V5 or Top-5 Litigation Boutique? Forum

[Anonymous User]

What would be the plusses and minuses of each for a junior associate?

[baal hadad]

What kind of litigation do you want to do

[Nelson]

What is a "top 5 litigation boutique"? Hypo is pointless.

[baal hadad]

What is a "top 5 litigation boutique"? Hypo is pointless.

OP probably doesn't even have offers at either

[84651846190]

(0L thread)

[baal hadad]

(0L thread)

Anon abuse is a strong indicator

[Anonymous User]

OP here. Have offers.

"Top-5 litigation boutique" means one of Susman, Bartlit, Keker, Kellogg, and Bancroft (but it's not Bancroft).

I would like to get a good mix of litigation experience, but beyond that I don't have much of a preference.

[ResIpsa21]

If real, boutique, IMO.

[Pikappraider]

does the top 5 lit boutique pay above market like boies?

[bdubs]

I assume you want to litigate, so I would say the boutique.

All 4 of the firms you posted do amazing work, pay more than the V5 (except perhaps WLRK), and probably have similar hours requirements.

You will get more substantive work at the boutique. The only reason I can see wanting to go to V5 is 1) if the V5 is WLRK, or 2) if you really like securities litigation and living in NYC.

[ResIpsa21]

does the top 5 lit boutique pay above market like boies?

Susman associates get ridiculous bonuses. http://abovethelaw.com/2013/12/associat ... godfrey-2/. In 2012, Susman announced that one associate got a bonus of $330k.

[Pikappraider]

does the top 5 lit boutique pay above market like boies?

Susman associates get ridiculous bonuses. http://abovethelaw.com/2013/12/associat ... godfrey-2/. In 2012, Susman announced that one associate got a bonus of $330k.

damn, yeah I would take the lit boutique all day.

[TooOld4This]

This humble brag does not deserve a serious response.

[Yukos]

Why are you asking this here? Three of the four boutiques require a clerkship so chances are (if you are real) you have already summered, clerked for at least a year and done callbacks at whichever firms you're considering. You're almost certainly better informed than we are to make this choice.

But if for some reason you want superficial and obvious advice: if you want lit, take the boutique. Assuming the V5 isn't a V1, you will be paid more, get less doc review, get more responsibility, get into court faster and get paid more at the boutique. If you want corporate or aren't sure, the V5 is probably the better bet. Either way you're going to work a ton of hours and have a lot of prestige, whatever that's worth.

[ResIpsa21]

Three of the four boutiques require a clerkship so chances are (if you are real) you have already summered, clerked for at least a year and done callbacks at whichever firms you're considering.

Which one doesn't require a clerkship? Keker? I thought you pretty much had to clerk to get into any of those firms.

[09042014]

This humble brag does not deserve a serious response.

It kind of does since idiots chase Vprestige pretty consistently.

[Anonymous User]

Three of the four boutiques require a clerkship so chances are (if you are real) you have already summered, clerked for at least a year and done callbacks at whichever firms you're considering.

Which one doesn't require a clerkship? Keker? I thought you pretty much had to clerk to get into any of those firms.

They still have summer classes. I accepted my permanent susman offer after my summer with them, but before my clerkship.

[jbagelboy]

Three of the four boutiques require a clerkship so chances are (if you are real) you have already summered, clerked for at least a year and done callbacks at whichever firms you're considering.

Which one doesn't require a clerkship? Keker? I thought you pretty much had to clerk to get into any of those firms.

They still have summer classes. I accepted my permanent susman offer after my summer with them, but before my clerkship.

curious about this - if you summer at susman and then just don't ever clerk, will you get no-offered at the end of your 2L summer? or are you just fucked on bonus

[ClerkAdvisor]

What would be the plusses and minuses of each for a junior associate?

If you actually interviewed at these places, let alone had an offer from any of these firms, you wouldn't be asking this...

[KD35]

I know at least at Susman that you put in way more hours than most, if not all, of the V5 (from what I've heard online). Huge pros that I have heard so far are that the lit boutiques are more leanly staffed and thus you get more responsibility early on.

Also, some of the bonuses in the boutiques (namely Susman) can get pretty outrageous because of the profit sharing on P-side work.

[TooOld4This]

This humble brag does not deserve a serious response.

It kind of does since idiots chase Vprestige pretty consistently.

Anyone who is this blinded by arbitrary prestige deserves what they get.
Anyone dumb enough to have offers at both sets of options and not understand what they mean is beyond saving.

[Anonymous User]

Three of the four boutiques require a clerkship so chances are (if you are real) you have already summered, clerked for at least a year and done callbacks at whichever firms you're considering.

Which one doesn't require a clerkship? Keker? I thought you pretty much had to clerk to get into any of those firms.

They still have summer classes. I accepted my permanent susman offer after my summer with them, but before my clerkship.

curious about this - if you summer at susman and then just don't ever clerk, will you get no-offered at the end of your 2L summer? or are you just fucked on bonus

Your perm. offer is contingent on clerking. If you choose not to clerk, you find another job. But that's super unlikely, since if you can get a summer spot, you likely already secured your clerkship before your 2L summer anyway.

-susman anon

[Anonymous User]

I know at least at Susman that you put in way more hours than most, if not all, of the V5 (from what I've heard online). Huge pros that I have heard so far are that the lit boutiques are more leanly staffed and thus you get more responsibility early on.

Also, some of the bonuses in the boutiques (namely Susman) can get pretty outrageous because of the profit sharing on P-side work.

I don't think the hours are worse than V5. Most people are around the average 2400. A few hit 2700-2800. I've never worked at a V5 in NYC, so I can't say for sure, but I've heard people usually go above 2400 (especially in corporate). And keep in mind that you bill for travel time. At susman, even first years travel a ton for depositions and trials, so that helps you hit the hour average.

-Susman anon

[Yukos]

I know at least at Susman that you put in way more hours than most, if not all, of the V5 (from what I've heard online). Huge pros that I have heard so far are that the lit boutiques are more leanly staffed and thus you get more responsibility early on.

Also, some of the bonuses in the boutiques (namely Susman) can get pretty outrageous because of the profit sharing on P-side work.

I don't think the hours are worse than V5. Most people are around the average 2400. A few hit 2700-2800. I've never worked at a V5 in NYC, so I can't say for sure, but I've heard people usually go above 2400 (especially in corporate). And keep in mind that you bill for travel time. At susman, even first years travel a ton for depositions and trials, so that helps you hit the hour average.

-Susman anon

Interesting to hear such a "low" hour average. The TLS consensus seems to be Susman has close to the worst hours in biglaw (if not the absolute worst). But you seem pretty happy there?

[hephaestus]

Why are you asking this here?