Cleary (DC) vs. Akin (DC) vs. Hogan Lovells (DC) Forum

[mab9ve]

Anyone have any recommendations as to where one should go if the vibes from associates & partners are all positive from all these three places and one is interested in international trade, FCPA, and to a lesser extent, antitrust? Really torn between these three options. Planning on working in BigLaw for as long as possible and in DC forever.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[wwwcol]

Hogan didn’t pay market bonus this year (their special COVID-19 bonus was between a third and a half of market for most associates) so cut Hogan from the list unless you’re okay with a firm that cheaps out on paying market when it can

[Elston Gunn]

Hogan didn’t pay market bonus this year (their special COVID-19 bonus was between a third and a half of market for most associates) so cut Hogan from the list unless you’re okay with a firm that cheaps out on paying market when it can

What did Akin do?

Bonuses aside, Hogan is a very easy choice to me unless you are incredibly passionate about antitrust. And while you can be more confident of making NY market at Cleary, Hogan just offers so much more breadth of practices in DC, that I think you’re going to set yourself up much better for your career at Hogan. I don’t have any specific opinions about Akin DC. General impression is they do normal DC stuff, but just at a distinct level below Hogan.

[hdr]

Cleary if you want to do antitrust, otherwise Hogan.

[wwwcol]

Hogan didn’t pay market bonus this year (their special COVID-19 bonus was between a third and a half of market for most associates) so cut Hogan from the list unless you’re okay with a firm that cheaps out on paying market when it can

What did Akin do?

Bonuses aside, Hogan is a very easy choice to me unless you are incredibly passionate about antitrust. And while you can be more confident of making NY market at Cleary, Hogan just offers so much more breadth of practices in DC, that I think you’re going to set yourself up much better for your career at Hogan. I don’t have any specific opinions about Akin DC. General impression is they do normal DC stuff, but just at a distinct level below Hogan.

I think Akin paid market bonuses but OP should check the bonus thread to confirm

As an aside these posts brushing aside money are very amusing. You work your ass off in biglaw, and for most people money is the only reason they do it. Money should be far and away the most important consideration. Not a chance in hell id take an offer from a firm that paid below market if i had other offers

[cavalier1138]

Hogan didn’t pay market bonus this year (their special COVID-19 bonus was between a third and a half of market for most associates) so cut Hogan from the list unless you’re okay with a firm that cheaps out on paying market when it can

What did Akin do?

Bonuses aside, Hogan is a very easy choice to me unless you are incredibly passionate about antitrust. And while you can be more confident of making NY market at Cleary, Hogan just offers so much more breadth of practices in DC, that I think you’re going to set yourself up much better for your career at Hogan. I don’t have any specific opinions about Akin DC. General impression is they do normal DC stuff, but just at a distinct level below Hogan.

I think Akin paid market bonuses but OP should check the bonus thread to confirm

As an aside these posts brushing aside money are very amusing. You work your ass off in biglaw, and for most people money is the only reason they do it. Money should be far and away the most important consideration. Not a chance in hell id take an offer from a firm that paid below market if i had other offers

The OP didn't indicate that their primary--much less only--reason for going into biglaw was to get Obscene Salary + X instead of just Obscene Salary. They seem much more interested in building a sustainable practice in their chosen focus areas, which means they likely have longer-term considerations than whether they make an extra $10k in a given year.

[RPK34]

Hogan didn’t pay market bonus this year (their special COVID-19 bonus was between a third and a half of market for most associates) so cut Hogan from the list unless you’re okay with a firm that cheaps out on paying market when it can

What did Akin do?

Bonuses aside, Hogan is a very easy choice to me unless you are incredibly passionate about antitrust. And while you can be more confident of making NY market at Cleary, Hogan just offers so much more breadth of practices in DC, that I think you’re going to set yourself up much better for your career at Hogan. I don’t have any specific opinions about Akin DC. General impression is they do normal DC stuff, but just at a distinct level below Hogan.

I think Akin paid market bonuses but OP should check the bonus thread to confirm

As an aside these posts brushing aside money are very amusing. You work your ass off in biglaw, and for most people money is the only reason they do it. Money should be far and away the most important consideration. Not a chance in hell id take an offer from a firm that paid below market if i had other offers

The OP didn't indicate that their primary--much less only--reason for going into biglaw was to get Obscene Salary + X instead of just Obscene Salary. They seem much more interested in building a sustainable practice in their chosen focus areas, which means they likely have longer-term considerations than whether they make an extra $10k in a given year.

To me, the issue with not paying bonuses is more mental than financial. If you have a tough year and the firm is doing well and then doesn’t pay market, it’s a real FU feeling. Even as a senior, post tax you were looking at $15-20K, which isn’t going to change your life. But the frustration of getting cheaped out on by partners is real.

[Elston Gunn]

Hogan didn’t pay market bonus this year (their special COVID-19 bonus was between a third and a half of market for most associates) so cut Hogan from the list unless you’re okay with a firm that cheaps out on paying market when it can

What did Akin do?

Bonuses aside, Hogan is a very easy choice to me unless you are incredibly passionate about antitrust. And while you can be more confident of making NY market at Cleary, Hogan just offers so much more breadth of practices in DC, that I think you’re going to set yourself up much better for your career at Hogan. I don’t have any specific opinions about Akin DC. General impression is they do normal DC stuff, but just at a distinct level below Hogan.

I think Akin paid market bonuses but OP should check the bonus thread to confirm

As an aside these posts brushing aside money are very amusing. You work your ass off in biglaw, and for most people money is the only reason they do it. Money should be far and away the most important consideration. Not a chance in hell id take an offer from a firm that paid below market if i had other offers

I don’t minimize the importance of money, and if OP were choosing between roughly equivalent firms, I would say to take the money. But it’s just not true that the immediate payday is the only reason people do Biglaw. Lots and lots of people have an idea of what they want to do with their career long term that 3-5 years in Biglaw makes possible.

Just speaking from my experience, I worked at a big DC law firm in regulatory for 5 years and exited to a in-house job in the same area that I love. I was lucky enough to get market during that time (Hogan also paid market the whole time I was in BL), but I easily would have accepted making $10-50k less over that time, rather than be in a practice I wasn’t interested in.

Going to a place like Cleary DC, which has an incredibly narrow practice, just because you *might* make like 3-5% more money over your time in BL, seems shortsighted to me (unless you are really sure you want to do the work Cleary does). If OP were choosing between Hogan and like Sidley or Skadden DC, both of which are probably a bit less “prestigious” in the District but have real DC practices, I would say go to Sidley/Skadden, but that’s not the situation.

Like I said, I know less about Akin DC, and they do seem to have a more traditional DC practice. If I were going to choose Akin on the basis of money, I’d do my diligence going back a few years, as I’ve never had the impression they were big spenders. However, Akin is probably a fine choice too.

[Anonymous User]

Anybody curious about the undefined compensation rate in Hogan’s offer letter?