Cooley Law Has Real Trouble Getting Its Graduates To Pass The Bar Exam: And the ABA has a real issue with that. Everyone Knows Biglaw Associates Work A Lot Of Hours: But where do the work the *most*? Biglaw Firm Files Lawsuit Against A Former Associate: After they say she made false allegations of sexual assault against a partner. Paul Weiss And Kirkland Got Some 'Splainin To Do (Again): Because how they're paying off their pro bono payola sure seems like it violates the law.
Since the start of the Trump II reign, and the attack on the rule of law that coincided with that, it's been clear that Biglaw wasn't going to be our savior. When d irectly confronted with unconstitutional Executive Orders targeting firms on Trump's list for retribution, more than twice as many major law firm were willing to promise the president nearly a billion dollars in pro bono payola for conservative causes or clients as were willing to fight the EOs in court.
Biglaw in particular runs on insecurity. Not only do lawyers work insane hours, they're expected to perform with absolute precision. From day one, the message is clear: Miss a deadline (even if arbitrary) or make an error (however inconsequential), and your career is toast. The culture of extreme perfectionism breeds fear and anxiety, yet it remains the industry standard. The question is what this is doing to lawyers' mental state.
Armed with data from SurePoint Legal Insights about changes in headcount over the last six months, Lat concludes that "the Trump deals might be affecting, but not fundamentally altering, law firms' overall trajectories." Whether coincidence or cause and effect, or some combination thereof, a few stats are worth highlighting: On average, Am Law 100 firms saw attrition of -1.7% The five firms subjected to executive orders that did not capitulate averaged a 2.8% decline in headcount The nine firms that made deals with Trump averaged a 4.9% drop
Associates crave training and mentorship opportunities, but not every Biglaw firm has been able to fulfill their end of the bargain. The American Lawyer just released its midlevel associates survey, and as noted by Dan Roe, "the sheer existence of a mentorship program or formal training doesn't guarantee that midlevel associates are being adequately mentored." He goes on to explain that today's midlevels are seeking out guidance, but that some programs are missing the mark:
* Google avoids having to spin off Chrome. [Law360] * Lawyers using time saved by AI for more work. [Legal Cheek] * Charging documents for former Biglaw associate arrested in D.C. say someone said hostile things to National Guard troops and a day later they decided it was him. We might have another no bill on our hands. [National Law Journal]
Assuming 52 weeks a year, working 2400 hours means working over 46 hours a week, week in and week out. That's a little over 9 hours a day assuming a five-day week. I know, what big law associate works 5 days a week? At 6 days a week, your daily grind is manageable 7.6 hours a day. Of course, that means working what most people would consider a full day every single Saturday.
Some of the attorneys are resurfacing months later in jobs outside of Big Law, from running for Congress to working at a small firm taking on the Trump administration.
The 6th Circuit cited the U.S. Supreme Court's 1981 decision in Upjohn Co. v. United States, which held that attorney-client privilege applies when companies seek legal advice through internal investigations.
Milbank has taken a lead on attorney compensation for a while now, causing ripples in the old guard "wait and see" approach in Biglaw by issuing earlier bonuses and even cost of living adjustments to keep its team properly valued.
Neal Katyal, a partner at Milbank, typically charges $3,250 per hour, but will charge $300 per hour to defend Newark and Hoboken in immigration policy lawsuits.
A legal secretary at the Big Law firm I worked at knew she was going to be fired, so the day before, she went into a bunch of partners' emails and sent their wives evidence of infidelity, printed out confidential employee evaluations and communications about bonuses/pay and left them in everyone's desk, and then cleaned out the swag closet and dropped several thousand dollars' worth of merchandise with the law firm's name and logo off at a homeless encampment.
"This is often a stressful time for families with autism or sensory issues. So I like to have this event to really bring the families together to experience and hopefully have a core memory around Red, White and BOOM!"
Morris, Manning & Martin is poised for highly strategic and transformational options for growth," Malko said. "We are in advanced discussions with a national Am Law 100 firm...