LA Biglaw vs. NYC Associate Progression Forum

[Anonymous User]

I'm starting this year at a V5 in LA. I was wondering what you guys thought about the hiring model in LA vs. NYC. I was previously an NYC summer and saw first hand the pyramid structure of Large NYC firms. Large SA classes --> Tiny Senior Associate classes.

In my current firm in LA, there are relatively equal numbers of first, second, third, and fourth year associates. However, only 1 of the 3rd and 4th years started with the firm.

What does that say about hiring/firing/turnover in this firm?

[Tiago Splitter]

I'm starting this year at a V5 in LA. I was wondering what you guys thought about the hiring model in LA vs. NYC. I was previously an NYC summer and saw first hand the pyramid structure of Large NYC firms. Large SA classes --> Tiny Senior Associate classes.

In my current firm in LA, there are relatively equal numbers of first, second, third, and fourth year associates. However, only 1 of the 3rd and 4th years started with the firm.

What does that say about hiring/firing/turnover in this firm?

It says the same thing. It's still Skadden/S&C.

[Anonymous User]

There seems to be less of a forced attrition ratio, no?

[Tiago Splitter]

There seems to be less of a forced attrition ratio, no?

In every market, firms like the one you are working for lose a lot of people because the job sucks. They don't do anything differently in NYC or anywhere else. They just give everyone a lot of work, and lots of people decide after a few years that it's not for them. It's nice that your office seems to have replaced some of the departed with laterals, but that doesn't tell us much about the attrition. Chances are the same ratio of people is leaving at roughly the same times.

[Anonymous User]

I think making partner at a V5 is nearly impossible. It is not easier at a lower ranked firm, but I think you can at least hang on for a few more years. I am at a V5 in NYC and I feel like few people make it to be a senior associate let alone a partner.

[Anonymous User]

OP here.

I think I was extrapolating that the firm had the work at each level to support mids/seniors and that the associates were leaving because of the environment rather than being pushed out.

Is that a reasonable assumption from the data?

I want to stay in biglaw as long as I can and I guess this is my inner optimist haha.