prestigious/small litigation firms? Forum

[Anonymous User]

top 5% at ccn, l. rev. (i'm lucky, i know -- i worked my ass off)

I want to work at an elite litigation firm, and I'm willing to be in DC, chicago, ny, or la (i have a weak preference for chicago or la). I'm starting to think i'll bid on elite litigation firms, regardless of location (as well as larger firms/safeties). I have relatively weak geographic ties in each city, but i think i can oversell what i have. The firms i know of are williams and connolly, irell, munger, and wachtell. (i know bartlit beck doesn't hire summers, but i plan to clerk first then apply)

A few questions.

(1) Does anyone see a problem with spreading out my bids, focusing on firm types rather than markets? (after bidding on elite firms, I plan to use what's left on large chicago and/or la firms)

(2) Are there other small/prestigious litigation firms I'm missing out on? (I started researching firms only a few weeks ago...)

(3) Other than good grades, what are these firms looking for?

[Anonymous User]

Boise Schiller and Quinn Emanuel are big-time litigation firms.

If you want to do plaintiff's work, I hear Kasowitz Benson is the place to be.

[Pablo Ramirez]

If you want to do plaintiff's work, I hear Kasowitz Benson is the place to be.

Can you say a little more about this firm? What makes it so good?

[imchuckbass58]

You should consider Susman Godfrey, though it has a very particular culture that some people like and some don't.

Morvillo abramovitz is great if you want to do white collar defense.

Friedman Kaplan Seiler is also worth looking into.

Along the lines of Bartlitt Beck (i.e., elite lit shop but doesn't take summers) are Kellogg Huber Hansen and Robbins Russell.

[NYAssociate]

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[NYAssociate]

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[solidsnake]

KTB and PBWT are great firms for litigation experience, but they're basically non-players in NYC. I think Boies is horrifically overrated. The partners are talented, sure. But the culture is eat-what-you-kill. They routinely no-offer. They aggressively trim the fat. That might not be a good atmosphere for some. I also don't think they're that special in litigation.

Quinn is decent too, but again, not that special. Probably amazing in CA. So-so in NY. They market themselves well though. I would recommend Paul Weiss or Kirkland, but you emphasized "small."

How are PW and K&E (nyc) in terms of giving junior litigators early responsibility?

[NYAssociate]

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[Anonymous User]

Jenner & Block DC is a ridiculously snobby tiny litigation shop (I think they do appellate). There might some other branch offices that operate like that (I have this vague recollection Sidley's DC office is similar, but I could be totally off-base).

Susman & W&C are credited. Those are two firms where you'll have a real chance of making partner. But starting at a place like Kirkland or Paul Weiss wouldn't be the end of the world.

Edit: Gibson DC too. Honestly, there are a ton of firms that have very elite satellite offices in DC. You'll have to do some digging, but it might be exactly what you're looking for.

Keep in mind top 5% from CCN is hardly a lock at a lot of these places. By being small and having an elite reputation they can afford to be unbelievably snobby. W&C routinely hires from the top 1-3% at the school I have data on, and I get the impression Susman and the like can be pickier. Which doesn't mean don't bid / send resumes to places not going to your OCI, it's just a word of caution about getting over excited about top 5% from CCN (unless it's really top 1% from CCN, in which case maybe you can get over excited).

[Anonymous User]

If you're willing to extend to northern cal, Keker and Howard Rice are both great firms in San Francisco. HR does both litigation and transactional, though lit is the focus. Keker is a litigation boutique. Worth checking out their websites at the very least.

[jonas]

SF:
You might also check out Altshuler Berzon, Farella Braun + Martel, and durie tangri (recently formed by ex-partners from Keker & Van Nest). Arnold & Porter also has a terrific small office in SF.

DC:
Another small, elite firm worth considering (along with Kellogg Huber, Robbins Russell, Jenner, W&C, et al.) is Bredhoff & Kaiser. They're known especially for their labor law practice, but they do other work too. Bredhoff & Kaiser is a progressive place. If you're of the Federalist Society persuasion, you might be interested in Cooper & Kirk.

Chicago:
Miner Barnhill & Galland. Their focus is on civil rights litigation. Obama used to work there.

[heathbar88]

You should consider Susman Godfrey, though it has a very particular culture that some people like and some don't.

Morvillo abramovitz is great if you want to do white collar defense.

Friedman Kaplan Seiler is also worth looking into.

Along the lines of Bartlitt Beck (i.e., elite lit shop but doesn't take summers) are Kellogg Huber Hansen and Robbins Russell.

Can you elaborate on this?

Edit: After some very brief research I found some things stating that associates are not encouraged to work in teams. Instead they are encouraged to kind of compete with each other/ eat what you kill culture. Is this what you were referring to?

[imchuckbass58]

Edit: After some very brief research I found some things stating that associates are not encouraged to work in teams. Instead they are encouraged to kind of compete with each other/ eat what you kill culture. Is this what you were referring to?

I have heard that Susman is very hard-charging and aggressive. The way it was summarized to me is that it was "basically run like an investment bank." The culture supposedly reflects this - Susman isn't full of quiet intellectual types - it has some pretty big personalities.

That said, they are very, very smart, and very, very good at what they do. And some people actually like and thrive in that sort of culture, so who knows.

That's what I've heard second-hand. I obviously don't know personally.

[Anonymous User]

OP here: thanks for the information. Very useful.

Anyone see a problem with spreading out my (top) bids in four different geographic locations?

Also, what softs/qualifications are these firms looking for, i.e., what should I emphasize on my resume and in my interview?

[como]

Check out Quinn. I read that their compensation structure allows you to make tons of cash if you work a ton.