Which partners at your firms are notoriously terrible to work for? Forum

[Anonymous User]

On a hellish matter with a hellish partner at my V10 and it's driving me up the wall. Commiserate with me.

[Anonymous User]

Nice try, Neil Barr!

[Anonymous User]

When I was in law school people always talked about Dennis Block as being a total tyrant, but I have no first-hand information.

[lolwutpar]

It's funny because depending on your personality the answer will be different. For example, I can handle mean partners, but I cannot deal with the neurotic partners who bend over backwards to please their clients. I'd rather get a snippy, rude email than spend my night going down a rabbit hole that the client didn't ask for simply because the partner is a neurotic worry wart and wants to anticipate the clients needs. So many hours wasted of my life doing that crap and I actively stay away from those people now.

Of course, there are certainly some partners that are universally terrible.

[Anonymous User]

It's funny because depending on your personality the answer will be different. For example, I can handle mean partners, but I cannot deal with the neurotic partners who bend over backwards to please their clients. I'd rather get a snippy, rude email than spend my night going down a rabbit hole that the client didn't ask for simply because the partner is a neurotic worry wart and wants to anticipate the clients needs. So many hours wasted of my life doing that crap and I actively stay away from those people now.

Of course, there are certainly some partners that are universally terrible.

Really good point, actually. Neither are ideal, but yea, if i had to choose one of those i'd agree with you

[NewSouthernAssociate]

Partner who ignores all of your emails for days, but then sends every single email, including emails to opposing counsel, with the “high importance” exclamation mark (in part because he/she waits until the last minute to do everything).

[Anonymous User]

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[nickofdime]

It's funny because depending on your personality the answer will be different. For example, I can handle mean partners, but I cannot deal with the neurotic partners who bend over backwards to please their clients. I'd rather get a snippy, rude email than spend my night going down a rabbit hole that the client didn't ask for simply because the partner is a neurotic worry wart and wants to anticipate the clients needs. So many hours wasted of my life doing that crap and I actively stay away from those people now.

Of course, there are certainly some partners that are universally terrible.

Which practice area?

[Anonymous User]

Christopher Eckert, Mayer Brown DC. Screamer with unreasonable expectations. Midlevels would rather lateral than work for him and when I was at MB he was trying to get first and second-years to do the work which made it all the more worse.

[Anonymous User]

Good rule of thumb IME: if the partner isn’t smiling in their firm bio pic, you’ll have a bad time working for them.

[Anonymous User]

When I was in law school people always talked about Dennis Block as being a total tyrant, but I have no first-hand information.

I'll be joining GT corporate (NYC) as a first year...am I fucked? lol

[Anonymous User]

When I was in law school people always talked about Dennis Block as being a total tyrant, but I have no first-hand information.

I'll be joining GT corporate (NYC) as a first year...am I fucked? lol

oof well hopefully he'll retire soon

[Anonymous User]

When I was in law school people always talked about Dennis Block as being a total tyrant, but I have no first-hand information.

I'll be joining GT corporate (NYC) as a first year...am I fucked? lol

If you’re specifically joining his group, yes. There’s usually one (sometimes none) sacrificial lamb a year. He doesn’t have enough actual work anymore to support more associates.

If you’re joining the general corporate group, you’ll be fine and probably won’t interact with him ever.

[Anonymous User]

When I was in law school people always talked about Dennis Block as being a total tyrant, but I have no first-hand information.

I'll be joining GT corporate (NYC) as a first year...am I fucked? lol

If you’re specifically joining his group, yes. There’s usually one (sometimes none) sacrificial lamb a year. He doesn’t have enough actual work anymore to support more associates.

If you’re joining the general corporate group, you’ll be fine and probably won’t interact with him ever.

Above anon. Do you mind sharing more about GT's corporate group culture (NYC)? Any particular partners that I want to avoid?

[target_corp]

All of them

[Anonymous User]

There was a partner at my old firm who was so outdated that his idea of IP still involves typewriters and fax machines. That plus his inability to stop talking made it so that many associates did drastic things to avoid him. Even other partners sent summer associates/ first years to take his calls. The one time he ended up on our case, I saw a stapler fly out of my supervising partner’s office.

[Anonymous User]

I've since left the firm but there was a particularly difficult associate at my V3 (in the flagship corporate group) who was notorious for not respecting the work/life balance of her juniors. She made partner a year or two after I left, and I've heard she's even more insufferable now. Multiple juniors left because they were staffed on her deals.

[lolwutpar]

It's funny because depending on your personality the answer will be different. For example, I can handle mean partners, but I cannot deal with the neurotic partners who bend over backwards to please their clients. I'd rather get a snippy, rude email than spend my night going down a rabbit hole that the client didn't ask for simply because the partner is a neurotic worry wart and wants to anticipate the clients needs. So many hours wasted of my life doing that crap and I actively stay away from those people now.

Of course, there are certainly some partners that are universally terrible.

Which practice area?

Me? Corporate. Nothing worse than a partner who wants to anticipate what their client will do/wants and sends you on some dumb obscure securities rabbit hole, for example.

I've worked at a few firms now and wish I could offer up some names, but there aren't any I've personally worked for that I would say NEED to be avoided. Some are better than others.

[Anonymous User]

Deb Festa at Milbank LA's alternative investments group is a well known must-avoid. Juniors have quit ASAP and it's known that incoming first years will frantically search for another job if they get placed in her group.

[bodylikeatwizzler]

The one thread where you can use the anonymous feature to shit on assholes and no one's using it. Sticky this thread now and trash the pieces of shit.

[Anonymous User]

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[Sackboy]

David Marriott from Cravath is also as notorious as others I believe.

Not quite what I expected from a Mormon

[bodylikeatwizzler]

I looked up the pics of the partners mentioned thus far and jesus, there's a face for law. The seventh circle of hell is having to spend every waking moment being subservient to these sinister-looking people. Their faces should be next to the dictionary definition of constipation.

[Anonymous User]

[Deleted]

[Anonymous User]

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