Milbank NYC or DLA Piper SF Forum

[Anonymous User]

1. Leaning heavily towards litigation
2. Strong ties to SF, no ties to NYC. More inclined to be in SF, but will go to NYC if better for my career.
3. No real plans for the future, whether it be targeting partner-track or lateral/other exit options. Nothing's guaranteed anyway, so I just want to leave all options on the table and someday have the best chance at balance between hours and pay.
4. Personality-wise, I give the edge to DLA (generally laid back and more my style), but the people at Milbank were fine too.

Other considerations:

1. Also have upcoming CBs in NYC and Chicago, but only 1 of which I'm keen on. DLA is my only SF option.
2. Milbank's class size is way, way bigger than DLA's
3. Lower T14
4. Eventually want to be back in SF, whether that's straight away out of law school or 3-4 years (max) down the line after graduation

Edit to add: Can you please explain in comments why you voted the way you did? Thanks!

[Anonymous User]

1. Leaning heavily towards litigation
2. Strong ties to SF, no ties to NYC. More inclined to be in SF, but will go to NYC if better for my career.
3. No real plans for the future, whether it be targeting partner-track or lateral/other exit options. Nothing's guaranteed anyway, so I just want to leave all options on the table and someday have the best chance at balance between hours and pay.
4. Personality-wise, I give the edge to DLA (generally laid back and more my style), but the people at Milbank were fine too.

Other considerations:

1. Also have upcoming CBs in NYC and Chicago, but only 1 of which I'm keen on. DLA is my only SF option.
2. Milbank's class size is way, way bigger than DLA's
3. Lower T14
4. Eventually want to be back in SF, whether that's straight away out of law school or 3-4 years (max) down the line after graduation

Edit to add: Can you please explain in comments why you voted the way you did? Thanks!

Looks to me like you've given a few reasons why you want DLA or SF, but none why you would want NYC or Milbank. If you want to be in SF long-term, go to SF.

I know little about Milbank, but I summered at DLA (East Coast office) in 2012 and am really excited to return. I really liked the small class size, and I guess I buy into the firm's line that they don't hire many SAs/entry-level associates, but those they do hire, they want to keep them around, train them well, and give them the opportunity to make partner. I met a bunch of West Coast people (SAs, associates, and a few partners) at the SA retreat, and I got the sense they really like being there and business is good for their major practices out there, particularly corporate/IP/VC.

[Anonymous User]

I spoke with a mid level associate at Milbank earlier this summer to ask about the litigation practice there. She happened to have just put in her two weeks notice, and was very honest about the lack of work they have. She said she spent most of her time doing strictly doc review, and said others in lit were leaving, so she expected the firm to make a lot of offers this year. She may have had a particularly bad experience, but I think if I had another option, I would take that over Milbank. She did say that if I was interested in corporate, that Milbank is a strong option. Just not for litigation.

[Anonymous User]

I spoke with a mid level associate at Milbank earlier this summer to ask about the litigation practice there. She happened to have just put in her two weeks notice, and was very honest about the lack of work they have. She said she spent most of her time doing strictly doc review, and said others in lit were leaving, so she expected the firm to make a lot of offers this year. She may have had a particularly bad experience, but I think if I had another option, I would take that over Milbank. She did say that if I was interested in corporate, that Milbank is a strong option. Just not for litigation.

This is very, very good info. Thanks. They indeed appear to be increasing their class size, which was already a 40% increase last year from the year before. I had thought this was a good thing, but I guess I was wrong. Thanks for the intel.

I know little about Milbank, but I summered at DLA (East Coast office) in 2012 and am really excited to return. I really liked the small class size, and I guess I buy into the firm's line that they don't hire many SAs/entry-level associates, but those they do hire, they want to keep them around, train them well, and give them the opportunity to make partner. I met a bunch of West Coast people (SAs, associates, and a few partners) at the SA retreat, and I got the sense they really like being there and business is good for their major practices out there, particularly corporate/IP/VC.

Do you know anything about how their pay scale works? First year base pay can be found easily, but there seems to be a dearth of information regarding bonuses and subsequent year compensation.

[Anonymous User]

I spoke with a mid level associate at Milbank earlier this summer to ask about the litigation practice there. She happened to have just put in her two weeks notice, and was very honest about the lack of work they have. She said she spent most of her time doing strictly doc review, and said others in lit were leaving, so she expected the firm to make a lot of offers this year. She may have had a particularly bad experience, but I think if I had another option, I would take that over Milbank. She did say that if I was interested in corporate, that Milbank is a strong option. Just not for litigation.

This is very, very good info. Thanks. They indeed appear to be increasing their class size, which was already a 40% increase last year from the year before. I had thought this was a good thing, but I guess I was wrong. Thanks for the intel.

Huh? According to NALP, the 2012 summer class was 33 and the 2013 summer class was 69. That's much more than a 40% increase. I asked a partner about the increase, and he said they had planned on a summer class in the 50s for 2013, but got an unexpectedly high yield. He also said they were aiming somewhere between 2012 and 2013 for the 2014 summer class - he thought in the 50s.

[Danger Zone]

The answer is clear.

Enjoy.

[Anonymous User]

I spoke with a mid level associate at Milbank earlier this summer to ask about the litigation practice there. She happened to have just put in her two weeks notice, and was very honest about the lack of work they have. She said she spent most of her time doing strictly doc review, and said others in lit were leaving, so she expected the firm to make a lot of offers this year. She may have had a particularly bad experience, but I think if I had another option, I would take that over Milbank. She did say that if I was interested in corporate, that Milbank is a strong option. Just not for litigation.

This is very, very good info. Thanks. They indeed appear to be increasing their class size, which was already a 40% increase last year from the year before. I had thought this was a good thing, but I guess I was wrong. Thanks for the intel.

I know little about Milbank, but I summered at DLA (East Coast office) in 2012 and am really excited to return. I really liked the small class size, and I guess I buy into the firm's line that they don't hire many SAs/entry-level associates, but those they do hire, they want to keep them around, train them well, and give them the opportunity to make partner. I met a bunch of West Coast people (SAs, associates, and a few partners) at the SA retreat, and I got the sense they really like being there and business is good for their major practices out there, particularly corporate/IP/VC.

Do you know anything about how their pay scale works? First year base pay can be found easily, but there seems to be a dearth of information regarding bonuses and subsequent year compensation.

It's a little tough to find pay-scale info because it's not lockstep. This site might help; it's a little outdated, but apparently if you start at $160K, you can get up to $265K or so by the seventh year. I heard the bonus system is pretty complex and is tied to specific benchmarks and goals, so it's not surprising that it's tough to find info on bonuses.