How do you make partner at Cravath? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I assume (rightly or wrongly) that the rotation system means that you work with fewer partners at Cravath than you would at another firm. I assume (rightly or wrongly) that not all partners have equal pull at Cravath. So how could a good associate ever hope to make partner? Does it just come down to the good luck of being assigned to the right people’s stuff (and then, of course, having the right people like you)?

[Sackboy]

It's the same recipe as elsewhere: (1) Be a great associate (both on the soft skill side and on the technical side), (2) network within the firm, (3) make it clear that you're interested in partnership and improving to get it as you get senior, (4) make it to year 7-8 at Cravath (or 8-12 elsewhere), and (5) bill sufficiently high enough hours every year where you're clearly a "team player". It's not rocket science, folks. Of course, you could network with the wrong partners, be subject to some sort of discrimination, etc., but (1)-(5) is all that is in your control to any reasonable degree.

[Anonymous User]

It's the same recipe as elsewhere: (1) Be a great associate (both on the soft skill side and on the technical side), (2) network within the firm, (3) make it clear that you're interested in partnership and improving to get it as you get senior, (4) make it to year 7-8 at Cravath (or 8-12 elsewhere), and (5) bill sufficiently high enough hours every year where you're clearly a "team player". It's not rocket science, folks. Of course, you could network with the wrong partners, be subject to some sort of discrimination, etc., but (1)-(5) is all that is in your control to any reasonable degree.

How many associates (out of the roughly 100 or so in each class) do you think stick it out to year 8 for partnership elections? I personally think the 8-year equity partnership track is still a big selling point for the firm, especially when virtually every other firm is stretching it out to 9+ years and/or creating a nonequity class. You make partnership at the firm sound like a realistic path...but the firm's attrition rate has always been rumored to be super high and has only gone up this past year. Just curious about how desirable and achievable partnership really is.

[Sackboy]

How many associates (out of the roughly 100 or so in each class) do you think stick it out to year 8 for partnership elections? I personally think the 8-year equity partnership track is still a big selling point for the firm, especially when virtually every other firm is stretching it out to 9+ years and/or creating a nonequity class. You make partnership at the firm sound like a realistic path...but the firm's attrition rate has always been rumored to be super high and has only gone up this past year. Just curious about how desirable and achievable partnership really is.

3-4-5 out of 100? Something like that. Partnership is a realistic possibility if you check off the 5 boxes I've noted. It is, however, not realistic to check off those 5 boxes. No law school student should give a shit about partnership at any given firm, because they've never worked at a firm and have no idea of the sacrifice it takes. Cravath's 7-8 year path (some make it in 7) is irrelevant compared to actual hours you'll work, work from home flexibility, actual working conditions, what time of work you'll do, etc. Those matter a million times more to associates who don't want to be miserable shells of themselves for a decade of their youthful years. If you're the person who checks the 5 above boxes and would get equity at Cravath, you'll get equity everywhere else. Superstars are noticeable and will get rewarded (outside of those nasty things outside of your control like awful economic conditions or discrimination).

Cravath isn't even particularly desirable now that it's no longer pure lockstep if you're a gunning law student. There are 15 or so firms with higher PPP.

Partnership in general doesn't seem very desirable in biglaw, unless you're just interested in niche industry prefffftige and $$$$$. Almost all (though not all) of the partners I've worked with are stressed out and miserable creatures in biglaw. How wouldn't you be when you're on a million deals, have clients with insane expectations, are working 50hr+ weeks for years on end vs your gov't friends who "work" 40hrs a week which is really 15hrs of actual work and 25hrs of buying shit on amazon and browsing the web, constantly have to train and raise up new associates, etc.? Read the article about the Sidley partner who jumped off a parking garage. $$$$ and preffftige won't buy you happiness, unless you're a psycho. This is why the majority of people exit to in-house jobs, boutiques with better lifestyles, midlaw, with better lifestyles, gov't, or the law in general. They all offer many folks a much better life than a 40 year biglaw grind where I guess you're rich in the end which is cool and all as a 65yr+ old with a declining body and mind.

[Anonymous User]

It's the same recipe as elsewhere: (1) Be a great associate (both on the soft skill side and on the technical side), (2) network within the firm, (3) make it clear that you're interested in partnership and improving to get it as you get senior, (4) make it to year 7-8 at Cravath (or 8-12 elsewhere), and (5) bill sufficiently high enough hours every year where you're clearly a "team player". It's not rocket science, folks. Of course, you could network with the wrong partners, be subject to some sort of discrimination, etc., but (1)-(5) is all that is in your control to any reasonable degree.

OP here. That makes sense, but isn’t (2) just way harder if you work with fewer people and can’t control who you work with?

[Sackboy]

OP here. That makes sense, but isn’t (2) just way harder if you work with fewer people and can’t control who you work with?

For networking, there are always social activities, pro bono matters, committees, etc. that allow you to network. Regardless, I think your qualm isn't even a real issue anyway.

As for rotations, you can't really pick who you work for very much at any law firm. You can to a greater degree than at Cravath, but you're going to be stuck with a small subset of partners from your group wherever you go, and it's unlikely that those are going to be exclusively or (at all) rainmakers. If you come up through Cravath and impress the however many partners you rotate through, you're not going to have any issue.

[The Lsat Airbender]

OP here. That makes sense, but isn’t (2) just way harder if you work with fewer people and can’t control who you work with?

For networking, there are always social activities, pro bono matters, committees, etc. that allow you to network. Regardless, I think your qualm isn't even a real issue anyway.

Yeah, the whole point of networking is to build some political capital beyond the circle of people you've worked with. That way, when you're up for partner, random patherns say to each other "oh yeah I like anon, did great work on the Women's Committee last year" and it's generally just easier for people to imagine you as a permanent fixture.