V10 Associate Taking Questions Forum

[Anonymous User]

Do you feel that you actually have better "exit opportunities" than friends at say V20 or V40 firms? If so, could you try to elaborate on these differences?

Yes.

Just based on the clients we keep and the name recognition of the firm. Also, the notion that I can lateral into partnership at a less prestigious firm is very much alive as I get more senior.

What makes you think you can do this so easily? And so if a V40 firm has desirable clients then you would say it's not that big of a dropoff?

Because plenty of people at my firm have done it.

Even Dewey had top banks for clients, but doesn't mean that Dewey associates had easy exit options to them. It's a combination of having the client and doing the right type of work for them. You won't impress a client by doing routine securities work for them, at least if you want an inhouse job not in compliance. You will impress a client when youre a stellar associate doing a big top flight M&A deal for them, which lower ranked firms tend not to do.

[Anonymous User]

Are you trying to make partner? If you're billing 60-70 hours/week, is that typical/average or above/below average? Is there pressure to bill that amount or higher?

I'm very efficient. Barely have time to dick around.

[Anonymous User]

Did you have any WE? Or did you go straight from undergrad>law school>V-10? Regardless, do you have an idea what WE looks best for someone trying to go the corporate route? Preciate it!

[Anonymous User]

What's your bill to hours actually at work ratio? Did you not workout before or did you stop?

[bk1]

Warning: people who aren't OP need to cut out the anon posting when not revealing personal info.

[ahshav]

Are you trying to make partner? If you're billing 60-70 hours/week, is that typical/average or above/below average? Is there pressure to bill that amount or higher?

I'm very efficient. Barely have time to dick around.

The general impression is that being very efficient is punished, not rewarded. What are your thoughts? Have you always been this efficient as an associate?

What year are you? (not how many years you've been with the firm, but what year - or least junior / mid-level / senior etc?)

[Gecko of Doom]

School? Class rank?

Top ten,top third.

Are these credentials still sufficient to get hired at your firm, or have the requirements increased in recent years?

[piccolittle]

Having lunch with a V10 partner tomorrow (not at the firm) for an informational interview that I initiated. My current boss says I should wear "[my] best suit." Legit or will that seem douchey?

[Anonymous User]

Did you have any WE? Or did you go straight from undergrad>law school>V-10? Regardless, do you have an idea what WE looks best for someone trying to go the corporate route? Preciate it!

No, but I had multiple jobs in colleges. Yea, I went straight through.

Most ideal work experience is probably ibanking or accounting or consulting.

[Anonymous User]

What's your bill to hours actually at work ratio? Did you not workout before or did you stop?

Around 90%. Inefficiency decreases the more you have to bill.

[Anonymous User]

Are you trying to make partner? If you're billing 60-70 hours/week, is that typical/average or above/below average? Is there pressure to bill that amount or higher?

I'm very efficient. Barely have time to dick around.

The general impression is that being very efficient is punished, not rewarded. What are your thoughts? Have you always been this efficient as an associate?

What year are you? (not how many years you've been with the firm, but what year - or least junior / mid-level / senior etc?)

It's punished when you're billing 2100 hours. It's rewarded when you're billing way more than that. Keep in mind that padding is discouraged, and partners will take notice when you bill way too much on a task (and have no good explanation for it). There's no sense in which partners support lying on bills or padding, and if a partner notices this, you will gain a reputation.

[Anonymous User]

School? Class rank?

Top ten,top third.

Are these credentials still sufficient to get hired at your firm, or have the requirements increased in recent years?

Still sufficient from a hard numbers perspective, but personality requirements are where people will win it or lose it.

[Anonymous User]

Having lunch with a V10 partner tomorrow (not at the firm) for an informational interview that I initiated. My current boss says I should wear "[my] best suit." Legit or will that seem douchey?

Is it at his office? If so, match the dress code of the office.

[jjcheng]

Do you feel that you actually have better "exit opportunities" than friends at say V20 or V40 firms? If so, could you try to elaborate on these differences?

Yes.

Just based on the clients we keep and the name recognition of the firm. Also, the notion that I can lateral into partnership at a less prestigious firm is very much alive as I get more senior.

What makes you think you can do this so easily? And so if a V40 firm has desirable clients then you would say it's not that big of a dropoff?

Because plenty of people at my firm have done it.

Even Dewey had top banks for clients, but doesn't mean that Dewey associates had easy exit options to them. It's a combination of having the client and doing the right type of work for them. You won't impress a client by doing routine securities work for them, at least if you want an inhouse job not in compliance. You will impress a client when youre a stellar associate doing a big top flight M&A deal for them, which lower ranked firms tend not to do.

Does this mean M&A work is generally considered more challenging than securities work? (and thus more prestigious?)

Does securities work here also include capital markets (e.g. IPO) work?

[Edit: typo]

[005618502]

I work at a smaller litigation firm, staff position. I know some attorneys here will focus primarily on 1-2 cases at a time. Where in 2 days they will bill 12 hrs to one client and 12 hours to another. Do you find yourself working primarily for certain clients or do you work on many cases for many different clients? Do you find yourself becoming close with people who (associated with who you represent) will help your exit options? Is making partner there as impossible as everyone makes it out to be?

[616rewind]

School? Class rank?

Top ten,top third.

Are these credentials still sufficient to get hired at your firm, or have the requirements increased in recent years?

Still sufficient from a hard numbers perspective, but personality requirements are where people will win it or lose it.

Do different firms look for different "personality requirements," and if so what's the best way to find out what they're looking for?

[Anonymous User]

I will answer more questions today, including the ones asked above.

[ajaxconstructions]

How important is "fit"? Does being a very boring person mean you won't get an offer anywhere?

[Anonymous User]

Does this mean M&A work is generally considered more challenging than securities work? (and thus more prestigious?)

Does securities work here also include capital markets (e.g. IPO) work?

[Edit: typo]

"prestige" of practice doesn't correlate with difficulty. It's just that big deals tend to be hugely important for companies and there are few firms that are trusted to do those deals; filing a random 13D is something a lot of other firms can do.

[Anonymous User]

I work at a smaller litigation firm, staff position. I know some attorneys here will focus primarily on 1-2 cases at a time. Where in 2 days they will bill 12 hrs to one client and 12 hours to another. Do you find yourself working primarily for certain clients or do you work on many cases for many different clients? Do you find yourself becoming close with people who (associated with who you represent) will help your exit options? Is making partner there as impossible as everyone makes it out to be?

No. Exit options are also good because a get a lot of client contact as a junior. Easier to establish a reputation for yourself when you become indespensible to a client. That doesn't mean just doing good work, but also being pretty sociable.

[Anonymous User]

Do different firms look for different "personality requirements," and if so what's the best way to find out what they're looking for?

They don't look for those personalities per se. It's more like firms with a personality have it because its people have that personality, and people tend to like other people with similar personalities.

Vault's profiles are surprisingly accurate.

[Anonymous User]

How important is "fit"? Does being a very boring person mean you won't get an offer anywhere?

Fit is huge, but luckily for you there are firms that love boring people!

[ajaxconstructions]

How important is "fit"? Does being a very boring person mean you won't get an offer anywhere?

Fit is huge, but luckily for you there are firms that love boring people!

Any that come to mind? Particularly within the v20?

[WODKilla123]

How important is "fit"? Does being a very boring person mean you won't get an offer anywhere?

Fit is huge, but luckily for you there are firms that love boring people!

Any that come to mind? Particularly within the v20?

Conversely, what firms in the V20 are particularly social?

[PennBull]

Do you recommend litigation or transactional work for exposure to clients, and which helps aid the lateral to in-house more?