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

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phyllislapin

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

Post by phyllislapin » Sun Aug 22, 2021 7:55 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Jul 22, 2021 11:27 am
Can we find out who this partner is? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXyk_PT9LiM This story seems a little crazy
Looks like she was in M&A at MoFo, which may help.

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

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Aug 22, 2021 9:53 pm

Vicious name-calling and yelling; spreading horrible rumors (including to clients) about people who left the firm; unbearable workload. The hypocrisy is only the tip of the iceberg.

ambrau90

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

Post by ambrau90 » Mon Aug 30, 2021 10:36 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Sun Aug 22, 2021 9:53 pm
Vicious name-calling and yelling; spreading horrible rumors (including to clients) about people who left the firm; unbearable workload. The hypocrisy is only the tip of the iceberg.
Is this about Kaplan Hecker? Or an earlier post?

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

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Aug 30, 2021 10:45 pm

ambrau90 wrote:
Mon Aug 30, 2021 10:36 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Sun Aug 22, 2021 9:53 pm
Vicious name-calling and yelling; spreading horrible rumors (including to clients) about people who left the firm; unbearable workload. The hypocrisy is only the tip of the iceberg.
Is this about Kaplan Hecker? Or an earlier post?
Kaplan Hecker

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

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Aug 31, 2021 12:39 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Jul 01, 2021 9:02 pm
How we feeling about cooley ny corporate
More generally, anyone have any intel on the more tech focused firms -- namely, Orrick, Cooley and WSGR?

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

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Aug 31, 2021 4:58 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Jul 07, 2021 11:14 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Mar 24, 2021 12:34 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Mar 22, 2021 11:24 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Mar 22, 2021 10:16 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Mar 22, 2021 6:57 pm
any insight re Latham NY? anyone to avoid?
The banking group generally, not because they're bad people, but because it's the most toxic culture you could imagine. They just absolutely burn through people.
What makes it a toxic culture, if not composed of bad people?
Different anon from above but also Latham NY. I will note that some of my favorite people at the firm are in the banking group. It’s just the nature of the work and constant fire drills that burn people out quickly. That said, if you’re decently competent and if you stick around you’re pretty much guaranteed to make at least counsel from what I’ve seen.

This is so true - LW NY banking has the nicest people but the workload gets you down. To respond to the original question though, I will say that Melissa Alwang is horrible to work with. I heard anecdotally that at least one associate has told the staffing partner they wouldn't work for her anymore and at least one other associate has quit because they kept being staffed with her.

LW NY RE also has a toxic reputation FWIW altho I'm less familiar with that group. (Not to bring down LW NY which is generally a great place to work (as much as any big law firm can be ...)!)
As someone who did banking at LW, this is, I think, all banking at all LW offices (and I assume Cahill NY who is/was our big competitor). The people are super nice, but the work is ungodly rough. I pulled all nighters about 1-2X a week, every single week of the year I wasn't on vacation. I was allowed to take basically as much uninterrupted vacation as anyone can expect (I took at least five weeks every year and never did a minute of work on vacation across multiple years), but it was so rough the rest of the year. I switched to an EC/VC M&A practice and the step up in the quality of life was significant even doing the same number of hours. I can't stress enough how hard the papers practice is. It's noticeably worse than most M&A big law practices. I assume the same things will be said by Cahill associates.

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

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Nov 04, 2021 7:24 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Sun Jul 04, 2021 3:29 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Sat Jul 03, 2021 8:04 pm
Shearman? Hear there’s a few sociopaths so prefer to know this ahead of time…
Gillian Moldowan, exec comp partner is a plague. Avoid.
Is this the case for the other exec comp partners at Shearman?

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

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Nov 04, 2021 7:34 pm

Any intel on Ropes DC?

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

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Nov 09, 2021 6:32 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Sat Jul 03, 2021 8:04 pm
Shearman? Hear there’s a few sociopaths so prefer to know this ahead of time…
Heard a story about a first year female associate being harassed in front of her peer group by one of the older equity partners (e.g., "give me a kiss on the cheek darling", hand around the waist).

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

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Nov 09, 2021 7:03 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Thu May 06, 2021 9:54 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Thu May 06, 2021 8:14 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Mar 16, 2021 6:07 pm
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.
WOW - that's wild. She interviewed me at OCI and I thought she was the coolest person ever. Very chill and calm
she just lateraled to Akin Gump
Any more stories on this lady? Also anyone else at Akin Gump to steer clear of?

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

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Nov 10, 2021 10:49 am

It's hard for me to imagine some of these stories happening in 2021 although I guess that's why they're in this thread. I'm at a V10 and it feels like most of this behavior has been smothered out by the partnership, probably out of PR concerns / not wanting to end up in the front of Bloomberg Law. That doesn't mean there aren't grade-A assholes here, there are, but it seems like their bad behavior is mostly relegated to the realm of passive aggression / snideness / arrogance / insane deadlines / backstabbing, not straight up 1980s "kiss me babe and welcome to the firm" crap. Ah, gotta love the profession.

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

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Nov 10, 2021 11:31 am

Fredo Silva and Suz Mac Cormac at MoFo SF are verbally abusive to associates and it's well known at the firm. Just really terrible people to work with, avoid at all costs.

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

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Nov 10, 2021 11:21 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Aug 30, 2021 10:45 pm
ambrau90 wrote:
Mon Aug 30, 2021 10:36 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Sun Aug 22, 2021 9:53 pm
Vicious name-calling and yelling; spreading horrible rumors (including to clients) about people who left the firm; unbearable workload. The hypocrisy is only the tip of the iceberg.
Is this about Kaplan Hecker? Or an earlier post?
Kaplan Hecker
The judge I worked for strongly steered their clerks away from Kaplan Hecker because of its poor work environment.

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

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Nov 10, 2021 11:29 pm

Grace Lee. LW San Francisco Tax.

Unrealistic expectations. Condescending. Will scream at you for having an out of place comma in an email. Disorganized.

Basically the entire tax group firmwide tries to steer clear of her.

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

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Nov 11, 2021 8:10 pm

Rosemarie Ring at MTO.

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

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Nov 11, 2021 8:14 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Nov 11, 2021 8:10 pm
Rosemarie Ring at MTO.
She just lateraled to GDC. Can you say more?

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

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Nov 12, 2021 12:07 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Nov 10, 2021 11:31 am
Fredo Silva and Suz Mac Cormac at MoFo SF are verbally abusive to associates and it's well known at the firm. Just really terrible people to work with, avoid at all costs.

That Fredo guy looks fucking terrifying.

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

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Nov 12, 2021 1:20 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Nov 11, 2021 8:10 pm
Rosemarie Ring at MTO.
Any more details? Asking for a friend

JusticeJackson

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

Post by JusticeJackson » Fri Nov 12, 2021 1:58 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Nov 12, 2021 12:07 am
Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Nov 10, 2021 11:31 am
Fredo Silva and Suz Mac Cormac at MoFo SF are verbally abusive to associates and it's well known at the firm. Just really terrible people to work with, avoid at all costs.

That Fredo guy looks fucking terrifying.
Both look like they’re missing souls.

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

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Nov 12, 2021 2:01 am

Fredo looks like he just ate human liver with chianti

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

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Nov 12, 2021 10:32 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Nov 10, 2021 11:21 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Aug 30, 2021 10:45 pm
ambrau90 wrote:
Mon Aug 30, 2021 10:36 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Sun Aug 22, 2021 9:53 pm
Vicious name-calling and yelling; spreading horrible rumors (including to clients) about people who left the firm; unbearable workload. The hypocrisy is only the tip of the iceberg.
Is this about Kaplan Hecker? Or an earlier post?
Kaplan Hecker
The judge I worked for strongly steered their clerks away from Kaplan Hecker because of its poor work environment.

I've also heard terrible things about the work environment at Kaplan Hecker, even relative to other small elite litigation shops that are demanding and intense. Pretty sure it starts right at the top with the named partner, but trickles down as well. I had a friend and a (different) former colleague there, and they don't deny it, just change the topic. It's gotten to the point where I was on the phone with a recruiter, and the recruiter referenced it as a pretty well known fact. I passed on that application, lol...

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

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Nov 13, 2021 2:23 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Nov 10, 2021 11:31 am
Fredo Silva and Suz Mac Cormac at MoFo SF are verbally abusive to associates and it's well known at the firm. Just really terrible people to work with, avoid at all costs.
To my understanding, Suz is pretty hit or miss - well known for holding grudges and getting folks fired but also willing to throw her weight around for her favorites. But definitely temperamental. And kinda dumb to be blunt.

Don’t know about working with Fredo, but he is pretty sharp IME.

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

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Nov 13, 2021 3:27 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Nov 12, 2021 10:32 am
Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Nov 10, 2021 11:21 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Aug 30, 2021 10:45 pm
ambrau90 wrote:
Mon Aug 30, 2021 10:36 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Sun Aug 22, 2021 9:53 pm
Vicious name-calling and yelling; spreading horrible rumors (including to clients) about people who left the firm; unbearable workload. The hypocrisy is only the tip of the iceberg.
Is this about Kaplan Hecker? Or an earlier post?
Kaplan Hecker
The judge I worked for strongly steered their clerks away from Kaplan Hecker because of its poor work environment.

I've also heard terrible things about the work environment at Kaplan Hecker, even relative to other small elite litigation shops that are demanding and intense. Pretty sure it starts right at the top with the named partner, but trickles down as well. I had a friend and a (different) former colleague there, and they don't deny it, just change the topic. It's gotten to the point where I was on the phone with a recruiter, and the recruiter referenced it as a pretty well known fact. I passed on that application, lol...
Extremely unfortunate. Was once on a call where she forgot to mute herself and we all heard her screaming at the person in the room with her - just vicious and completely unnecessary. On the other hand, Hecker seems really kind and easy to work with - spoken to people who work with him/across from him often and they only have positive things to say.

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

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Nov 13, 2021 3:35 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Sat Nov 13, 2021 3:27 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Nov 12, 2021 10:32 am
Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Nov 10, 2021 11:21 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Aug 30, 2021 10:45 pm
ambrau90 wrote:
Mon Aug 30, 2021 10:36 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Sun Aug 22, 2021 9:53 pm
Vicious name-calling and yelling; spreading horrible rumors (including to clients) about people who left the firm; unbearable workload. The hypocrisy is only the tip of the iceberg.
Is this about Kaplan Hecker? Or an earlier post?
Kaplan Hecker
The judge I worked for strongly steered their clerks away from Kaplan Hecker because of its poor work environment.

I've also heard terrible things about the work environment at Kaplan Hecker, even relative to other small elite litigation shops that are demanding and intense. Pretty sure it starts right at the top with the named partner, but trickles down as well. I had a friend and a (different) former colleague there, and they don't deny it, just change the topic. It's gotten to the point where I was on the phone with a recruiter, and the recruiter referenced it as a pretty well known fact. I passed on that application, lol...
Extremely unfortunate. Was once on a call where she forgot to mute herself and we all heard her screaming at the person in the room with her - just vicious and completely unnecessary. On the other hand, Hecker seems really kind and easy to work with - spoken to people who work with him/across from him often and they only have positive things to say.
Gotta say I’m a little surprised. Not just because of the “social justice” airs of the place but also bc she came out of Paul Weiss, which I feel has a (unearned?) reputation as one of the nicer and more genteel white shoes.

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

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Nov 13, 2021 9:24 pm

I interned for a nonprofit and I'll just say that I'm NOT surprised that a "social justice" type is also a terrible person to work with.

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

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