Hogan (DC) v. Akin Gump (DC) v. Crowell & Moring (DC) Forum

[Anonymous User]

Hey all. Received offers from Hogan, Akin Gump, and Crowell & Moring in DC. I am trying to figure out which one to choose. I am generally interested in litigation, but am unsure of specific practice areas outside of that. I may eventually want to move to the U.S. Attorneys Office in DC.

My primary concerns are work/life balance, early substantive experience, and firm culture. I am completely torn between all of them and am going back to visit all three firms. Would love to hear your thoughts and opinions.

Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous User]

Crowell no offers every year according to NALP. I liked the firm and my screener, but dropped the CB because of that.

From what I could tell, Hogan DC had the best work/life balance out of all the firms I looked at in DC (but that didn't include Akin and only barely included Crowell), but that also depends on what you do and can be complete flame. But since you are "generally" interested in litigation, Hogan might be the better bet since if it turns out you hate lit you can do something else, and the rotation system would help you figure that out.

Crowell and Hogan both have rotation systems iirc. Does Akin?

[Anonymous User]

Thank you for your reply. I know Crowell no-offers a few people each year, but it appears that their DC office has given 100% offers, at least in recent history.

That is interesting that you say Hogan has the better work/life balance, as I have heard continuously that they are a "factory" firm where you get crushed with long hours.

From my understanding, Akin does not have a formal rotational process, but allows you to select projects that you might be interested in. It certainly seems like there are less opportunities to get the kind of practice group exposure found at Hogan, but my knowledge is limited.

[Anonymous User]

Yea my knowledge is limited too (as I said, I didn't even look at akin). I would think Hogan would give more breadth but who knows.

My work/life balance thoughts were based off of the lunch (I haven't received and offer and probably won't be at this point so that was the extent of my research) and from talking to someone else considering it. I do think that unless a firm has like somehow dramatically changed how they bill/structure the firm/etc, work life balance will be the same at most firms.

i think the bigger question is whether you want that formal rotation or not, because both Crowell and hogan do that but akin doesn't. (Personally I wouldn't want to work at a firm that no offers anywhere but at least they aren't no offering in DC)

The other thing--I was kind of shocked that hogan had some second and third year associated in those "middle" offices. Like that would be a really depressing place to work. I know not all offices have windows (and don't know what Crowell and akin look like) but that just seemed sad. Even with the renovation idk how much better that would make them. Not something that was going to prevent me from taking them if I loved them, but in a dead heat.....

[Anonymous User]

Only direct experience I have is with Hogan, so take that for what it's worth. Hogan is not known for crushing hours, and definitely not compared to Akin, which is known for that. Go read the vault's verdict page for details, but you can tell they're not a meat grinder in the way, say, Paul Weiss is, based on their bonus structure in DC: 1950 is the requirement, and their are bonus tiers above that, topping out at 2200. At 2200 you typically hit the DPW/NY-market scale, so bonuses are on the low side for normal folks. The first years I've met are all on track to bill around the minimum, and not for want of work. For comparison, the NY office has a 2000 hour requirement, which is still chill for that city.

Re: decor. Yeah, the current decor is abominable, all beige with brass fixtures and very little light. If you did a callback in DC you probably took a stroll through the 7th floor, which couldn't be more different. That's the pilot floor for the renovation taking place over the next year. The complaint is that it looks like an IKEA showroom, but the common areas have windows to the giant central atrium and espresso machines, and it's a massive improvement in my book. From what I was told, all offices are being relocated to have windows, but we'll see if that's true (I'm headed there next summer). Bear in mind a lot of firms will make you share a windowless office (or do cubicles) for the first couple years, so it's one trade off or another.

Re: Akin. Good friend turned them down for a much smaller office after talking to current and former associates and partners who described the hours as unrelenting. This could be practice specific. That said, everyone he met was incredibly enthusiastic about the firm and their work, and I know someone else favoring them above many others. Granted, if the goal is general lit and nothing more specific, you'll probably be doing doc review from dusk til dawn at any firm.

Good luck, OP, and don't let my impressions overwhelm yours. It sounds like you liked Akin, and they are obviously a great firm in this town. For reasons mentioned above, I wouldn't choose Crowell if there are any other options, but I'm risk averse.

[Elston Gunn]

Without a specific reason to pick Akin or Crowell, Hogan seems like an easy choice to me.

[Anonymous User]

Thank you all for your responses. I am heavily leaning towards Akin but am going back to visit both to make sure. The Hogan remodel is definitely a huge plus, as I hated the current layout when I went for my callback. I think I have safely eliminated Crowell from the running, but am unsure beyond that. Hopefully a second look at the firms will clear the air.