Biglaw Income Partner Taking Qs Forum

[Anonymous User]

[Anonymous because I'm pretty sure I'm going to summer at this firm..]

How does office politics influence your work? I'm going to assume that--like most Chicago firms--your firm does not employ a rotation system. When you were coming up the ranks, did having to find your own work and manage/find relationships add another layer of stress or did it help? A part of me is beginning to think life might just be easier to just have my work and partners assigned to me.

For me it was very easy because that's my personality. I never liked being spoon-fed work and really liked the idea of going to get it. I tried a little of everything at first and mostly went to other senior associates in the beginning to get work and also see what partners were cool and which ones should be avoided. I can see it being VERY stressful if this is not your thing. And yes, it plays a huge role in what group you are ultimately pushed into and if your life is going to be miserable. One group here in particular cannot keep associates because of a few partners and the grueling demands. My group is real cool and I knew from pretty much the first assignment I took from my mentor that I was going to latch on and ride the coattails.

[Anonymous User]

Thanks for this thread its invaluable

Just a few quick q's (1L here)

-Did you work at your firm since your 1L summer? If not what did you do?
-If one can't land a SA at a biglaw firm their first summer, what looks second best? Is it biglaw or bust?
-Any advice on job hunting for your 1L summer?

1L summer was a lifetime ago. Even in the glory days most people did not even sniff biglaw 1L summer. There is no second best. Most firms have a general GPA cutoff/expectation and after that no one really cares what you did 1L summer as long as you did something related to law. Intern for a judge at any level, SAO, USAO, non-profit, gov agency, small firm, it honestly does not matter. I go and do OCI each year for the past few years at my alma mater and mostly I look at the 1L position as a way to ask a single question: "Oh I see you did xyz last summer, tell me about that/what did you enjoy about it." And as long as the candidate can say a few sentences, intelligible sentences, about the position then I move on.

The best advice is get as good of grades as you can and show enthusiasm about the firm or a few practice areas.

[Anonymous User]

[Anonymous because I'm pretty sure I'm going to summer at this firm..]

How does office politics influence your work? I'm going to assume that--like most Chicago firms--your firm does not employ a rotation system. When you were coming up the ranks, did having to find your own work and manage/find relationships add another layer of stress or did it help? A part of me is beginning to think life might just be easier to just have my work and partners assigned to me.

For me it was very easy because that's my personality. I never liked being spoon-fed work and really liked the idea of going to get it. I tried a little of everything at first and mostly went to other senior associates in the beginning to get work and also see what partners were cool and which ones should be avoided. I can see it being VERY stressful if this is not your thing. And yes, it plays a huge role in what group you are ultimately pushed into and if your life is going to be miserable. One group here in particular cannot keep associates because of a few partners and the grueling demands. My group is real cool and I knew from pretty much the first assignment I took from my mentor that I was going to latch on and ride the coattails.

Can you out the bad group? There's about a 99% chance I'm at your firm and I'd like to avoid it.

[mvp99]

Ever felt like saving a ton of money and retiring at 45?

[sox49]

hey. thanks so much for doing this. I'm a law school applicant who would be 34 upon graduation. how does your firm consider someone of my age during the hiring process and within the firm itself should she or he be hired? thanks again!

[fats provolone]

are you a tls (MEGA)poster or did you just pop in for this?

[Anonymous User]

are you a tls (MEGA)poster or did you just pop in for this?

I was a long time lurker and wanted to offer some knowledge to the board.

[Anonymous User]

hey. thanks so much for doing this. I'm a law school applicant who would be 34 upon graduation. how does your firm consider someone of my age during the hiring process and within the firm itself should she or he be hired? thanks again!

we have at least a few attorneys here that are in second careers. As long as interest is high and grades are good, you have a shot here.

[Anonymous User]

Ever felt like saving a ton of money and retiring at 45?

Not sure if serious or not but I'll give it a go. So I made income partner at 35 and I have 8 years left to get to 45. If I stayed at this firm and made the same money I could maybe sock away enough by 45 to retire from working full time but I would still need to supplement my income. I pretty much always think about not working anymore even though I like my job - really want more time with family.

[Anonymous User]

Understanding it's not your practice area, what is your impression of the state of the market for lit associates in Chicago?

How many hours do you work per week, on average?

[Anonymous User]

Can you describe how your firm's culture and hours compare to your Chicago peers? Is it as intense as people say, or is it about the same as other firms in the market? Are the development or exit opportunities relatively better?

[fats provolone]

are you a tls (MEGA)poster or did you just pop in for this?

I was a long time lurker and wanted to offer some knowledge to the board.

you should hang around

[Ron Don Volante]

are you a tls (MEGA)poster or did you just pop in for this?

I was a long time lurker and wanted to offer some knowledge to the board.

you should hang around

[mvp99]

Ever felt like saving a ton of money and retiring at 45?

Not sure if serious or not but I'll give it a go. So I made income partner at 35 and I have 8 years left to get to 45. If I stayed at this firm and made the same money I could maybe sock away enough by 45 to retire from working full time but I would still need to supplement my income. I pretty much always think about not working anymore even though I like my job - really want more time with family.

Thanks.

[kiwifanta]

Reporting season is wrapping up and I just pushed some things off my desk. Happy to answer Qs for a bit.

Thank you for this!

I am your junior associate. I do everything you say and do it efficiently and well. I show genuine enthusiasm for learning and for what you do. I'm not a clock-watcher. I really want to be there, taking it all in. By personality, unfortunately, I'm also a bit stoic. Just who I am.

What's my next move? How can I show you my dedication? How can I start really impressing you? What are the best ways to demonstrate initiative, in specifics?

[Johann]

Reporting season is wrapping up and I just pushed some things off my desk. Happy to answer Qs for a bit.

Thank you for this!

I am your junior associate. I do everything you say and do it efficiently and well. I show genuine enthusiasm for learning and for what you do. I'm not a clock-watcher. I really want to be there, taking it all in. By personality, unfortunately, I'm also a bit stoic. Just who I am.

What's my next move? How can I show you my dedication? How can I start really impressing you? What are the best ways to demonstrate initiative, in specifics?

You need to chill. Geeeze. You won't do everything efficiently and well. Why is being stoic personally an unfortunate thing. Just be who you are and do what you're told to do.

[fats provolone]

for a second i thought he meant he literally works for OP

actually I'm still not sure

[mmelittlechicken]

Reporting season is wrapping up and I just pushed some things off my desk. Happy to answer Qs for a bit.

Thank you for this!

I am your junior associate. I do everything you say and do it efficiently and well. I show genuine enthusiasm for learning and for what you do. I'm not a clock-watcher. I really want to be there, taking it all in. By personality, unfortunately, I'm also a bit stoic. Just who I am.

What's my next move? How can I show you my dedication? How can I start really impressing you? What are the best ways to demonstrate initiative, in specifics?

You need to chill. Geeeze. You won't do everything efficiently and well.

I thought he was role playing.

[Anonymous User]

[Anonymous because I'm pretty sure I'm going to summer at this firm..]

How does office politics influence your work? I'm going to assume that--like most Chicago firms--your firm does not employ a rotation system. When you were coming up the ranks, did having to find your own work and manage/find relationships add another layer of stress or did it help? A part of me is beginning to think life might just be easier to just have my work and partners assigned to me.

For me it was very easy because that's my personality. I never liked being spoon-fed work and really liked the idea of going to get it. I tried a little of everything at first and mostly went to other senior associates in the beginning to get work and also see what partners were cool and which ones should be avoided. I can see it being VERY stressful if this is not your thing. And yes, it plays a huge role in what group you are ultimately pushed into and if your life is going to be miserable. One group here in particular cannot keep associates because of a few partners and the grueling demands. My group is real cool and I knew from pretty much the first assignment I took from my mentor that I was going to latch on and ride the coattails.

Can you out the bad group? There's about a 99% chance I'm at your firm and I'd like to avoid it.

I won't out the group but assuming you are correct about the firm you will know within a few weeks of working here what the group is.

[Anonymous User]

Reporting season is wrapping up and I just pushed some things off my desk. Happy to answer Qs for a bit.

Thank you for this!

I am your junior associate. I do everything you say and do it efficiently and well. I show genuine enthusiasm for learning and for what you do. I'm not a clock-watcher. I really want to be there, taking it all in. By personality, unfortunately, I'm also a bit stoic. Just who I am.

What's my next move? How can I show you my dedication? How can I start really impressing you? What are the best ways to demonstrate initiative, in specifics?

Not my associate because none of them do everything well, and especially not efficiently. If you look up the thread a little at one of the things I look for in associates, it's the ability to know one is going to be wrong or mess up. Appreciate the enthusiasm here, though.

As for your next move, I don't know, drink less espresso first and foremost. Show dedication by completing your work on time and demonstrating that you are willing to learn from mistakes. Once you reach midlevel though, there should be less mistakes, so keep that in mind. Every partner I worked with was always impressed by attention to detail and getting things done on time or better yet, early. Hours are important and you have to be in the ballpark but the work is more important than the hours because the work keeps the clients coming back. Demonstrate initiative: just do what you are told as well as you can and ask questions, even "dumb" questions. get involved in other parts of the firm, pro bono, recruiting, go to happy hours, mingle with the partners, be nice to your assistants. Honestly, succeeding in biglaw is not hard if you really want it, it seems most people don't want to be here long-term so the ones who want to stay are easy to spot.

[Anonymous User]

for a second i thought he meant he literally works for OP

actually I'm still not sure

I thought I was outed! Terrified.

[20170322]

Thanks for doing this thread!

Have you noticed any relation between the quality of school attended and the odds of making partner? For instance, if two associates are hired, one from Harvard/Stanford and the other from Northwestern/Georgetown/Cornell, do they both have an equal shot of making partner, all else being equal?

I'm just curious if there are benefits to degree name after initial hiring.

Thanks!

ETA: just realized this is the legal employment thread, so sorry if I broke a rule by commenting here.

[Anonymous User]

Understanding it's not your practice area, what is your impression of the state of the market for lit associates in Chicago?

How many hours do you work per week, on average?

I'm sorry to say I have no idea about litigation associates in Chicago generally. At my firm, there are a few areas that are booming and some new lateral partners have brought a ton of business over in a particular space. That said, we have not hired any lateral litigation associates in this office for as long as I can remember. Most of the summers went to the transactional pool.

I am at work for around 40-50 hours per week but I work around 60 on average I would guess. I billed around 2000 last year but with pro bono and business development peppered in there, it was north of 2600 all in, and I took a week vacation over summer and spent a great deal of December working remotely.

[Anonymous User]

Can you describe how your firm's culture and hours compare to your Chicago peers? Is it as intense as people say, or is it about the same as other firms in the market? Are the development or exit opportunities relatively better?

The firm culture is great here, not at all like the bad rep the firm gets generally. I think certain practice groups here kind of set our reputation as a sweat shop because inevitably those attorneys leave the firm and bash the place. It is intense in that there are high expectations for associates to be self-motivated and not in need of hand-holding. Some groups have higher hours expectations than others because those partners are busier and expect associates to bill more. I would also note that our NY office is a bit more intense than Chicago in my experience.

I cannot speak to other firms here first hand because I have not worked at any other place but I have peers at other firms. It seems in line with other places. Our clients pay high rates and with that comes high expectations, sometimes unreasonable but mostly in line with what I would expect if I were on the other side.

I think development here is tremendous. There is a training every day and if you have the personality to reach out to a "mentor" the people here will be happy to forget hat relationship. Some attorneys are so loyal to their mentors that they will do anything for them. I know when I am slammed if my mentor needs anything, I make the time because he made the time for me as a junior.

Exit opportunities here seem great. The other firms here are always willing to take our associates. We work with a large number of top corporate clients who have use for our stronger practice areas. And the private equity clients are perhaps second to none so there are always opportunities to go to portfolio companies. Also, the firm is well connected to the Chicago establishment so there are those connections to be had (we placed a few people with the new governor for example). But I cannot say that these opportunities are better than others, at least not objectively. But there are plenty of opportunities to be had.

[Anonymous User]

If you could do it all over again would you - going to law school I mean ? Do you have a family? Longest vacation you've taken in biglaw? Billables arch over career?

I would like to think I would do something else, knowing what I know now. I always wanted to be more creative or work in sports/coaching. But then again, I had those chances before and took the "safer" route. I do have a family (wife and multiple children). I have taken three weeks off to go to Europe (not a honeymoon); vacation is pretty well respected around here and pretty much everyone seems to take it. Which is pretty rare, I am told.

Even if the alternative option would come with a much lower salary? I guess I'm asking if the job is worth sacrificing time with your family. My apologies for the bluntness.

Thank you for answering questions.