm not sure I can add anything to make that a more ridiculous recruiting tool.

Apparently Skadden NY has a doc review factory separate from the firm's building where unfortunate juniors are sent to a basement for months or years at a time to work in cubicles or on long tables under constant supervision and without the ability to leave during the day. Maybe this literal sweatshop shit is common in biglaw, but I've still yet to hear this particular story from anyone but former Skaddenites.

[Desert Fox]

When Skadden visited my school in the fall, their brochure had in enormous lettering "Skadden is NOT A SWEATSHOP"

I'm not sure I can add anything to make that a more ridiculous recruiting tool.

Apparently Skadden NY has a doc review factory separate from the firm's building where unfortunate juniors are sent to a basement for months or years at a time to work in cubicles or on long tables under constant supervision and without the ability to leave during the day. Maybe this literal sweatshop shit is common in biglaw, but I've still yet to hear this particular story from anyone but former Skaddenites.

Are you sure you aren't confusing it with it's doc review temp dungeon. Contract attorneys aren't real people.

[ymmv]

When Skadden visited my school in the fall, their brochure had in enormous lettering "Skadden is NOT A SWEATSHOP"

I'm not sure I can add anything to make that a more ridiculous recruiting tool.

Apparently Skadden NY has a doc review factory separate from the firm's building where unfortunate juniors are sent to a basement for months or years at a time to work in cubicles or on long tables under constant supervision and without the ability to leave during the day. Maybe this literal sweatshop shit is common in biglaw, but I've still yet to hear this particular story from anyone but former Skaddenites.

Are you sure you aren't confusing it with it's doc review temp dungeon. Contract attorneys aren't real people.

Nah, this was from two juniors who jumped ship.

[smaug]

I have a really hard time believing that.

[arklaw13]

The associates at Skadden were definitely looked much more miserable than associates at any of the other firms I interviewed with. But I only interviewed with one other firm in NYC, so maybe that's just the norm in NYC.

[Desert Fox]

I have a really hard time believing that.

I sort of do, but who knows. I do believe that V10 litigation juniors do way more doc review than those of us V100 proles. Nobody is going to pay 400 bucks for use peons to review docks when Sunil in India can do it for 4.

[smaug]

I have a really hard time believing that.

I sort of do, but who knows. I do believe that V10 litigation juniors do way more doc review than those of us V100 proles. Nobody is going to pay 400 bucks for use peons to review docks when Sunil in India can do it for 4.

I thought the entire contract atty model was that they can bill them out at the same rate while paying them pennies on the dollar.

I didn't interview w/ Skadden NYC so maybe I am totally blind to this, but I have a hard time believing that they don't just make more people double up in offices and instead have them work in cubes/at a table.

[rpupkin]

what do you mean by "take"? They get 15-20, they take many, many more (like 75+) as far as offers given.

People who accept. I only have this year and last years numbers but they seem to give 36-38 offers so not sure where 75 comes from.

TLS has started snubbing Skadden in the last year or so, I don't get it.

I work in California. Even though Skadden's California offices aren't all that grade-selective, and even though its reputation out here is nothing special, their summer and junior associates can't make it through a few sentences without mentioning that they work at a V5. This makes me think of Skadden as something of a joke. It's probably unfair to impugn the entire firm (including its NYC office) based on their associates' comical emphasis on Vault prestige, but there you go.

[ymmv]

I have a really hard time believing that.

I sort of do, but who knows. I do believe that V10 litigation juniors do way more doc review than those of us V100 proles. Nobody is going to pay 400 bucks for use peons to review docks when Sunil in India can do it for 4.

These particular people would also have been working there during some of the worst years of the recession. I wouldn't be surprised if firms pulled a lot more egregious shit when law students were in full-on bank panic mode.

[arklaw13]

The two first-years I ate lunch with did look really pale and were in the middle of a huge doc review project.

[Anonymous User]

This may be premature, because there isn't a school breakdown yet, but Willkie NYC has 68 SAs this summer. I'll post when we have the school breakdown.

Anybody have this yet?

No, but you can be sure I'll post it as soon as the summers find out the breakdown

[Desert Fox]

I have a really hard time believing that.

I sort of do, but who knows. I do believe that V10 litigation juniors do way more doc review than those of us V100 proles. Nobody is going to pay 400 bucks for use peons to review docks when Sunil in India can do it for 4.

I thought the entire contract atty model was that they can bill them out at the same rate while paying them pennies on the dollar.

I didn't interview w/ Skadden NYC so maybe I am totally blind to this, but I have a hard time believing that they don't just make more people double up in offices and instead have them work in cubes/at a table.

Yea, now that you mention it, they'd just make them do the doc review at their own office.

The model is charge 200 for what the vendor charges us 100 for what Sunil gets paid 4 dollars for. Though 200 might be too much for foreign work.

[jbagelboy]

I think I might know what they're talking about.

Skadden LA does have an entire floor of non-conventional office space with a mix of conference rooms, cubicles and bunks that they use for "litigation strategy" and prep. They use the space to run jury simulations but also for groups of associates hunker down for big MDL's before trial. There are back rooms with cots, showers and a gym for when associates spend the night, which I gather is not infrequent in major trials. There are cubicles for doc review.

I don't think its as dramatic or egregious as the departing associates make it sound, but it's pretty frightening.

[Cobretti]

Is S&C still doing half day fridays over the summer?

[2014]

Skadden to V10???

[arklaw13]

Skadden to V10???

Probably would get it better vault rankings actually.

[FSK]

Is S&C still doing half day fridays over the summer?

So 9-9, instead of always?

[Rahviveh]

Is S&C still doing half day fridays over the summer?

So 9-9, instead of always?

Hey pal, that wasn't very nice.

[cookiejar1]

So what other firms have "working summers"?

[Anonymous User]

So what other firms have "working summers"?

I have heard second hand that STB does in its satellite offices, but haven't heard this confirmed by anyone who has worked in one.

[skers]

I've heard Cravath can have an unnecessarily brutal summer and midlevels can be particularly tyrannical.

[Anonymous User]

I've heard Cravath can have an unnecessarily brutal summer and midlevels can be particularly tyrannical.

From what I gauged talking to people, this can definitely be true. The way Cravath assigns summers is that each summer is paired with a partner, more or less. They work under that partner's group. A typical partner group will be 4-5 partners. Under corporate, I think there are 8 groups (3 M&A, 3 Securities, 2 Banking). Each group has 10-15 associates. In lit, there is 1-1 pairing with partners and the summer does whatever the partner does.

With all of that said, there is a lot of room for varying experiences. I've spoken with people who had a nice 9-6 summer; others had to be in the office all night. This depends on the group's deal flow, really.

Apparently the summers are treated as a part of the deal/case team, and indistinguishable from first years. They way they spun it, summers are below 1st years on the totem pole so actually tend to be very busy.

Side note, the whole "mid level tyranny" thing can be true anywhere, so it's not really specific to Cravath or the summer experience. There are shitty mid levels and cool mid levels no matter where you go.

[skers]

I've heard Cravath can have an unnecessarily brutal summer and midlevels can be particularly tyrannical.

From what I gauged talking to people, this can definitely be true. The way Cravath assigns summers is that each summer is paired with a partner, more or less. They work under that partner's group. A typical partner group will be 4-5 partners. Under corporate, I think there are 8 groups (3 M&A, 3 Securities, 2 Banking). Each group has 10-15 associates. In lit, there is 1-1 pairing with partners and the summer does whatever the partner does.

With all of that said, there is a lot of room for varying experiences. I've spoken with people who had a nice 9-6 summer; others had to be in the office all night. This depends on the group's deal flow, really.

Apparently the summers are treated as a part of the deal/case team, and indistinguishable from first years. They way they spun it, summers are below 1st years on the totem pole so actually tend to be very busy.

Side note, the whole "mid level tyranny" thing can be true anywhere, so it's not really specific to Cravath or the summer experience. There are shitty mid levels and cool mid levels no matter where you go.

The rationale I heard from former Cravath summers (so could be bullshit since anecdotal and all that) is b/c of the relative lack of midlevels at certain class years due to 07 and since Cravath doesn't really lateral hire, if you're unfortunate enough to be staffed w/ someone in up or out position your time on that deal will be fucking hell.

[cookiejar1]

MOAR! Is S&C brutal? WLRK? Or are they partying in the Summer before giving their lives away next September?

[Anonymous User]

So what other firms have "working summers"?

I have heard second hand that STB does in its satellite offices, but haven't heard this confirmed by anyone who has worked in one.

As an incoming STB SA, can someone explain to me a "working summer" is?

Does this mean I will work a little or will I be have "normal" hours. Does a working summer essentially mean lots of social events, half-days, and other fun things?