K&L Gates Seattle vs. some other choices? Forum

[Jumborific]

Only offer I have so far. Still waiting on Foster Pepper; Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt; and the U.S. Attorney's office, but let's assume, for the sake of the exercise, that I get them.

I am 95% sure I am going to accept at K&L Gates. Just want to make sure it's not known to be a cravath/quinn type sweatshop. Here is what I am considering about the pros and cons of each option.

K&L Gates
Pays more than the others
Multiple offices, in case my GF gets sent out of state for medical residency
More well-known name outside Seattle

Schwabe/Foster Pepper
Pays less than K&L
Fewer offices
All the associates I talked to at these firms were second-chairing trials their first year, so chance of more meaningful experience

U.S. Attorney's Office
This is actually my dream job some day
No chance it will lead to permanent job, b/c they require 3 years practice for new hires
Chance to do substantive work
Violent Crime/Terrorism/Antitrus, aka my dream career
No pay
Chance to appear in front of judge I worked for last year, could help with clerkship
Potentially looks better on a clerkship application

[Anonymous User]

It sounds like you would prefer USAO or Schwabe when it comes down to lifestyle and work opportunities. Take control and go for it.

[byronmullens]

First congrats! Well you are clearly hesitant b/c you are posting on TLS, you should look at all your options let other firms know you have an offer, clearly you are subconsciously opposed to going to K&L gates so don't just make a mistake and accept by default. Leverage your offer at other firms, ask hard questions now that you have an offer. Don't just go to K&L because it is better know, make sure it really fits you (assuming you have other offers). Also while K&L does have a lot offices, some of them operate somewhat on their own, so not sure about flexibility of moving to other offices.

[dixiecupdrinking]

Do not hold out for the USAO. Doing a 2L summer there is not going to help you get a job as a AUSA someday. It's also not going to help with clerkship applications. What will help you get a AUSA job is getting several years of good litigation experience. There may be something to recommend the smaller offices along those lines. My main concern with them would be offer rates. But it would be a real bonehead move to turn down K&L for an unpaid 2L USAO internship.

[Jumborific]

Yeah, the other thing I am thinking of is that if my GF gets sent out of the city, at K&L they let you bill for pro bono, so I could always just do as much pro bono and employment law as I can for two years or so, get into court as much as possible, and then lateral to another firm or something. K&L's bigger name might make lateraling easier from there than from a more regional firm.

Schwabe doesn't let you bill for pro bono (according to NALP), and Foster Pepper has a 50 hour cap. K&L's cap is like 150 I think.

[dixiecupdrinking]

Yeah, the other thing I am thinking of is that if my GF gets sent out of the city, at K&L they let you bill for pro bono, so I could always just do as much pro bono and employment law as I can for two years or so, get into court as much as possible, and then lateral to another firm or something. K&L's bigger name might make lateraling easier from there than from a more regional firm.

Schwabe doesn't let you bill for pro bono (according to NALP), and Foster Pepper has a 50 hour cap. K&L's cap is like 150 I think.

It doesn't sound like you know exactly what you want to do, and you are concerned about geographic mobility. I would just go to K&L. Being in New York, I can tell you I've never even heard of the other two firms and it doesn't look like they have any presence outside the Pacific Northwest. I wouldn't want to go to a place like that unless I was sure I wanted a career in Seattle.

[Jumborific]

I would love to have a career in Seattle. My gf is a med student though, and the shitty thing is after you get an MD, the residency program is done by computer matching. So our plan is 100% to stay in Seattle, but she might not have control over it. Also as a doctor, she's going to have all the earning potential anyway, and I would be totally happy as a small town assistant prosecutor. I figure better to put in the work for a few years at a big firm, train on pro bono, save some dough, and then when she's a big deal surgeon, I can go put bad guys in jail.

[dixiecupdrinking]

I would love to have a career in Seattle. My gf is a med student though, and the shitty thing is after you get an MD, the residency program is done by computer matching. So our plan is 100% to stay in Seattle, but she might not have control over it. Also as a doctor, she's going to have all the earning potential anyway, and I would be totally happy as a small town assistant prosecutor. I figure better to put in the work for a few years at a big firm, train on pro bono, save some dough, and then when she's a big deal surgeon, I can go put bad guys in jail.

That doesn't sound like a 100% plan to me.

Anyway, nothing you've said seems to me like a reason not to do K&L, so I think you are in good shape.

[Anonymous User]

jumborific: when did you get the K&L offer and when does it expire? How long have you waited for the other firms and do they have an ETA? Just trying to get a feel for your time frame.

[Jumborific]

It's been about a month since my callbacks with the other two firms. I have 3 weeks pending on my offer. I am inclined to just go for K&L, I liked the office and the people I met, and the first years I talked to had gotten do do depositions and oral arguments even though it's a large office. They also have a semi-free-market system for work assignment, which I like.

I just wanted to be cautious about accepting on the spot, because I wanted to leave some time for these decisions to marinate.