Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions Forum

[orangered]

REDWOOD CITY TO 1900/month for 250 sq ft. "studio"

Instantly made me think of this posting (although in SF): http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/apa/5202931562.html

made me think of this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yllDrsoL94

[Anonymous User]

Any insight on Littler Mendelson's reputation? I believe they are headquartered out of SF.

[Anonymous User]

Any insight on Littler Mendelson's reputation? I believe they are headquartered out of SF.

Interested in this as well.

Also, do you have an offer from them already?

[El Pollito]

their nickname is Hitler Mendelson.

[Anonymous User]

El Pollito: Is there a specific reason for this? Or is it just because they are a management firm and its catchy?

[El Pollito]

El Pollito: Is there a specific reason for this? Or is it just because they are a management firm and its catchy?

I think they are known for being unusually aggressive, which might be a good thing to some people.

[Bamboo]

.

[Anonymous User]

what are the litigation exit options from SF biglaw?

[rpupkin]

what are the litigation exit options from SF biglaw?

How about you tell us what you think the typical "litigation exit options" are and I'll you how and whether SF is different?

[GunnerBingo]

El Pollito: Is there a specific reason for this? Or is it just because they are a management firm and its catchy?

I think they are known for being unusually aggressive, which might be a good thing to some people.

I CB'd with them 1-3 years ago. Probably the most intense CB of the 10+ I did. There wasn't much casual conversation. It was mostly them grilling me on my plaintiff-side employment history and the substance of my writing sample, which happened to be on a hot L&E issue the firm was working on.

If you are passionate about employment law and you can convey that, then I think it good be a good place to work. That said, the people who work there seem to be an aggressive bunch.

Also, and this is big, I was told that the SA Program is definitely an "earn your offer" program. Not sure how high the bar is for them, but keep this in mind.

[Anonymous User]

How difficult is it to lateral from east coast mid-sized to biglaw or mid-sized SF? Are firms picky even at the lateral level about ties? If that is really hard, what about in house or state govt jobs?

My fiancé is considering moving there and I am trying to figure out options.

[sundance95]

Looking for some SF intelligence--How are things in MoFo lit post-Apple v. Samsung? Feel free to PM.

[Anonymous User]

Looking for some SF intelligence--How are things in MoFo lit post-Apple v. Samsung? Feel free to PM.

Current MoFo associate, but not in IP lit - friends in the group don't seem to be lacking for hours. The firm as a whole seems quite busy.

[Anonymous User]

Looking for some SF intelligence--How are things in MoFo lit post-Apple v. Samsung? Feel free to PM.

Current MoFo associate, but not in IP lit - friends in the group don't seem to be lacking for hours. The firm as a whole seems quite busy.

Does MoFo do any corporate work in SF or is strictly SV?

Looking to lateral to the bay area as a transactional associate but not looking to live outside of SF.

[Anonymous User]

^ I'm also wondering something similar. What are the best firms in the city for transactional work? I don't want to go to SV

[Anonymous User]

Looking for some SF intelligence--How are things in MoFo lit post-Apple v. Samsung? Feel free to PM.

Current MoFo associate, but not in IP lit - friends in the group don't seem to be lacking for hours. The firm as a whole seems quite busy.

Does MoFo do any corporate work in SF or is strictly SV?

Looking to lateral to the bay area as a transactional associate but not looking to live outside of SF.

Yes - the SF office actually has a much larger transactional practice. From what I can tell, the SV office focuses mostly on tech/VC-type work. The SF office does some of this too, but it also handles a broader array of industries and matters. Accordingly it has many more specialists within the "transactional" umbrella - tech transactions, debt, banking/finance regulation, project finance, environmental, M&A, real estate, fund formation, tax/SALT, executive comp, etc.. The M&A associates in SF do some of the same tech stuff as the SV folks, but I think they also get a little more exposure to some of the firm's larger clients (SoftBank, Apple, etc.).

^ I'm also wondering something similar. What are the best firms in the city for transactional work? I don't want to go to SV

Depends on what type of transactional work you're interested in, but K&E, Orrick, Pillsbury, and Mofo all have pretty substantial transactional practices in SF (with Mofo and Orrick the largest by a healthy margin).

[HmmmOkay]

Anyone have advice for finding a place to live during the summer if you're working in the Financial District? Does it make sense to try to find a place in SF or commute from somewhere else (Berkeley?)? And is Airbnb a good way to find a place at a reasonable (whatever that means) price?

[Anonymous User]

Live where u wanna live. SF is fine. Berkeley is fine. Airbnb will work but will be crazy expensive compared to finding something on craiglist

[Anonymous User]

Anyone have advice for finding a place to live during the summer if you're working in the Financial District? Does it make sense to try to find a place in SF or commute from somewhere else (Berkeley?)? And is Airbnb a good way to find a place at a reasonable (whatever that means) price?

If you want to live in SF and would like to not pay top of the market but still live in a good neighborhood, I'd recommend checking out places in the Richmond District (inner or outer). There's a real solid food scene and a few good bars in the area (depending on which part you live in), plus there are express busses that take you straight to the financial district in (25-15 min depending on how far out you live). This will also give you easy access to Golden Gate Park, the Presidio, and Baker/China beach, which might be nice over the summer.

But my recommendations for SF housing are basically either the Richmond District or somewhere that is connected to either BART or the MUNI rail lines.

[Anonymous User]

Tbh living in the Richmond you might as well be living in oaktown or the sunset. Ur summer is only 10 weeks and you will never have this much time ever again to enjoy SF if u get an offer and return. If u like SF spend the $3k/mo and live downtown in a neighborhood u actually like.

U can live in some shitty cheap area once you're a full-time assoc

If all u want to do is save on $$$ and have an easy commute, live in Rockridge or some shit. Urbsocial life there will at least still be passable.

[HmmmOkay]

If you want to live in SF and would like to not pay top of the market but still live in a good neighborhood, I'd recommend checking out places in the Richmond District (inner or outer). There's a real solid food scene and a few good bars in the area (depending on which part you live in), plus there are express busses that take you straight to the financial district in (25-15 min depending on how far out you live). This will also give you easy access to Golden Gate Park, the Presidio, and Baker/China beach, which might be nice over the summer.

But my recommendations for SF housing are basically either the Richmond District or somewhere that is connected to either BART or the MUNI rail lines.

Thanks for the advice!

Live where u wanna live. SF is fine. Berkeley is fine. Airbnb will work but will be crazy expensive compared to finding something on craiglist

Does craigslist have the better selection? And why would it necessarily be cheaper?

And excuse me if this sounds silly, but should I be cautious about looking for a place on craigslist?

[Redamon1]

Lots of scams on Craiglist and Lovely. Be careful. If a place looks too good to be true, it probably is. Don't sign a lease or make a payment from a distance without visiting, even with photos, unless maybe it's a reputable apartment complex and you're talking directly to the building manager.

[Old Gregg]

Getting a short term rental for $3k anywhere near FiDi is going to be difficult unless you do the Tenderloin, IMO.

Berkeley is a great area to live in, but not a great area to commute from. BART is not like the NYC subway. Trains come far less frequently, are frequently delayed, and never get to their destination on time. The delays can be harmless to extensive, depending on whether a crazy person decided to kill themselves by jumping on the tracks or whether the equipment has had some sort of malfunction.

In other words, the system is not as frequent or reliable as the NYC subway. When I did the Berkeley FiDi commute, it was around 45 minutes door to door if everything went smoothly. Before that I lived on Nob Hill, which was a 20 minute walk and so worth it. I just didn't like Nob Hill.

[ilovesf]

Getting a short term rental for $3k anywhere near FiDi is going to be difficult unless you do the Tenderloin, IMO.

Berkeley is a great area to live in, but not a great area to commute from. BART is not like the NYC subway. Trains come far less frequently, are frequently delayed, and never get to their destination on time. The delays can be harmless to extensive, depending on whether a crazy person decided to kill themselves by jumping on the tracks or whether the equipment has had some sort of malfunction.

In other words, the system is not as frequent or reliable as the NYC subway. When I did the Berkeley FiDi commute, it was around 45 minutes door to door if everything went smoothly. Before that I lived on Nob Hill, which was a 20 minute walk and so worth it. I just didn't like Nob Hill.

I live in Nob Hill now and I love it. It takes me 15 min to walk to my office in FiDi and I'm 2 blocks away from Trader Joes and near some bars/restaurants. I don't spend that much time at home so I don't care about the neighborhood that much anyway except for those things.

[Old Gregg]

Yeah I lived on Bush and Larkin. Too close to the Tenderloin and all the noise from Polk Street bothered me. I live in Hayes Valley now (but not on Hayes Street) and I love it.