Related Posts
How do we measure OOH these days? Anybody?
What day is it?

Love my leftover pizza in the mornings

Can we expect a permanent wfh option?
Additional Posts in Law
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.





Compensation wise: littler’s bonus is discretionary; JL’s depends only on your hours. However - if I worked the same number of hours at JL as I did at littler, I’d still make about 50-60k less last year.
Partnership wise: JL focuses mostly on the number of hours worked by you, or others at the firm, for clients you either originated or received some credit for. Littler is more “holistic.” But littler is much more centralized. Everything is critiqued by a central committee. For example, for annual reviews, a group gets together for two weeks in a room somewhere and reviews every single associate in the firm. So even if you have office buy in, if there aren’t the right people between you and the committee, you’re screwed. I haven’t gone up for elevation yet, but it’s similar to that process. And the firm is currently really focused on practice groups. So if you can be a standout in w&h class actions, or labor, or privacy, or what have you, great. If you’re “just” a really good litigator, “nobody knows you” so you have to work harder.
Intangibles: littler operates more like a full service, better funded firm. Nicer / more recently updated offices, pays for associates to park in HCOL, yearly or semi annual associate retreat, etc. JL is perhaps more “entrepreneurial” in the sense of constant emphasis on business development, smaller clients, roll up your sleeves attitude. Because of it, I think the equity shareholders take home more. But their income partners make less than a senior associate at Littler.
Also, in terms of worklife, don’t write off (pun intended) how much extra non billable work and admin is involved in working for small, no-in-house-attorney EPLI clients. Working 1900 hours for large, institutional clients without an insurance carrier looking over your shoulder can feel easier than 1850 with it.
Oh, for 3b or 4a I’d be shocked if it wasn’t 200k+. Borderline HCOL (non-NY/LA/DC/SF) is in the 270-285 range
The insurance cases are annoying to deal with. They fight back on every time entry and you spend so much time fighting it. Not sure about littler, but at JL you don’t have opportunities to work with other offices so if there’s specific work you want to do make sure the partners at your office do that.
Littler definitely does a LOT more cross office work. I work with shareholders from all over the country. Also almost no EPLI. JL was like 90%.
f