The cream doesn't go to white and case

[As2havz]

This is a rather silly question, but can anyone link me to/explain the origins of the "cream doesn't go to white and case" meme I constantly see on this site

[Spectator]

The "cream of the crop" refers to the best.

White and Case is a top firm, but if you're the best "cream" as far as lawyers go, are you going to White and Case or are you going to a place like Cravath or Wachtell? Case closed.

[hdr]

I have not heard that before. White & Case developed a bad reputation in 2010-2013 or so due to widespread reports of stealth layoffs, at a time when comparably ranked firms had mostly ceased layoffs. More generally, I've heard from several people it's a not a good place to work (even by biglaw standards) and my headhunter advised me not to interview there.

[polareagle]

I have a hazy memory of this.

I *think* the quote came from this post with its ridiculous "cream rising to the top" language referring to Covington and "W&C." The poster evidently meant Williams & Connolly, but others in the thread thought they meant White & Case. At some point, I believe in one of the now-edited posts, a poster first created the line you're referencing.

[Anonymous User]

It’s a meme that was from roughly ten years ago. It was from some pretentious dude who said the line and it became a joke.

I think it’s the same as the “enjoy DLA Piper” or whatever the phrase was.

[As2havz]

It’s a meme that was from roughly ten years ago. It was from some pretentious dude who said the line and it became a joke.

I think it’s the same as the “enjoy DLA Piper” or whatever the phrase was.

Good lord. Why are people so weird on this website, and why can't I get enough of it.

[Monochromatic Oeuvre]

I have a hazy memory of this.

I *think* the quote came from this post with its ridiculous "cream rising to the top" language referring to Covington and "W&C." The poster evidently meant Williams & Connolly, but others in the thread thought they meant White & Case. At some point, I believe in one of the now-edited posts, a poster first created the line you're referencing.

Specifically, this thread.

And yes, it was buoyed by (1) the hit their rep took following layoffs and (2) the poster's supposed pretension. Context shapes these things; "enjoy DLA Piper" was a sarcastic remark pre-2008 and wound up turning into something at least semi-earnest as enjoying DLA Piper actually became a relatively good outcome.

(I lurked on and off starting in high school. This place is exhausting.)

[polareagle]

I have a hazy memory of this.

I *think* the quote came from this post with its ridiculous "cream rising to the top" language referring to Covington and "W&C." The poster evidently meant Williams & Connolly, but others in the thread thought they meant White & Case. At some point, I believe in one of the now-edited posts, a poster first created the line you're referencing.

Specifically, this thread.

And yes, it was buoyed by (1) the hit their rep took following layoffs and (2) the poster's supposed pretension. Context shapes these things; "enjoy DLA Piper" was a sarcastic remark pre-2008 and wound up turning into something at least semi-earnest as enjoying DLA Piper actually became a relatively good outcome.

(I lurked on and off starting in high school. This place is exhausting.)

As a fellow long-time lurker starting in college, I appreciate your help with the cultural/linguistic anthropology of TLS.