Law Firm Interviews - any NY lawyers out there?

[DigDug]

Finished my first year of law. Made Law Review. Very grateful to have so many interviews....now I have seven callbacks:

1. Weil Gotshal
2. Kramer Levin
3. Piper Rudnick
4. Clifford Chance
5. Blank Rome
6. Bryan Cave
7. Holland and Knight

They are all good firms. They all start at $125k. But I'm interested in learning about firm culture. Any info or opinions on these firms?

 

[phatcow]

125k a year starting salary?



woah


this is after your bar?

 

[optoman]

I assume you have not finished school yet? The market sucks and they aren't hiring that many new grads. About 50% are finding jobs straight out of school and the average is about 95K in the tri-state area. Not a good time to be a lawyer.

Good luck!

 

[SirDante]

Originally posted by: phatcow
125k a year starting salary?



woah


this is after your bar?

yeah, during your summer after your second year, some get $2500+ a week from a big firm :Q

 

[axelfox]

way to go on the Law Review. On the other side of things, I just got chewed out by my civ. pro. professor b/c he thought I wasn't prepared (I got nervous when he called and I went blank) and then I got a 4 out of 10 on my case brief (shouldn't have followed that stupid book).

I heard jr. lawyers just research though. hey, for 125k a year.....

 

[SirDante]

Originally posted by: axelfox
way to go on the Law Review. On the other side of things, I just got chewed out by my civ. pro. professor b/c he thought I wasn't prepared (I got nervous when he called and I went blank) and then I got a 4 out of 10 on my case brief (shouldn't have followed that stupid book).

I heard jr. lawyers just research though. hey, for 125k a year.....

Civ Pro? What, you're a week into law school and already thinking of getting paid?

Law Review here is solely based on a write on competition. Grades aren't considered so it's not as prestigious.

 

[DigDug]

Optoman, this is the way it works:

1. You go to law school.

2. You do well

3. You get many interviews at NY firms.

3. You are given an offer to be a "summer" associate, that is, working at the firm during the second summer of law school. 99% of all firms in NY pay a 2400/week salary (based on a 120k annum salary).

3. At the end of your summer position, you are given an offer for permanent employment after graduation (up unitll a few years ago, the offer was automatically given...at most places, it still is.)

4. You start work right out of law school (in NY, that is, since all the firms have the same base salary)at $125k.


It's NEVER a bad time to be a GOOD lawyer.

 

[SirDante]

I'm not sure $2400/week is enough to sit in front of Lexis or Westlaw for 10+ hours a day.

Due to the bad economy everyone and their mother (literally) is applying to law school these days.

BlipBlop: all LARGE firms more like it right?

 

[SirDante]

i goto a UC law school. not the good ones. haha!

 

[DigDug]

SirDante,

You are right. Law school seems to be the escapist's haven of choice, considering that business (and read by the people to mean business school) is what caused the economic downturn to begin with. I'm really, really happy to make law review. At my school, membership is had by making the top 10% of the class, which is how I got on, or writing a stellar memorandum during the writing competition.

Three years ago, those in the top 20% of the class were being thrown about 30 interviews, 25 second-round (callback) interviews and 10 offers. Now shrink those by a bit and you have what the Law Review kids are getting. It scary. I know kids in the top 15% who have 2 interviews total. Since we are not NYU or Columbia, its hard. Outside of those two schools, the ease of getting a job - admittedly, a "biglaw" job, i.e. $125k - only rests with the top 10% of the class in the remaining schools. Strangely, the market seems to consist of either $125k jobs or $40-70k "less savory" ones. There's no in between. Its an either-you-got-the-goods-or-you-don't attitude.

Now you see why I am so very, very, very, grateful for the fortunate position I am in.

 

[Vincent]

Because of the poor economy this summer (no one's doing any deals) one of my NYC lawyer friends just gets paid to read the NY Times.

 

[SirDante]

Originally posted by: Vincent
Because of the poor economy this summer (no one's doing any deals) one of my NYC lawyer friends just gets paid to read the NY Times.

Well it's bad but that bad? I have plenty of 3L friends with 100k+ jobs waiting for them when they graduate. Maybe the NY market is tighter than California.

Blip: Congrats. Top 10% is great no matter where you're at and you'll definately hook up with a top firm. I spent too much time on ATOT and with other distractions instead of at the library last year....

 

[optoman]

Originally posted by: BlipBlop
Optoman, this is the way it works:

1. You go to law school.

2. You do well

3. You get many interviews at NY firms.

3. You are given an offer to be a "summer" associate, that is, working at the firm during the second summer of law school. 99% of all firms in NY pay a 2400/week salary (based on a 120k annum salary).

3. At the end of your summer position, you are given an offer for permanent employment after graduation (up unitll a few years ago, the offer was automatically given...at most places, it still is.)

4. You start work right out of law school (in NY, that is, since all the firms have the same base salary)at $125k.


It's NEVER a bad time to be a GOOD lawyer.

3b. Not all firms are giving 2400/wk

3c & 4. Out of about 10 lawyers I know, only half got offers and they averaged around 95K

With the cost of living being so high you need to make 100K to afford anything. I made 70K with a BS in engineering.

 

[DigDug]

Optoman:

two words: lock-step compensation (or is that three?)


All joking aside, you are right. The legal market is no longer the secure place it once was = but it is still more secure than most fields, hands down. And I was wrong when I said 99% of all NYC Firms - I meant 99% of all NALP firms, in other words, the big ones, which frankly, are the ones that people want to work at.

 

[optoman]

Originally posted by: BlipBlop
Optoman:

two words: lock-step compensation (or is that three?)


All joking aside, you are right. The legal market is no longer the secure place it once was = but it is still more secure than most fields, hands down. And I was wrong when I said 99% of all NYC Firms - I meant 99% of all NALP firms, in other words, the big ones, which frankly, are the ones that people want to work at.

I don't know it all but I guess you are the tops then. Congrats on the offer BTW and don't spend it all in one place.

 

[SirDante]

public interest is huge at my school. imagine working your ass off for $30k a year. oh wait, plenty of people do that already.

 

[yellowperil]

Congrats on making law review. I'm only in my 4th week and already given up hope for doing so