NYC Biglaw Associate Taking Q's Forum

[r6_philly]

In a way culture is predicated on how many juniors are married and have kids. In my group it's common, so the culture is generally friendlier.

[Anonymous User]

Anybody you know less qualified that got hired? Curious as to how big nepotism is in all this

[Anonymous User]

Anybody you know less qualified that got hired? Curious as to how big nepotism is in all this

I don't know anybody who got in that way. Essentially everyone I know got here due to their credentials, school name, and/or experience (along with interviewing skills).

[dixiecupdrinking]

First year associate (3 months on the job) here. Do you find things get easier as you get more senior? I find myself making the occasional minor mistake every now and then (e.g. misspelling someone's name in a document or missing a period) and getting called out on it. Alternatively, I find the stuff I write (even if it's for small things like inconsequential discovery disputes) gets rewritten pretty consistently by the higher-ups. I really don't think I'm doing a bad job because I keep getting work but I just can't tell...

I'm definitely not producing sloppy work product (I proof things like 3-5 times before sending them to the midlevel/senior associates) and I'm sure I'm getting better than when I started but I feel defeated every time someone points out something I messed up.

Is this normal or am I terrible?

Totally normal. Don't take it personally when people point out mistakes. They're trying to help you. It is really frustrating to be screwing stuff up all the time but it gets much better after 6-9 months in my experience.

[Desert Fox]

Never take rewriting personally. People have different preferes. Also many partners make ur writing worse. Not mine though, because I'm always bad.

[fats provolone]

also a lot of the time they rewrite because they know things they didn't tell you

[ruski]

if you're proofreading 5 times and still getting caught for missed periods, then yea you're doing something wrong.

[Desert Fox]

Your firm probably has a document department that will proofread stuff.

[PennBull]

also a lot of the time they rewrite because they know things they didn't tell you

this infuriates me whenever it happens haha

[PennBull]

Your firm probably has a document department that will proofread stuff.

well as said, it probably is so short and inconsequential that sending that shit to them is more annoying than just proofing it yourself and giving enough shits to do it right

[Desert Fox]

Your firm probably has a document department that will proofread stuff.

well as said, it probably is so short and inconsequential that sending that shit to them is more annoying than just proofing it yourself and giving enough shits to do it right

IMO having a fresh set of eyes is invaluable. A lot of people have a very hard time finding typos in their own writing. There is reason why professional writers have editors.

But they often won't be able to turn it around in time.

[ruski]

they also won't find things like undefined terms, formatting inconsistencies, incorrect section references, etc. which a good junior should check for. how many missing periods can one document have after all, you should be checking for more than just that.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone care to offer a thought how having a 1:1 partner to associate ratio (both at the firm and in the group) affects things? I know we're talking broad generalities and if the answer is that doesn't tell you enough in a vacuum to make in generalities you can just tell me that.

[Desert Fox]

Anyone care to offer a thought how having a 1:1 partner to associate ratio (both at the firm and in the group) affects things? I know we're talking broad generalities and if the answer is that doesn't tell you enough in a vacuum to make in generalities you can just tell me that.

For big firms: They make a lot of fake partners.

[checkers]

Anyone care to offer a thought how having a 1:1 partner to associate ratio (both at the firm and in the group) affects things? I know we're talking broad generalities and if the answer is that doesn't tell you enough in a vacuum to make in generalities you can just tell me that.

For big firms: They make a lot of fake partners.

This just blew my mind. I always thought 1:1 indicated they were invested in you. It makes sense that the nature of the work, and not just PPP ambitions, encourages the pyramid structure.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone care to offer a thought how having a 1:1 partner to associate ratio (both at the firm and in the group) affects things? I know we're talking broad generalities and if the answer is that doesn't tell you enough in a vacuum to make in generalities you can just tell me that.

For big firms: They make a lot of fake partners.

Hmm its the non-NYC office of a major firm. Band 1 in the market. They export work they don't import it.

ETA: I didn't mean this to refute your point so much as to give additional information.

[Desert Fox]

Anyone care to offer a thought how having a 1:1 partner to associate ratio (both at the firm and in the group) affects things? I know we're talking broad generalities and if the answer is that doesn't tell you enough in a vacuum to make in generalities you can just tell me that.

For big firms: They make a lot of fake partners.

Hmm its the non-NYC office of a major firm. Band 1 in the market. They export work they don't import it.

ETA: I didn't mean this to refute your point so much as to give additional information.

If they export work, you have your answer. It doesn't really have the same A:P ratio if the associates are just in NYC.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone care to offer a thought how having a 1:1 partner to associate ratio (both at the firm and in the group) affects things? I know we're talking broad generalities and if the answer is that doesn't tell you enough in a vacuum to make in generalities you can just tell me that.

For big firms: They make a lot of fake partners.

Hmm its the non-NYC office of a major firm. Band 1 in the market. They export work they don't import it.

ETA: I didn't mean this to refute your point so much as to give additional information.

If they export work, you have your answer. It doesn't really have the same A:P ratio if the associates are just in NYC.

Well that seems incredibly obvious now that you say it that way. I guess I don't know how much work they export, I was far more concerned that I wasn't going to be getting the sloppy seconds that some NYC first year was too good to be doing.

[mickey_mouse]

For those that may have relevant knowledge: does the intensity of BigLaw drop off a bit for big markets outside of NYC? Thinking Chicago, Boston, or DC.

[dixiecupdrinking]

For those that may have relevant knowledge: does the intensity of BigLaw drop off a bit for big markets outside of NYC? Thinking Chicago, Boston, or DC.

Anecdotally: yes, marginally, on average. But it depends on the specific firm and practice area. Certain practices in certain firms in those cities will work you harder than some firms and groups in NYC. Random Chicago associate X probably works less than random NYC associate Y but there's plenty of variation in both groups.

[071816]

Do you consider yourself to be an extremely prestigious individual?

[Anonymous User]

For those that may have relevant knowledge: does the intensity of BigLaw drop off a bit for big markets outside of NYC? Thinking Chicago, Boston, or DC.

Anecdotally: yes, marginally, on average. But it depends on the specific firm and practice area. Certain practices in certain firms in those cities will work you harder than some firms and groups in NYC. Random Chicago associate X probably works less than random NYC associate Y but there's plenty of variation in both groups.

How about for West Coast offices, namely SoCal (LA/Orange County)? Conventional wisdom says the West Coast is more laid-back, but does that actually ring true, generally?

[dixiecupdrinking]

I can really only speak to Chicago/DC.

[PennBull]

I'm in a NY-based firm and the ancillary offices in other cities have much reduced schedules

[Anonymous User]

they also won't find things like undefined terms, formatting inconsistencies, incorrect section references, etc. which a good junior should check for. how many missing periods can one document have after all, you should be checking for more than just that.

This +100.

Proofing is far more than just checking for spelling mistakes and punctuation. Much of it involves cross-referncing, use of definitions, and countless other little things that wouldn't be apparent to someone just reading for grammar and spelling. The exercise can be insanely tedious, but it takes a sharp focus and meticulous eye.