Found the Fabled Mid-Law Unicorn Job Forum

[UnicornHunter]

Is this thread real?

I don't understand what is happening. OP found a fabled midlaw unicorn job but now realizes he is about to be fired from a normal big law job.

Like, this is a joke thread yes?

Since OP won't name the firm, I assume it was either a joke from the get-go or a misguided attempt at bragging.

[Anonymous User]

Is this thread real?

I don't understand what is happening. OP found a fabled midlaw unicorn job but now realizes he is about to be fired from a normal big law job.

Like, this is a joke thread yes?

Since OP won't name the firm, I assume it was either a joke from the get-go or a misguided attempt at bragging.

OP here. I don't think I was trying to brag just trying to show that these kinds of jobs do exist in law. However, after hearing from posters here that I may be misreading my situation, I have begun to realize that I shouldn't get too comfortable, and these kinds of jobs actally may not exist in law.

[MCFC]

From the size of the summer class, it makes it sounds like you are at a pretty decent sized firm. What leads you to call it mid law?

[MyNameIsFlynn!]

From the size of the summer class, it makes it sounds like you are at a pretty decent sized firm. What leads you to call it mid law?

This is what confuses me. In what world is a firm that can take a class of 20 summers considered midlaw, especially if it offers them.

[Anonymous User]

From the size of the summer class, it makes it sounds like you are at a pretty decent sized firm. What leads you to call it mid law?

This is what confuses me. In what world is a firm that can take a class of 20 summers considered midlaw, especially if it offers them.

OP here. Large class compared to firm size.

[Desert Fox]

[Anonymous User]

From the size of the summer class, it makes it sounds like you are at a pretty decent sized firm. What leads you to call it mid law?

This is what confuses me. In what world is a firm that can take a class of 20 summers considered midlaw, especially if it offers them.

OP here. Large class compared to firm size.

Which implies heavy turnover. If you really could bill 1500 and cop market rate why would anyone leave.

OP here. There is heavy turnover. Firm claims due to wealth of exit options.

[UnicornHunter]

Still think you should name the firm so TLS can research it for you and tell you if you're on a luxury cruiser or a life raft.

[Desert Fox]

[rpupkin]

This is clearly flame

Disagree. I have a law school friend who was in the OP's shoes and similarly misread the situation. She was barely averaging over 100 billables per month and going home at 5 every day. Instead of freaking out, she bragged about her great life and would encourage law students to apply to the firm. She even got a solid performance review at the end of her first year. But she never got a second performance review. Halfway through her second year, she (and at least one other associate in her group) was asked to look elsewhere for work.

This could be flame, but it's also possible that OP is real. You're overestimating the extent to which most junior associates understand the economics of running a law firm.

[Anonymous User]

This is clearly flame

Disagree. I have a law school friend who was in the OP's shoes and similarly misread the situation. She was barely averaging over 100 billables per month and going home at 5 every day. Instead of freaking out, she bragged about her great life and would encourage law students to apply to the firm. She even got a solid performance review at the end of her first year. But she never got a second performance review. Halfway through her second year, she (and at least one other associate in her group) was asked to look elsewhere for work.

This could be flame, but it's also possible that OP is real. You're overestimating the extent to which most junior associates understand the economics of running a law firm.

OP here. Don't understand why anyone would think this is flame. I don't understand the economics of running a law firm. How can they expect me to bill more if I don't get any more work? I do all the work that's assigned to me and go home. Should I be doing more or is it out of my control entirely?

[El Pollito]

This is clearly flame

Disagree. I have a law school friend who was in the OP's shoes and similarly misread the situation. She was barely averaging over 100 billables per month and going home at 5 every day. Instead of freaking out, she bragged about her great life and would encourage law students to apply to the firm. She even got a solid performance review at the end of her first year. But she never got a second performance review. Halfway through her second year, she (and at least one other associate in her group) was asked to look elsewhere for work.

This could be flame, but it's also possible that OP is real. You're overestimating the extent to which most junior associates understand the economics of running a law firm.

how embarrassing

[Anonymous User]

This is clearly flame

Disagree. I have a law school friend who was in the OP's shoes and similarly misread the situation. She was barely averaging over 100 billables per month and going home at 5 every day. Instead of freaking out, she bragged about her great life and would encourage law students to apply to the firm. She even got a solid performance review at the end of her first year. But she never got a second performance review. Halfway through her second year, she (and at least one other associate in her group) was asked to look elsewhere for work.

This could be flame, but it's also possible that OP is real. You're overestimating the extent to which most junior associates understand the economics of running a law firm.

how embarrassing

OP here. Can't believe I fell for TLS negativity. I have no indication that I am in trouble at my firm. All indications are that the firm does not lay people off unless there is something egregious. I refuse to believe that I wouldn't realize if I was in trouble. I will continue to appreciate my job and not look elsewhere until told otherwise.

[rpupkin]

OP here. Can't believe I fell for TLS negativity. I have no indication that I am in trouble at my firm. All indications are that the firm does not lay people off unless there is something egregious. I refuse to believe that I wouldn't realize if I was in trouble. I will continue to appreciate my job and not look elsewhere until told otherwise.

Hint: remember that "high turnover" you referenced earlier ITT? That's the indication that your firm forces people out. Or do you really believe that all those folks are leaving because of the great exit options? Are they leaving to places where they bill less than 1,400 hours a year and get above-market compensation?

Alright, I give up....yes, OP is likely flame.

[Cogburn87]

OP here. Can't believe I fell for TLS negativity. I have no indication that I am in trouble at my firm. All indications are that the firm does not lay people off unless there is something egregious. I refuse to believe that I wouldn't realize if I was in trouble. I will continue to appreciate my job and not look elsewhere until told otherwise.

The flame has already been outed and extinguished, dude. Why not regroup and come up with another rather than run this one into the ground?

[Anonymous User]

OP here. Can't believe I fell for TLS negativity. I have no indication that I am in trouble at my firm. All indications are that the firm does not lay people off unless there is something egregious. I refuse to believe that I wouldn't realize if I was in trouble. I will continue to appreciate my job and not look elsewhere until told otherwise.

The flame has already been outed and extinguished, dude. Why not regroup and come up with another rather than run this one into the ground?

OP here. Genuinely confused. Why is this flame? Because it goes against tls conventional wisdom? Please explain.

[Anonymous User]

FWIW, I believe that my job is the closest one gets to the "fabled mid-law" unicorn in law.

I work at a firm with about 25 attorneys (we don't hire summers). It's above market pay in a secondary market (140K for a second-year, which, where I live, is significantly more than market pay in NYC when COL is considered). We have a fairly niche practice, but a handful of attorneys in random practice areas that allows us to market ourselves as a full-service firm.

Minimum billables are about 2000 (unofficially, officially at my interview I was told 1800), but there's a steady flow of work so, as a general matter, I manage to work 8-7 on a daily basis and put in a couple hours on the weekend. That said, I just had to cancel long-time plans for out of state friends to come visit this past weekend because an emergency came up that required around-the-clock work this weekend.

All of this to say that, while I know I'm incredibly lucky because I don't have constant nights until 1 AM, there aren't may well-paying private practice jobs that are "9-5" even at the fabled, mid-law boutique unicorns.

[Desert Fox]

[Anonymous User]

2000 hours definitely sucks... was sort of the point of my post.

As far as big law, I never worked in big law (went school --> clerkship --> this firm). From what I can gather from TLS and colleagues of mine in biglaw, my situation is better because we don't have BS marketing requirements, meetings, mandatory social events etc. Essentially, I have all day to bill except on rare occasion.

Also, friends of mine talk a lot about sitting around and waiting for work. That's never really been an issue here. While I have fire drills, I never worked a 16hour day where I only bill 5 hours.

Finally, people here generally are respectful of your time. Work needs to get done when it has to get done, but I sense I have a lot less artificial deadlines than big law (other than those imposed by a client).

So, my uneducated comparison to big law, I'd say it's much better.

[Anonymous User]

I also realized I read the question wrong.

I absolutely get better experience. Deals/litigation are staffed one partner and one, maybe two associates. As a second year (first year off a clerkship), I've argued motions on my own and drafted dispositive pleadings. On the corporate side, I've drafted operating agreements, leases, etc. as parts of fairly large deals.

[gnuwheels]

There is always a huge caveat to these supposed unicorn firms, like no bonuses, no job security, terrible partnership pay, no exit opps, terrible practice areas (good luck with expertise in "advertising law"... http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... p?t=246293), the list goes on.

If there really was a super desirable mid law firm it wouldn't be flying under the radar.

[goden]

Manatt to 160

[MCFC]

If there really was a super desirable mid law firm it wouldn't be flying under the radar.

The "efficient TLS" hypothesis.

[Ron Howard]

If there really was a super desirable mid law firm it wouldn't be flying under the radar.

The "efficient TLS" hypothesis.

I love this.

[FuturePanhandler]

If there really was a super desirable mid law firm it wouldn't be flying under the radar.

The "efficient TLS" hypothesis.