Top Law Schools

Pretty much topic. It's hard to tell during interviews because you might only meet senior associates/partners. Does anyone have a definitive list?

EDIT: also when associates get their own office.

For first years? I think it would be easier to list the ones who don't

Dpw, csm, and paul weiss have shared offices for a while. I think nearly every firm has shares, the question is how long you share for

Paul weiss apparently had 4 SA's per office in some cases this summer, lol

At Skadden NY, almost everybody gets their own office. All offices are external, too.

Almost all of the major firms have you share an office for your first year. At some firms, e.g. Paul Weiss, many second years end up in internal offices, which seems worse to me than sharing an office.

this is new york third tier behavior. not the case in other cities.

As a summer I preferred sharing an office. When you only have to worry about the quality of your work, it's beneficial to have a second opinion on things and you both wind up looking smarter because of it. An internal office would be terrible. Anything from wearing headphones while working or checking your non-work email is likelier to be analyzed under a microscope. A key draw of big law is the independence you're afforded to use your own judgment in your work style.

JohannDeMann wrote:this is new york third tier behavior. not the case in other cities.

Excluding Paul Hastings, of course.

Word is they make 1st years in LA and DC share offices. That's ridiculously TTT

I don't really get where they put the summers. Is there enough movement that seating arrangements are always shifting around a little or are there a bunch of offices that sit empty for several months a year?

anyriotgirl wrote:I don't really get where they put the summers. Is there enough movement that seating arrangements are always shifting around a little or are there a bunch of offices that sit empty for several months a year?

Even/especially in NY it helps to have empty offices just in case you have a long term "guest" from another office, first years/teams that have to be partitioned for ethical reasons, or as sudden backups if someone's IT or AC goes Stupid.

So yes, offices go empty throughout the year, but they are often repurposed.

Plus, at least some of those offices mark yearly attrition and then will sit vacant until replacement associates show up in the fall.

JohannDeMann wrote:this is new york third tier behavior. not the case in other cities.

Not unexpected in a city where a disturbingly high number of well paid professional adults also share apartments with roommates as if they were still in college

considering pw and am pretty concerned about spending two years in an internal office. any current pwers out there who can comment on the experience?

Desert Fox wrote:

anyriotgirl wrote:I don't really get where they put the summers. Is there enough movement that seating arrangements are always shifting around a little or are there a bunch of offices that sit empty for several months a year?

There are typically just a bunch of open offices. If the firm isn't growing, the summer offices get used for first year offices come September. Then enough people quit before may so that there are enough offices for summers.

But sometimes you are growing and 4 summers share a conference room.

The circle of life so beautiful :'(

Sidley NY has shared external offices, not sure for exactly how long.

Just summered at PW.

First year associates share an office with one other associate, but generally get a window. Second year associates get their own offices, but generally get an interior office.

For what it's worth, I was in a four-person summer associate office this summer and it was great. The office formerly belonged to a partner, had an enormous window with a great view, and we each had very large desks. As a full-time associate, you probably want your own space; but as a summer, I think we all enjoyed socializing and being able to run ideas by each other.

I'd rather have an internal solo than shared window.

What's external v. internal? Is internal, like a cubicle style "office," while external has like a real door?

Also anyone know the situation at Fried Frank, cadwalader, or cahill NY?

External has a window.

Internal offices have doors, just no window. Imagine there is a hallway, and on the outside-facing side of that hallway, there are offices with windows: Those are external offices. On the other, "inside-facing" side of the hallway, there are also offices, but without windows: Those are internal offices. Obviously, the former are preferable.