Legal Research

The National Law Journal has an article today, "Gossip Blogs Bedevil Law Firms," which discusses how quickly law firms' dirty laundry -- things like layoffs, firings, associate lawsuits, and "Summer Associates Gone Wild" incidents -- gets aired for public consumption on blogs like Above the Law and WSJ's Law Blog.  The instant I read this headline, I immediately flashed back to childhood afternoons watching Scooby Doo with my sister.  At the end of each episode, the captured villain always shook his or her fist at the Scooby Doo Gang and said something like, "And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for you meddling kids!!"  I imagine a few law firm partners have expressed similar sentiments after finding their firms' inner workings discussed in great detail on gossip blogs.  (My apologies to any young readers out there who are shaking your heads in dismay over my antiquated cultural references -- I am of a certain age and cannot help myself!) 

It seems to me that this new transparency is a pretty good thing for those who are entering the Biglaw job market.  Back in the dark old pre-blog days, it was pretty tough to obtain detailed information about a firm unless you already knew someone who summered there before you or people who were currently working at the firm.  If you didn't have an inside source of information, you were stuck with NALP data and the inevitably glowing stories about what it's like to work at the firm that you get from associates during on-site interviews.

That's all changed.  Above the Law and other sites now regularly post detailed information about Biglaw bonuses, associate salaries, family leave policies, "real" versus "advertised" billable hour expectations, layoffs, and more, making it much easier to compare firms.  While you have to have some healthy skepticism about the veracity of readers' comments, the Wall Street Journal reporters and Above the Law's David Lat let readers know whether they have been able to substantiate the information in their posts.  Given the amount of time that you'll spend at a Biglaw firm after you accept an offer, it doesn't hurt to check out as many sources of information as possible so that you can make a decision that works for you.