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What is the real culture/reputation at OMM Century City? Based on internet research I'm getting some mixed signals. So many people seem to praise the general OMM culture, and I've heard nothing but good things about the DT office, but the CC office often gets reviews that it's "a sweat shop" and works it's associates unusually hard, possibly due to the higher-ups at that particular office. Is the CC office really a black sheep?

Thank you

Anonymous User wrote:What is the real culture/reputation at OMM Century City? Based on internet research I'm getting some mixed signals. So many people seem to praise the general OMM culture, and I've heard nothing but good things about the DT office, but the CC office often gets reviews that it's "a sweat shop" and works it's associates unusually hard, possibly due to the higher-ups at that particular office. Is the CC office really a black sheep?

Thank you

This is a highly specific and individualized question that no one but the associates and partners at that office would be able to answer.

Anonymous User wrote:What is the real culture/reputation at OMM Century City? Based on internet research I'm getting some mixed signals. So many people seem to praise the general OMM culture, and I've heard nothing but good things about the DT office, but the CC office often gets reviews that it's "a sweat shop" and works it's associates unusually hard, possibly due to the higher-ups at that particular office. Is the CC office really a black sheep?

Thank you

The CC office is probably the most intense OMM office in CA. I know personally that the CC summers all worked really crazy hours -- as of about 5 weeks into the summer, several had pulled all nighters and every single one I spoke to (which was most of them) had been in the office past midnight working. The same seemed to be true for the associates (in other words, long hours and all nighters). The summers also seemed to have a sense that there weren't enough spots for all of them and they were very competitive with each other. Having met summers and attorneys from several other OMM offices, I think it's fair to say that the CC office is a black sheep.

I had a friend who was a summer there a year or two back, said they worked crazy hours and drank constantly.

Anonymous User wrote:The CC office is probably the most intense OMM office in CA. I know personally that the CC summers all worked really crazy hours -- as of about 5 weeks into the summer, several had pulled all nighters and every single one I spoke to (which was most of them) had been in the office past midnight working. The same seemed to be true for the associates (in other words, long hours and all nighters). The summers also seemed to have a sense that there weren't enough spots for all of them and they were very competitive with each other. Having met summers and attorneys from several other OMM offices, I think it's fair to say that the CC office is a black sheep.

Anonymous User wrote:I had a friend who was a summer there a year or two back, said they worked crazy hours and drank constantly.

Thank you. This is exactly the sort of stuff I keep hearing and exactly what concerns me.

you will work your ass off everywhere. it cracks me up that people think they can somehow find a biglaw shop that you won't work as much as everyone else. its just not the model.

RedLightGreenLight wrote:you will work your ass off everywhere. it cracks me up that people think they can somehow find a biglaw shop that you won't work as much as everyone else. its just not the model.

Might be hard to find something that will work you less, but it doesn't seem absurd that some places will be even more of a grind than others.

hibiki wrote:

RedLightGreenLight wrote:you will work your ass off everywhere. it cracks me up that people think they can somehow find a biglaw shop that you won't work as much as everyone else. its just not the model.

Might be hard to find something that will work you less, but it doesn't seem absurd that some places will be even more of a grind than others.

Never said I didn't think I'd work my ass off. Biglaw is Biglaw. But some offices are definitely worse than others (at least that's what I've heard from most attorneys). I'm just trying my best to pick those out of the bunch.

RedLightGreenLight wrote:you will work your ass off everywhere. it cracks me up that people think they can somehow find a biglaw shop that you won't work as much as everyone else. its just not the model.

Perhaps TLS's worst meme. You are positing that the ~300 offices of the Vault 100, run by different people, with different hiring criteria, different industry focuses etc. all have the same demand on associates' lives. Nope. There are differences, they are material, and that makes questions like that of OP very relevant (not saying that TLS can necessarily answer it accurately)
I always assume that the meme is perpetuated by those who went to a known sweatshop for that preftige, and need a way to justify it.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:What is the real culture/reputation at OMM Century City? Based on internet research I'm getting some mixed signals. So many people seem to praise the general OMM culture, and I've heard nothing but good things about the DT office, but the CC office often gets reviews that it's "a sweat shop" and works it's associates unusually hard, possibly due to the higher-ups at that particular office. Is the CC office really a black sheep?

Thank you

The CC office is probably the most intense OMM office in CA. I know personally that the CC summers all worked really crazy hours -- as of about 5 weeks into the summer, several had pulled all nighters and every single one I spoke to (which was most of them) had been in the office past midnight working. The same seemed to be true for the associates (in other words, long hours and all nighters). The summers also seemed to have a sense that there weren't enough spots for all of them and they were very competitive with each other. Having met summers and attorneys from several other OMM offices, I think it's fair to say that the CC office is a black sheep.

OMM Century City had a 100% offer rate this past summer.

Summers worked a ton, but had a ton of fun. That's the reputation of the office, generally. You work with "cool" clients, and you work a lot. But the office is tight because of its size and the type of person this office tends to recruit, and the people know and generally like each other.

kwais wrote:

RedLightGreenLight wrote:you will work your ass off everywhere. it cracks me up that people think they can somehow find a biglaw shop that you won't work as much as everyone else. its just not the model.

Perhaps TLS's worst meme. You are positing that the ~300 offices of the Vault 100, run by different people, with different hiring criteria, different industry focuses etc. all have the same demand on associates' lives. Nope. There are differences, they are material, and that makes questions like that of OP very relevant (not saying that TLS can necessarily answer it accurately)
I always assume that the meme is perpetuated by those who went to a known sweatshop for that preftige, and need a way to justify it.

This.

As for that office. I know someone who use to work at OMM and they always said it was a work hard play hard type of summer program.

If you want to do entertainment law (either transactional or litigation) at biglaw, that's the office you want to be in.

That contributes to this sense of intensity and competitional angst at OMM CC amongst summers.

Anyone familiar with the Newport Beach office's reputation?

Cobretti wrote:Anyone familiar with the Newport Beach office's reputation?

I'm a former SA in the Newport office. In my experience, everybody is incredibly kind and intelligent, and it is a very family friendly office. Most people are out of the office by 6 or 7 so they can come home to their families. That's not to say they don't work from home later, but at least they're out of the office at a reasonable time. The office does interesting work and has a lot of big name clients. The atmosphere amongst the associates is not hyper competitive, rather, it is very collaborative and supportive. Firms in OC tend to be more relaxed than their LA or CC counterparts and the Newport office is no exception.

What about the Menlo Park office? Anyone have any experience there?

Can anyone speak to SF?

Anyone have info on the culture at the downtown LA office?? Did anyone summer there who can give me feedback?