Robbins Geller insight? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone here have insight into the hours/lifestyle of associates at Robbins Geller (hours, schedule predictability, number of matters, running point on matters, and any info on comp, if you have it)?

[Anonymous User]

I worked at a competitor - so these answers are not exact, but should be close:

1) hours will be around big law (I worked more plaintiff side then I do now in big law, but my firm was known to be a bit of a meat grinder.)

2) predictability is usually high - the type of litigation RG does is very schedule heavy and outside discovery disputes you should know all your big timelines. Even though I worked a lot a rarely had weekends blown up and never really cancelled plans.

3) number of matters is hardest for me to guess, as I manage it varies a bit more firm to firm. I would say six to eight was the norm at my firm with about half really active at any one time (lots of sitting around for the court to decide.) but obviously lots of cases getting hot at once contributes to point 1.

4) comp is a lot less base than big law. Bonuses will reflect firm performance, but I would be skeptical if anyone tells you you’re going to make near big law in a good year (I was told that - it was not true.)

Junior partner comp is also lower from what I’ve heard, though some firms let junior partners get a taste when they settle cases even if they are not equity.

Once you’re equity you can make a lot - more than big law in good years, but it’s varied year to year.

[Anonymous User]

I worked at a competitor - so these answers are not exact, but should be close:

1) hours will be around big law (I worked more plaintiff side then I do now in big law, but my firm was known to be a bit of a meat grinder.)

2) predictability is usually high - the type of litigation RG does is very schedule heavy and outside discovery disputes you should know all your big timelines. Even though I worked a lot a rarely had weekends blown up and never really cancelled plans.

3) number of matters is hardest for me to guess, as I manage it varies a bit more firm to firm. I would say six to eight was the norm at my firm with about half really active at any one time (lots of sitting around for the court to decide.) but obviously lots of cases getting hot at once contributes to point 1.

4) comp is a lot less base than big law. Bonuses will reflect firm performance, but I would be skeptical if anyone tells you you’re going to make near big law in a good year (I was told that - it was not true.)

Junior partner comp is also lower from what I’ve heard, though some firms let junior partners get a taste when they settle cases even if they are not equity.

Once you’re equity you can make a lot - more than big law in good years, but it’s varied year to year.

OP here. Thank you for your response!

I’ve read/heard that, generally, p-side base comp goes up $5-10k/year. Does that track with your experience?

Do you have a sense of what a non-equity partner makes? I’m sure it depends on the firm. But would it be more than a big law junior associate?

And, if you’re willing to share - why did you switch to big law?

[Anonymous User]

I work at a competitor of Robins Geller as well. I interviewed with all the major players in the space when I made the switch to this side of the V and one thing I will say is that there is a ton of variability in culture, work hours, etc. You really need to shop around.

I make more than NYC market in decent/good years and work comparable hours to my prior role in big law but with more responsibility and predictability. Even in bad years my base is comparable to that of a junior associate in big law which is perfectly fine.

[Anonymous User]

I work at a competitor of Robins Geller as well. I interviewed with all the major players in the space when I made the switch to this side of the V and one thing I will say is that there is a ton of variability in culture, work hours, etc. You really need to shop around.

I make more than NYC market in decent/good years and work comparable hours to my prior role in big law but with more responsibility and predictability. Even in bad years my base is comparable to that of a junior associate in big law which is perfectly fine.

Would you mind providing any insight on your general thoughts about the major players?

[Anonymous User]

I worked at a competitor - so these answers are not exact, but should be close:

1) hours will be around big law (I worked more plaintiff side then I do now in big law, but my firm was known to be a bit of a meat grinder.)

2) predictability is usually high - the type of litigation RG does is very schedule heavy and outside discovery disputes you should know all your big timelines. Even though I worked a lot a rarely had weekends blown up and never really cancelled plans.

3) number of matters is hardest for me to guess, as I manage it varies a bit more firm to firm. I would say six to eight was the norm at my firm with about half really active at any one time (lots of sitting around for the court to decide.) but obviously lots of cases getting hot at once contributes to point 1.

4) comp is a lot less base than big law. Bonuses will reflect firm performance, but I would be skeptical if anyone tells you you’re going to make near big law in a good year (I was told that - it was not true.)

Junior partner comp is also lower from what I’ve heard, though some firms let junior partners get a taste when they settle cases even if they are not equity.

Once you’re equity you can make a lot - more than big law in good years, but it’s varied year to year.

OP here. Thank you for your response!

I’ve read/heard that, generally, p-side base comp goes up $5-10k/year. Does that track with your experience?

Do you have a sense of what a non-equity partner makes? I’m sure it depends on the firm. But would it be more than a big law junior associate?

And, if you’re willing to share - why did you switch to big law?

Posted the original details here

$5-10k a year sounds rightish, probably more when you are years 3-6 because that’s when biglaw sees the big salary bumps, but you start falling further behind biglaw as you get more senior.

No clue if non-equity junior partner salaries, definitely more than a big law junior - probably less than a big law non equity junior partner but potentially higher in good years.

Left to pursue more specific interests outside my practice area P-side, but the hours plus lower salary made the decision easier.

Agree with other posters that the space is a lot more varied compared to biglaw, so my experience is not true of all these firms, though from what I’ve heard Robins is more similar to the firm I was at than different.

[Anonymous User]

I work at a competitor of Robins Geller as well. I interviewed with all the major players in the space when I made the switch to this side of the V and one thing I will say is that there is a ton of variability in culture, work hours, etc. You really need to shop around.

I make more than NYC market in decent/good years and work comparable hours to my prior role in big law but with more responsibility and predictability. Even in bad years my base is comparable to that of a junior associate in big law which is perfectly fine.

Would you mind providing any insight on your general thoughts about the major players?

Sure. Assuming you’re talking about plaintiffs side securities lit, you can get a good glimpse of who the successful firms are from the ISS top 10 verdicts each year. One thing to take into account is the size of the respective firms and how generous the partnership is. A $100m verdict goes a lot further at a 30 person firm than a 200 person firm.

Generally speaking, the top firms are Bernstein Litowitz, BFA (as of late), Robins Geller, and Labaton. All these firms have solid litigators, compete for lead plaintiff regularly, and have had a great deal of success in the past few years with some very large verdicts.

I’d say Kessler Topaz, Berman Tobacco, Saxena White, and Pomerantz are still good firms but maybe a tier below the ones mentioned. Then you have firms that are not primarily securities firms but do the work well and are elite in other respects. Cohen Millstein and Leiff Cabreser come to mind.

This is more based on the quality of the work than factors that matter most to an associate like compensation and WLB. With the larger firms, your experience can vary from case to case or supervising partner.

[Anonymous User]

Bumping this thread for more concrete info on Robbins Geller when it comes to culture, hours, and comp.

[Anonymous User]

Hah. Funny to see this thread get bumped - I'm OP. About to start at one of the firms (not RGRD) listed above.

Have some salary data from when some of the listed securities shops participated in the National Plaintiff Law Association job fair:
- Labaton: $155k
- KTMC: $150k (Radnor), $180k (SF)
- LCHB: $140k