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Anonymous User wrote:Anyone have thoughts on these firms? I want to do M&A and I have a pretty strong background in energy, although I'm not committed exclusively to that industry. How do these firms compare in terms of culture, hours, advancement/exit opps etc?

Thanks!

Anonymous User wrote:Anyone have thoughts on these firms? I want to do M&A and I have a pretty strong background in energy, although I'm not committed exclusively to that industry. How do these firms compare in terms of culture, hours, advancement/exit opps etc?

Thanks!

Anonymous User wrote:Can someone direct me to the year-to-year compensation info of these Texas firms. I found out recently that BB compression is hugeeeeee.

Anon wrote: I am a current Baker Botts associate in the Houston office. I don't typically monitor this board, but was sent a link to this thread from a friend. I can confirm that Baker Botts recently raised base salaries for associates who bill over 2000. If you bill under 2000 for a year, you are bumped down to the old Texas scale the following year, but then you'll get the difference made up at bonus time if you get your hours back above 2000.

The scale is:
Level 1 (i.e., 1st year) - $160k
Level 2 (i.e., 2-3 year) - $180k
Level 3 (i.e., 4-6 year) - $230k
Level 4 (i.e., 7-8 year) - $270k

Presumably bonus ranges will be a little lower than they were before this raise in base comp, although I'm not exactly sure what those numbers will be.

EDIT: I just checked, and for bonus ranges, I have the following written down. I don't recall where these numbers came from, and they may not be accurate. But just for full disclosure, here's what I have:

Level 1 - up to $10k
First year level 2 - up to $10k
Subsequent year level 2 - up to $30k
First year level 3 - up to $10k
Subsequent year level 3 - up to $50k
Level 4 - up to $50k

Again, those numbers may not be accurate.

Anonymous User wrote:Stupid question, but for most people in the 160k range year one, do they usually do 8 hrs a day? Or is it more like 10, perhaps more...

Also, as time goes on, do hours change? Or do the hours usually stay the same? Like, is the requirement usually 2k the first 5 years and than a little less as you become a more experienced attorney at the firm?

Factoring in holidays, there just doesnt seem to be a lot of leniency with 2k. That's 50 weeks worth of 8 hours a day. With Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc you damn well better be at work every day it seems. No vacation, no sick days, no pickin up the kids from school, none of that.

Anonymous User wrote:Stupid question, but for most people in the 160k range year one, do they usually do 8 hrs a day? Or is it more like 10, perhaps more...

Also, as time goes on, do hours change? Or do the hours usually stay the same? Like, is the requirement usually 2k the first 5 years and than a little less as you become a more experienced attorney at the firm?

Factoring in holidays, there just doesnt seem to be a lot of leniency with 2k. That's 50 weeks worth of 8 hours a day. With Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc you damn well better be at work every day it seems. No vacation, no sick days, no pickin up the kids from school, none of that.

Anonymous User wrote:Stupid question, but for most people in the 160k range year one, do they usually do 8 hrs a day? Or is it more like 10, perhaps more...

Also, as time goes on, do hours change? Or do the hours usually stay the same? Like, is the requirement usually 2k the first 5 years and than a little less as you become a more experienced attorney at the firm?

Factoring in holidays, there just doesnt seem to be a lot of leniency with 2k. That's 50 weeks worth of 8 hours a day. With Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc you damn well better be at work every day it seems. No vacation, no sick days, no pickin up the kids from school, none of that.

jbagelboy wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Stupid question, but for most people in the 160k range year one, do they usually do 8 hrs a day? Or is it more like 10, perhaps more...

Also, as time goes on, do hours change? Or do the hours usually stay the same? Like, is the requirement usually 2k the first 5 years and than a little less as you become a more experienced attorney at the firm?

Factoring in holidays, there just doesnt seem to be a lot of leniency with 2k. That's 50 weeks worth of 8 hours a day. With Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc you damn well better be at work every day it seems. No vacation, no sick days, no pickin up the kids from school, none of that.

In case you're actually this deluded, this isn't how it works. First, 2k is billable hours to a client, NOT total hours worked. You'll probably be working at least 2500-3000 hrs to bill 2000 of them.

Second, your hours will be more like 900am - 800pm, give or take an hour, six days a week, throughout the year (sometimes more like 9-11pm). You will take some vacation but maybe not much at first until your time management improves.

This is what life is like at a large firm, and 70-75 hrs/wk is a norm with some weeks worse or slightly better than others.

Anonymous User wrote:Stupid question, but for most people in the 160k range year one, do they usually do 8 hrs a day? Or is it more like 10, perhaps more...

Also, as time goes on, do hours change? Or do the hours usually stay the same? Like, is the requirement usually 2k the first 5 years and than a little less as you become a more experienced attorney at the firm?

Factoring in holidays, there just doesnt seem to be a lot of leniency with 2k. That's 50 weeks worth of 8 hours a day. With Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc you damn well better be at work every day it seems. No vacation, no sick days, no pickin up the kids from school, none of that.