Big Law

Has anyone given a 2 weeks notice but was told you should leave earlier than that?

So why is the photo for this bowl a poorly cropped Michael Jordan meme?

I submitted lateral applications on my own three weeks ago and have not heard back (radio silence). Thinking of reaching out to a recruiter to help me - how soon can they apply to the same firms for m… more

For anyone that moved in-house, are there any questions you wish you had asked but didn’t ask your law firm before resigning? Anything about conflicts/malpractice insurance, benefits etc. I’m looking … more

Today is the day of my review and im usually so anxious but im super calm. 🤷

How likely is Freshfields going to impose a minimum billable hours req for bonus in the next couple of years?

What is with the weird recruiters lately sending emails from [name][year]@gmail.com. I wasn’t looking anyway, but I certainly wouldn’t work with someone whose recruiting email looks like a spam email… more

How difficult is it to get an SDNY district court clerkship as a first year litigation associate at a v10? Is it one of those things that as long as you did decent in law school and are in Big Law, yo… more

How does it work when you lateral to KE as a 5th-6th year associate? Do you come over as NEP?

I blinked and now I'm a 7th year and too senior for all the mid-level lateral moves. Where do I go from here?

Ever been on a VC deal with a junior on the other side leading the deal - clearly unsupervised - and you feel like you’re their supervising associate? How to navigate this dynamic?

What happens to your federal law school loans when you get laid off? Can I pause payments or will I still need to pay the full monthly payment while I'm unemployed?

How many hours are you actually in the office to bill 8 hours of client work?

Is giving a gift to a partner weird/inadvisable? Recently lateraled and a partner (not in my group) was very kind in welcoming me to the office and I felt good rapport in our conversations. I don’t li… more

associate provides memo/brief an our later than initially expected. Partner freaks and claims they won’t have enough time to review. Nothing is due until Wednesday.

Who is in the wrong.

Working on a complicated, all consuming deal under an incompetent lateral partner that clearly oversold their capabilities for this type of work and can’t even issue spot to the level of a good midlev… more

Joined a firm (came from in-house) and a lot of the associates (mainly juniors) indicate they underbill. They’d rather underbill as it makes them look good for the partners, so they can be used more a… more

How do you find time to do marketing/business development? I have a small book already but I’m so bogged down by billables to do meaningful thought leadership. I’m a senior associate now so my practic… more

Signing bonuses back? Recruiters keep talking about them but not sure how much of it is smoke

I'm a mid-level privacy associate about to be let go - are there any practice areas I could potentially pivot to, given that hiring in my field seems slow? I am thinking tech transactions (I'v… more

Curious from the partners’ perspective, what’s the difference between write-offs vs. not billing. I spent 12 hours on a substantive memo on a new inquiry from an existing client. Partner told me to en… more

How do you ever switch off as a mid-level when you inevitably get emails “I know you’re out of office, but…”? I have not been able to take any time off (including any single weekend) in over a year an… more

When associates are at-will employees, why do big law firms pay severance? Is that because the associate will take unemployment after being laid off, increasing the insurance rate for the law firm, or… more

Insight into Sheppard’s healthcare M&A group or Sheppard generally?

What does comp structure look like for a NEP at K&E?

Best ways to get out of non-billable work? I billed 2200 hours last year (hundreds of hours over our requirement) and hit above bonus my first two years too. A partner has been on my ass to do more no… more

What’s RTO like at K&E Chicago office? Enforced, and if so, for just associates or across the board?

Texas associates: how casual are yall in the office? Am in the minority in a polo and lululemon abcs with boots/drivers?

Possible to lateral from a midsized (“regional biglaw”) firm to a Chambers Band 1 practice in the AmLaw 100? I’m being vague on purpose but I want to know if there’s any point in interviewing. In lit,… more

Hurt my back lifting weights, and sitting at my desk has only aggravated it. Has anyone filed a workers comp claim before?

Tips on pivoting from project finance to energy regulatory?

Is doing a secondment as a mid level career suicide if I’m aiming for counsel/income partner?

Senior partner I barely worked with gave me a terrible review (4th year). Essentially, called me lazy, not caring about my job, sloppy, and not performing at class level (based on my 1-2 work products… more

Recently lateraled to a firm that offers 20 PTO days per year. Would it be a faux pas to take a 2 week vacation at the 6 month mark? Better to wait longer for that kind of trip?

Tax LLM: Accept offer for market paying DC firm or roll the dice at TIP for an offer in NYC?

I want to live in NYC but I got a pre-TIP/OCI offer for a market paying DC firm. Everything is great about i… more

How granular are your time entries during trial?

Anyone remember the prolific poster John from years ago?

What is the RTO/face time rules/enforcement at K&E NY and specifically the complex securitization group? Debating offers here. Thanks!