Quinn Emanuel is cutting back its SA program to 5-10 people Forum

[Rahviveh]

http://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-LB-51633
Although we do our best to ensure that summer associates do real and meaningful work, summer programs are unavoidably unrealistic to a degree,” Mr. Quinn told the firm’s attorneys in an email reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. “Especially when it comes to the trial work we do here, it’s difficult to parcel out projects that fit within the two months summer associates are with us.”
Instead, the firm plans to focus its recruiting on third-year law students and judicial clerks. Having a clerkship on a resume has long been attractive to law firms, and such clerkships can often earn young lawyers a significant signing bonus.
The summer program at Quinn won’t be totally dead, Mr. Quinn said in the email, but will be limited to 5-10 students firmwide (right now they have in the range of 50). Those students will then go back and spread the word about Quinn on their campuses.

[bruinfan10]

http://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-LB-51633
Although we do our best to ensure that summer associates do real and meaningful work, summer programs are unavoidably unrealistic to a degree,” Mr. Quinn told the firm’s attorneys in an email reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. “Especially when it comes to the trial work we do here, it’s difficult to parcel out projects that fit within the two months summer associates are with us.”
Instead, the firm plans to focus its recruiting on third-year law students and judicial clerks. Having a clerkship on a resume has long been attractive to law firms, and such clerkships can often earn young lawyers a significant signing bonus.
The summer program at Quinn won’t be totally dead, Mr. Quinn said in the email, but will be limited to 5-10 students firmwide (right now they have in the range of 50). Those students will then go back and spread the word about Quinn on their campuses.

don't people clerk to improve their resumes and avoid working at places like quinn in the first place? curious to see how long they manage to keep up this hiring model.

[rpupkin]

don't people clerk to improve their resumes and avoid working at places like quinn in the first place?

Indeed. But as you probably have noticed, plenty of clerks just go to sweatshop firms anyway post-clerkship. And if QE really does redirect its SA costs into higher clerkship bonuses, I can see that helping with post-clerkship recruiting.

Overall, though, I suspect this is just a cost-cutting measure by an infamously cheap firm.

[bruinfan10]

Overall, though, I suspect this is just a cost-cutting measure by an infamously cheap firm.

I think you're right about that for sure.

[Johann]

don't people clerk to improve their resumes and avoid working at places like quinn in the first place?

Indeed. But as you probably have noticed, plenty of clerks just go to sweatshop firms anyway post-clerkship. And if QE really does redirect its SA costs into higher clerkship bonuses, I can see that helping with post-clerkship recruiting.

Overall, though, I suspect this is just a cost-cutting measure by an infamously cheap firm.

Yep, this. QE is the king of sweatshops.

[Rahviveh]

don't people clerk to improve their resumes and avoid working at places like quinn in the first place?

Indeed. But as you probably have noticed, plenty of clerks just go to sweatshop firms anyway post-clerkship. And if QE really does redirect its SA costs into higher clerkship bonuses, I can see that helping with post-clerkship recruiting.

Overall, though, I suspect this is just a cost-cutting measure by an infamously cheap firm.

Yep, this. QE is the king of sweatshops.

(Guy who doesn't like winning)

[jd20132013]

But you can wear sandals to work

[jd20132013]

Also u get to hike with unpleasant strivers every year

[Johann]

I never said they weren't good at winning. I just said the firm is probably one of the cheapest firms out there. The same people on here bitching about law firms being cheap and able to pay 190k should look to QE probably first or second. They are one of the cheapest and one of the hardest working law firms. That intersection point leads you to pretty high on the sweatshop list. They have the ability to pay but cheap out on bonuses and its now looking like cheaping out is going to be common theme.

[Anonymous User]

What is Quinn cheap about exactly?

[rpupkin]

What is Quinn cheap about exactly?

Stuff I've heard: support staff, office furniture, paying bonuses that are ostensibly above market but which are actually below market for many associates.

[bruinfan10]

What is Quinn cheap about exactly?

They're cheap in terms of office space and amenities, cheap in terms of support staff like secretaries and paralegals, cheap right down to their seamless budget and most importantly they cheap out on bonuses compared to other highly profitable litigation "boutiques" like Boies, etc.

Edit: what rpupkin said.

[Desert Fox]

fobstory.jpeg

[Anonymous User]

If Quinn thinks this will make the firm look more "selective" as opposed to just watering down the quality of actual candidates they receive...just lol

And lol at clerks flocking to Quinn in droves because of slightly higher clerkship bonuses

[bruinfan10]

What is Quinn cheap about exactly?

They're cheap in terms of office space and amenities, cheap in terms of support staff like secretaries and paralegals, cheap right down to their seamless budget and most importantly of all they're cheap in terms of bonuses compared to other highly profitable litigation "boutiques" like Boies, etc.

They are cheap on seamless, damn that is crazy.

But I dunno why you'd compare them to boies on comp. Quinn is a V20 GP firm. Not a boutique and def not an elite one.

That's a fair point. They're lit-only and big for the "boutique" label, kind of like Boies in my opinion, but yeah Boies is still way way smaller and rates much higher on the "elite" scale.

[Desert Fox]

fobstory.jpeg

[rpupkin]

What is Quinn cheap about exactly?

They're cheap in terms of office space and amenities, cheap in terms of support staff like secretaries and paralegals, cheap right down to their seamless budget and most importantly of all they're cheap in terms of bonuses compared to other highly profitable litigation "boutiques" like Boies, etc.

They are cheap on seamless, damn that is crazy.

But I dunno why you'd compare them to boies on comp. Quinn is a V20 GP firm. Not a boutique and def not an elite one.

That's a fair point. They're lit-only and big for the "boutique" label, kind of like Boies in my opinion, but yeah Boies is still way way smaller and rates much higher on the "elite" scale.

I'm kind of like you, bruinfan10: I think of Quinn and Boies as similar as well. They're both notorious sweatshops with sink-or-swim cultures, and they've both outgrown anything resembling a boutique. But Boies actually offers above-market compensation. For that reason alone, Boies > Quinn.