Pros
A couple of good partners, looks good on a resume, and does lead to other opportunities.
Kontras
You could bill 2500 hours but if you make one mistake, even if at the beginning of the year, you’ll receive at best an insultingly low bonus or raise and will only be one or the other. Notwithstanding your experience level, there are partners (whose input has an effect on your pay raises or bonuses) who will smile in your face and say that you’re incompetent and “bad” behind your back. Once labeled “bad,” it will never change — somehow growing as an attorney doesn’t happen anymore. It’s like many partners forgot that they did not always know or could do everything they do now. You somehow must have the knowledge and abilities they have or you are “bad” and will be treated as disposable as a bubble gum wrapper. Once you’ve made a mistake, even if just internal and part of learning, you will either be treated like you defaulted on a case for five years. If not outright aggression, you will receive a lot of passive aggression and you can file their guidelines exactly, even using the exact verbiage they often use, but they will find something wrong with your work. And don’t expect the partners — who, upon working there, you’ll learn about very quickly — to teach before outcasting you as “bad.” If they tried, and misguided you, it’s your fault for not checking if they were right. You are always at fault and they are perfect. Often, if you’re “bad,” they will concertedly make it so you fail at everything. There’s not one concern about how firing you would hurt your livelihood. They’ll find some other poor young attorney excited by the firm’s website and rankings every where but the US. They pay is awful. You will work big law hours and yes, it is technically a big law firm by attorneys in the firm but it will never reach the vault rankings and unlikely to break the AM law 200. So while having it on a resume helps many, the firm is still unknown to most in NY. If you have other options, take them. Not worth the stress — which brings up another note, they claim to care about mental health and well-being but look aside when partners trash talk associates, complete ignorance to the fact that labeling a young attorney as “bad” will destroy their confidence and likely stall their progression.