My Firm is So Cheap That They . . . Forum

[Anonymous User]

Thought this might be a fun thread. Simply finish the sentence and name the firm. I'll start.

My firm is so cheap that they sent around a four page policy memorandum on how to get reimbursed for $25 dollar in-person lunches. Note the Palo Alto office must eat at the firm cafeteria and only gets $18 dollars as opposed to the $25 (inclusive of tax, tip and any other fees).

Wilson Sonsini.

[Anonymous User]

Note the Palo Alto office must eat at the firm cafeteria and only gets $18 dollars as opposed to the $25 (inclusive of tax, tip and any other fees).

This is a plus because AFAIK these meals are tax-exempt.

[Anonymous User]

My firm is so cheap that they: still haven't matched Cravath...

[Anonymous User]

What does this mean must eat at the cafeteria, are you not allowed to bring in a sandwich? Or must eat in the cafeteria for it to be free. My firm doesn't pay for my lunch.

[Anonymous User]

What does this mean must eat at the cafeteria, are you not allowed to bring in a sandwich? Or must eat in the cafeteria for it to be free. My firm doesn't pay for my lunch.

Firm sponsored meals to promote in-person interaction. If you choose to have the firm pay or reimburse you for the meal, at work in the PA office, you must eat at the cafeteria for it to be reimbursable. Sorry, no Chipotle. Limit, once per week and must be group approved.

[Anonymous User]

My firm is so cheap they have never offered a technology stipend, and even made people go in person to their offices early on during the pandemic to pick up their external monitors for WFH.

[Anonymous User]

During the height of covid they sent us a gift package. Mine consisted of a coffee mug with jelly beans inside of it. When I got it the mug was broken and the jelly beans spilled throughout the package.

Foley and Lardner.

[Anonymous User]

My firm is so cheap they have never offered a technology stipend, and even made people go in person to their offices early on during the pandemic to pick up their external monitors for WFH.

BCLP?

[Anonymous User]

Deleted.

[Anonymous User]

Thought this might be a fun thread. Simply finish the sentence and name the firm. I'll start.

My firm is so cheap that they sent around a four page policy memorandum on how to get reimbursed for $25 dollar in-person lunches. Note the Palo Alto office must eat at the firm cafeteria and only gets $18 dollars as opposed to the $25 (inclusive of tax, tip and any other fees).

Wilson Sonsini.

You guys get reimbursed for in-person lunches???

-Weil associate

[Anonymous User]

During the height of covid they sent us a gift package. Mine consisted of a coffee mug with jelly beans inside of it. When I got it the mug was broken and the jelly beans spilled throughout the package.

Foley and Lardner.

Any thoughts on whether Foley is going to match the new Cravath scale, even for the first 3 years? Failure to even do that is the bigger sign of cheapness imo

[Anonymous User]

During the height of covid they sent us a gift package. Mine consisted of a coffee mug with jelly beans inside of it. When I got it the mug was broken and the jelly beans spilled throughout the package.

Foley and Lardner.

Any thoughts on whether Foley is going to match the new Cravath scale, even for the first 3 years? Failure to even do that is the bigger sign of cheapness imo

I would bet they will but they will wait until mid-year to announce and then push the effectiveness until 2023 (new pay will start in Feb 2023). That's their modus operandi for market raises (I'm a 7th year and every raise was like this). They'll also do compression after year 3 - my current comp (before the raises) is 30k below NYC market salary.

[Wanderingdrock]

During the height of covid they sent us a gift package. Mine consisted of a coffee mug with jelly beans inside of it. When I got it the mug was broken and the jelly beans spilled throughout the package.

Foley and Lardner.

Any thoughts on whether Foley is going to match the new Cravath scale, even for the first 3 years? Failure to even do that is the bigger sign of cheapness imo

I would bet they will but they will wait until mid-year to announce and then push the effectiveness until 2023 (new pay will start in Feb 2023). That's their modus operandi for market raises (I'm a 7th year and every raise was like this). They'll also do compression after year 3 - my current comp (before the raises) is 30k below NYC market salary.

Why do you work there

[Anonymous User]

During the height of covid they sent us a gift package. Mine consisted of a coffee mug with jelly beans inside of it. When I got it the mug was broken and the jelly beans spilled throughout the package.

Foley and Lardner.

Any thoughts on whether Foley is going to match the new Cravath scale, even for the first 3 years? Failure to even do that is the bigger sign of cheapness imo

I would bet they will but they will wait until mid-year to announce and then push the effectiveness until 2023 (new pay will start in Feb 2023). That's their modus operandi for market raises (I'm a 7th year and every raise was like this). They'll also do compression after year 3 - my current comp (before the raises) is 30k below NYC market salary.

Why do you work there

Secondary market so pay has historically been top of market; with the most recent raise it no longer is. If things go my way I'll be leaving sometime this year.

[Anonymous User]

You’re only allowed to get better pens with seniority. Want a pen that costs $1 from Costco? You better be a partner. At least attorneys weren’t forced to use the 5 cent big pens like secretaries were

Fried Frank

[Wanderingdrock]

During the height of covid they sent us a gift package. Mine consisted of a coffee mug with jelly beans inside of it. When I got it the mug was broken and the jelly beans spilled throughout the package.

Foley and Lardner.

Any thoughts on whether Foley is going to match the new Cravath scale, even for the first 3 years? Failure to even do that is the bigger sign of cheapness imo

I would bet they will but they will wait until mid-year to announce and then push the effectiveness until 2023 (new pay will start in Feb 2023). That's their modus operandi for market raises (I'm a 7th year and every raise was like this). They'll also do compression after year 3 - my current comp (before the raises) is 30k below NYC market salary.

Why do you work there

Secondary market so pay has historically been top of market; with the most recent raise it no longer is. If things go my way I'll be leaving sometime this year.

Thanks for the response. That makes a ton of sense, and I wish you the best of luck with your job search this year.

[Anonymous User]

During the height of covid they sent us a gift package. Mine consisted of a coffee mug with jelly beans inside of it. When I got it the mug was broken and the jelly beans spilled throughout the package.

Foley and Lardner.

Any thoughts on whether Foley is going to match the new Cravath scale, even for the first 3 years? Failure to even do that is the bigger sign of cheapness imo

I would bet they will but they will wait until mid-year to announce and then push the effectiveness until 2023 (new pay will start in Feb 2023). That's their modus operandi for market raises (I'm a 7th year and every raise was like this). They'll also do compression after year 3 - my current comp (before the raises) is 30k below NYC market salary.

Why do you work there

Secondary market so pay has historically been top of market; with the most recent raise it no longer is. If things go my way I'll be leaving sometime this year.

Thanks for the response. That makes a ton of sense, and I wish you the best of luck with your job search this year.

FWIW I genuinely like the place. Overall, more good people than bad. I've really liked my team and the partners do seem to care. That said, last year got a bit out of hand and we were short staffed (they never would admit it but a lot of people left for more money). I am just burnt out and exhausted. If they gave me 3 or 6 months off (full or partially paid) I'd probably stay and give it another 2-3 years. But I'm ready for a change of pace. Hopefully I can find that somewhere else.

[Anonymous User]

My firm is so cheap that it limited its Cravath scale match just to its US offices despite being a NY-based international firm with US attorneys working in various overseas offices. Its Asian offices haven't yet matched the current NY scale even though some of them are much busier than its NY office. Terrible, abysmal hours. Associates in certain Asian offices drowning in work, dying. Still getting paid under the old DPW scale. Associates in a few offices even getting paid under the antiquated 180k scale. Hours suck everywhere but at least compensation has to be market-level. That's the only way biglaw works.

W&C

This is terrible, so much for being the MOST "international" firm out there....

[Anonymous User]

Many years ago my firm imposed a $10/person limit on summer lunches. After much complaining, they generously increased the limit to $15/person, allowing us to get reimbursed for guac and a soda at Chipotle (back when they were good).

[Anonymous User]

They didn't give associates the non-free version of adobe pdf unless they begged and had a specific reason to use it. They refused to give summers adobe pdf, so as a summer associate I couldn't even OCR documents and had to read 300+ page deposition transcripts to find things without being able to control-f search. This was at Boies Schiller.

[Anonymous User]

They didn't give associates the non-free version of adobe pdf unless they begged and had a specific reason to use it. They refused to give summers adobe pdf, so as a summer associate I couldn't even OCR documents and had to read 300+ page deposition transcripts to find things without being able to control-f search. This was at Boies Schiller.

Wow. The other posts have been cheap, but this is idiotically cheap.

[Anonymous User]

They didn't give associates the non-free version of adobe pdf unless they begged and had a specific reason to use it. They refused to give summers adobe pdf, so as a summer associate I couldn't even OCR documents and had to read 300+ page deposition transcripts to find things without being able to control-f search. This was at Boies Schiller.

Wow. The other posts have been cheap, but this is idiotically cheap.

Penny wise, dollar stupid.

[TUwave]

They didn't give associates the non-free version of adobe pdf unless they begged and had a specific reason to use it. They refused to give summers adobe pdf, so as a summer associate I couldn't even OCR documents and had to read 300+ page deposition transcripts to find things without being able to control-f search. This was at Boies Schiller.

Wow. The other posts have been cheap, but this is idiotically cheap.

Penny wise, dollar stupid.

They're just billing out all that time it takes to review though...

[Anonymous User]

They didn't give associates the non-free version of adobe pdf unless they begged and had a specific reason to use it. They refused to give summers adobe pdf, so as a summer associate I couldn't even OCR documents and had to read 300+ page deposition transcripts to find things without being able to control-f search. This was at Boies Schiller.

Wow. The other posts have been cheap, but this is idiotically cheap.

Penny wise, dollar stupid.

They're just billing out all that time it takes to review though...

Okay then. Dollar wise, ethics stupid.

Not that clients pay for summers, but I imagine at least some of their clients haven't been too keen on paying thousands of dollars for associate review of long PDFs.

[Bramwell]

My firm is so cheap that it limited its Cravath scale match just to its US offices despite being a NY-based international firm with US attorneys working in various overseas offices. Its Asian offices haven't yet matched the current NY scale even though some of them are much busier than its NY office. Terrible, abysmal hours. Associates in certain Asian offices drowning in work, dying. Still getting paid under the old DPW scale. Associates in a few offices even getting paid under the antiquated 180k scale. Hours suck everywhere but at least compensation has to be market-level. That's the only way biglaw works.

W&C

so go to a competitor. And if competitors are paying the same (or less), then I suppose your firm isn’t that cheap after all.