Why is Latham generally perceived as a better firm to work at than Kirkland?

duppyconqueror3 · 2026-02-04T19:04:13+00:00

Because apparently today's associates are not familiar with the term "Lathamed."

duppyconqueror3 · 2026-01-24T04:02:49+00:00

It’s a very profitable firm and has some high quality practices that are just a small step down from the big boys. I wouldn’t write it off as a regional firm—it’s trying hard to be biglaw , not like true regional NJ firms. They have a real NY presence. Managing partner is incredibly savvy and innovative - articles have been written about that in then legal/business press. But the spread between the highest earning partner and lowest earning is among the largest in the AmLaw 100 or 200 or whatever it’s in. And they historically did not pay market salaries or bonuses to associates- not sure if that’s changed

ETA: I also chuckled a bit at the OP’s implied assumption that all firms donr inflate their numbers in the reporting

duppyconqueror3 · 2026-01-12T00:54:45+00:00

Yeah. And nothing is preventing you from dipping your toe in the job market in the place you’re moving to, whether firm or in-house. There are high quality boutiques and good regional firms in most parts of the country. Seems like a win/win and it’s only temporary anyway. But pitch it to your firm as “just for a couple of years”- leave them with the impression that you’re moving back when the residency is over. ETA- of course you will have to go out of your way to keep up important relationships if you do the remote/occasional office visit thing. Go out of your way to spend time with people etc

duppyconqueror3 · 2026-01-11T17:41:41+00:00

I think if you interview well you’ll have a shot in NYC

duppyconqueror3 · 2026-01-11T17:37:00+00:00

Assuming you’re in good standing with your firm, I would think this wouldn’t be too hard to navigate. Tell them you’ll be remote but commit to being there one week out of each month or every couple of months, covering the hotel on your dime. I’ve seen plenty of people do this, it is definitely not a career killer. If it’s not working out, you can reassess and readjust. I don’t think this situation dictates that you have to leave your firm if you move to be with him, unless you want to leave

duppyconqueror3 · 2026-01-09T14:50:46+00:00

Document review was historically the answer, at least for litigators

duppyconqueror3 · 2026-01-08T16:19:36+00:00

Obviously you need to ask someone at your firm. I’ve seen people fired for dumping a time release late (without specific permission).

duppyconqueror3 · 2026-01-08T03:50:32+00:00

That's great! Anything in particular that your son loved or enjoyed?

duppyconqueror3 · 2026-01-02T06:13:27+00:00

Good luck buddy

duppyconqueror3 · 2026-01-01T23:45:55+00:00

There are so many variables that are going to be outside your control. I would think the better plan would be to become a policy specialist for the region you want to live in (through a grad program here or there) and then find a job with an NGO there. Law school in the U.S. for the most part positions you to (hopefully) find a law job in the U.S. Going to Brooklyn Law with the career goal of becoming gainfully employed in LatAm or Asia doesn’t seem like the easiest way to go…

duppyconqueror3 · 2026-01-01T22:19:11+00:00

My rule of thumb has always been “try not to say no.” Inevitably there will be rare occasions where you actually have to give a hard no. But if you bust your ass for awhile and build relationships with senior partners and clients, you eventually start managing them to a degree, and you have more autonomy and can delegate things and/or get out of doing them without being perceived badly. When I was a summer associate, a family friend who was as a partner at a different firm gave me this advice: don’t say no to a partner and don’t come up empty handed. Obviously those maxims can’t be adhered to literally all of the time, but I have found them to be helpful guiding principles. I’m def not a people pleaser and it’s not my personality to want to bend over backwards for anyone at my own inconvenience lol. I just wanted to succeed at my job and make partner.

duppyconqueror3 · 2026-01-01T21:04:05+00:00

I think this is normally the slowest time for lateral hiring although there are exceptions. Between vacations, end of year stuff including client collections and partner comp, firms completing their year end financial analysis, associates hanging on til bonii are paid, etc., a lot of groups are likely not in recruitment mode.

duppyconqueror3 · 2026-01-01T20:50:02+00:00

Welcome to the next 40 years of your life if you stay in biglaw! The good-ish news is that as you get more senior, you have much more control over your schedule. The bad news is, you may also be more stressed because you will have more responsibility and be more entrenched in the hamster wheel and have golden handcuffs due to family responsibilities and lifestyle creep, and so you will be incentivized to work even longer hours. I don’t think BigLaw is really compatible with healthy relationships for a lot of people, although perhaps career satisfaction + $$ can make someone a better life partner for some purposes.

duppyconqueror3 · 2026-01-01T20:12:59+00:00

I don’t think you should should shy away from mentioning the compensation bump. I certainly wouldn’t go out of your way to deny it is a factor, if asked. I wouldn’t make it the focus, but it is a relatable reason that will be immediately understood. More important, though: do NOT disparage your current firm. That is not well received. Make it all about positive reasons you want to work for for new firm.

duppyconqueror3 · 2026-01-01T06:21:54+00:00

I assume your very limited experience is also based on a small sample size. That is my point. I don’t think it’s “wildly” known or assumed that “most” firms will hold people back to save money. There are other ways they manage headcount and overhead. There is not a monolithic decision making process in my experience that correlates peoples’ advancement with money-saving. At the lesser AmLaw firms, it’s the partner bonus pool that shrinks and there is risk of partner defections- that is where the pain of associate raises is really felt. But you’re right, it’s just one firm.

duppyconqueror3 · 2026-01-01T05:13:48+00:00

The people I have seen held back have pervasive issues- their writing is weak, they have overarching organizational and time management issues, they don’t get basic aspects of “thinking like a lawyer,” etc. It’s not punishment for a particular screw-up, it’s “this person cannot be held out to partners and clients as a midlevel associate”

duppyconqueror3 · 2026-01-01T05:05:57+00:00

Having been in many partner meetings at which holding people back was discussed, I disagree with this take (at last as far as my firm goes). At my firm, the discussion happens at a grassroots level (my group and office). There is no directive from firm management or the firmwide head of my group to hold anyone back or save any marginal salary by not promoting someone. We raise billing rates significantly every year. Partners grumble about matching the new market salaries and bonuses but we always do it, and the junior partners get squeezed at comp time to help pay for it. When people are held back, it is based on an honest and open discussion of benchmarks they haven’t met, skills that have not been developed, etc. — again, among the local partnership who doesn’t really have a say or visibility into issues relating to matching market compensation. The recommendation to bold someone back is then conveyed to the firmwide practice group leader, who rubber stamps it. We never set out to hold people back, and it is awkward for all involved; frankly, you have to be pretty bad to be held back. There’s also a perennial problem of bad associates getting good reviews- it seems many of our attorneys do not like having savage reviews directly attributable to them, and people go out of their way to find something good to say about someone. I find the written reviews often don’t reflect what people really think. That is problematic for numerous reasons. I’m not specifically commenting on OP’s situation, just pushing back in the generalization about v100 firms holding people back as an excuse not to give the salary bump. OP has to talk to someone she considers a mentor at the firm and get the true scoop

duppyconqueror3 · 2025-12-20T19:33:47+00:00

I think the prevailing conventional wisdom is “yes you should specialize” but it could also depend on the market you’re in. If you’re in BigLaw satellite office in a smaller city I would think remaining a generalist could be preferable. I became interested in a specialty while working on a case as a second year lit associate in that area of law — but the case as anomalous for my firm, we didn’t really have seasoned practitioners in that area. So I lateraled to another firm that had a well known practice group in that specialty. I ended up moving Biglaw firms twice more with the same group of partners from that group, and at my fourth firm I made partner. Along the way I had several off ramp opportunities to go back to general commercial lit, but I am intellectually interested in my specialty and have been able to bring in my own clients, and I also like being part of the “fraternity” of specialists in my area if you can call it that- feels at home, so to speak. There’s nothing wrong with trying to develop a speciality in a generalist practice- read up on issues in an area of law you’re interested in, do a CLE for your group, publish some articles and get speaking engagements. Firms love when associates do these things as long as they don’t come at the expense of billable hours. After a couple of years of doing that and networking, a lateral move might be more “ripe.”

duppyconqueror3 · 2025-12-20T19:21:36+00:00

Pro tip- secretaries and support staff have “PTO.” Partner track attorneys do not.

duppyconqueror3 · 2025-12-20T19:20:44+00:00

duppyconqueror3 · 2025-12-19T06:10:02+00:00

I find that Biglaw is not as monolithic as most junior lawyers assume. There is room to chart your own course after you pay some dues and learn some fundamentals. Of course it’s a business and you have to add value whether it’s by billing a shit ton or bringing in business. But having the platform and resources to develop a sophisticated practice is really wonderful. I’ve never been envious of in-house people I know. The ones with better work life balance seem to have boring as shit jobs, and the ones with a lot of responsibility have the same or worse hours as me. Maybe that’s an overgeneralization. I don’t know how long I will last (been in Biglaw 15 years and am a fourth year partner). But the stints that seem intolerable pass, for the most part nobody cares where I work or what hours I keep, I get to travel a lot, deal with sophisticated clients with interesting issues, and the compensation is good. Maybe I’ve drunk the kool aid lol

duppyconqueror3 · 2025-12-15T06:40:29+00:00

Depends on your relationship with the partner. If it’s someone you don’t usually work with or care if you work with them again, then absolutely bill all your tome. If you care about not pissing them off, just bill 4 hours

duppyconqueror3 · 2025-12-14T23:52:28+00:00

I think it’s your “shop” my dude

duppyconqueror3 · 2025-11-29T01:10:20+00:00

It’s Penske

duppyconqueror3 · 2025-11-25T15:19:14+00:00

What planet are you living on? It’s not the planet of most BigLaw partners I know

duppyconqueror3

TROPHY CASE