Which MN firm? Please help! Forum
Forum rules
Anonymous Posting
Anonymous posting is only appropriate when you are revealing sensitive employment related information about a firm, job, etc. You may anonymously respond on topic to these threads. Unacceptable uses include: harassing another user, joking around, testing the feature, or other things that are more appropriate in the lounge.
Failure to follow these rules will get you outed, warned, or banned.
Anonymous Posting
Anonymous posting is only appropriate when you are revealing sensitive employment related information about a firm, job, etc. You may anonymously respond on topic to these threads. Unacceptable uses include: harassing another user, joking around, testing the feature, or other things that are more appropriate in the lounge.
Failure to follow these rules will get you outed, warned, or banned.
-
Anonymous User
- Posts: 432521
- Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am
Which MN firm? Please help!
I would appreciate hearing your thoughts on the MN firms: Fredrikson & Byron, Lindquist & Vennum, Briggs & Morgan, and Stinson Leonard Street. Thank you in advance!
-
Jchance
- Posts: 820
- Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2012 2:17 am
Re: Which MN firm? Please help!
which practice group/what type of law you want to do?
Without knowing these info, I'd pick either Fredrikson or Stinson
Without knowing these info, I'd pick either Fredrikson or Stinson
Last edited by Jchance on Sun Sep 06, 2015 10:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
-
Anonymous User
- Posts: 432521
- Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am
Re: Which MN firm? Please help!
Fredrikson is probably the best of these.
-
Anonymous User
- Posts: 432521
- Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am
Re: Which MN firm? Please help!
Still not 100% sure what I would like to do, but have a definite interest in real estate.
-
UVAIce
- Posts: 451
- Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2012 3:10 pm
Re: Which MN firm? Please help!
I spent my 1L summer with Lindquist and really liked the firm. They are one of the smaller firms on your list, but when I was there they had one of the, if not the, best real estate practices in MN. That may have changed since I was with the firm, but they were really good folks. Also, depending on what you want, Lindquist has a fairly laid back environment for a law firm and the billable hour requirements are not nearly as high as the other firms. If I were to go back to the Twin Cities I would go to Lindquist, but I am admittedly biased.
Want to continue reading?
Register now to search topics and post comments!
Absolutely FREE!
Already a member? Login
-
Jchance
- Posts: 820
- Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2012 2:17 am
Re: Which MN firm? Please help!
You should also be aware that Lindquist and Oppenheimer are talking merger.UVAIce wrote:I spent my 1L summer with Lindquist and really liked the firm. They are one of the smaller firms on your list, but when I was there they had one of the, if not the, best real estate practices in MN. That may have changed since I was with the firm, but they were really good folks. Also, depending on what you want, Lindquist has a fairly laid back environment for a law firm and the billable hour requirements are not nearly as high as the other firms. If I were to go back to the Twin Cities I would go to Lindquist, but I am admittedly biased.
http://www.startribune.com/oppenheimer- ... 290287771/
-
Anonymous User
- Posts: 432521
- Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am
Re: Which MN firm? Please help!
Stinson Leonard Street.
-
Anonymous User
- Posts: 432521
- Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am
Re: Which MN firm? Please help!
I have heard people at Stinson Minneapolis are very dissatisfied with the way their recent merger has been handled. It sounds like it has been basically treated as an acquisition of Leonard Street by Stinson, so the Minneapolis folks feel a bit like second-class citizens and the culture they had built has been discarded as Kansas City imposes its way of doing things. There's always growing pains with mergers and change, and so maybe it's not actually that bad. I might also just be hearing from a negative minority. So you should not listen to me or other internet rumors, but you SHOULD press them on this -- ask multiple people there for their honest thoughts about the merger, how it has affected their practice and the culture/lifestyle/decisionmaking/politics of the firm, and how they think the combined firm will evolve over the next several years. If you have an offer, you gain nothing by being shy. Ask the tough questions like this.
But at least at Stinson it is "the devil you know." The other firms are all ripe for merger activity, and as someone else noted Lindquist is apparently looking again at a potential Oppenheimer merger. It's very possible that you could choose Fredrikson, Briggs or Lindquist but then find it an entirely different firm by the time you get there (maybe better, maybe worse). This is a consolidating industry and it is tough for firms that size to be successful -- they are all thinking about merging. I'd ask the other firms about their growth/merger plans as well.
On compensation -- I think there are some meaningful differences in how these firms compensate associates. I think base salary ranges from 110, 115 to 120 at the firms, doesn't it? But they also have very different levels of compression as you progress and different bonus models that differentiate over time. I'd ask each of them to explain what their salary and bonus structure looks like both at the entry level and as you advance. Some are pretty transparent and some aren't. I wouldn't let minor differences in entry-level base salary drive your decision, but the overall compensation model will tell you a lot about the health of the firm and how they view associates.
Anecdotally, I get the sense that Fredikson and Briggs are probably a little healthier (busy and growing) than Lindquist at the moment. That could change.
Anyway -- assuming you have offers in hands from these firms, you should reach out to people there and ask them for advice. Tell them the firms you are deciding among and ask them to explain what the differences there are. Many of these firms likely have laterals that practiced at other firms -- the recruiting people can help you identify those folks and put you in touch with them. Ask tough questions and be open about your interests/concerns. Get to know the people at the firms over lunch, coffee or drinks and think about where you feel a better "fit." Getting an offer from these firms should be the start of your conversation with each of them.
But at least at Stinson it is "the devil you know." The other firms are all ripe for merger activity, and as someone else noted Lindquist is apparently looking again at a potential Oppenheimer merger. It's very possible that you could choose Fredrikson, Briggs or Lindquist but then find it an entirely different firm by the time you get there (maybe better, maybe worse). This is a consolidating industry and it is tough for firms that size to be successful -- they are all thinking about merging. I'd ask the other firms about their growth/merger plans as well.
On compensation -- I think there are some meaningful differences in how these firms compensate associates. I think base salary ranges from 110, 115 to 120 at the firms, doesn't it? But they also have very different levels of compression as you progress and different bonus models that differentiate over time. I'd ask each of them to explain what their salary and bonus structure looks like both at the entry level and as you advance. Some are pretty transparent and some aren't. I wouldn't let minor differences in entry-level base salary drive your decision, but the overall compensation model will tell you a lot about the health of the firm and how they view associates.
Anecdotally, I get the sense that Fredikson and Briggs are probably a little healthier (busy and growing) than Lindquist at the moment. That could change.
Anyway -- assuming you have offers in hands from these firms, you should reach out to people there and ask them for advice. Tell them the firms you are deciding among and ask them to explain what the differences there are. Many of these firms likely have laterals that practiced at other firms -- the recruiting people can help you identify those folks and put you in touch with them. Ask tough questions and be open about your interests/concerns. Get to know the people at the firms over lunch, coffee or drinks and think about where you feel a better "fit." Getting an offer from these firms should be the start of your conversation with each of them.
