We have a bit of good news today (although not for Boyd students). It looks like local firm Lionel Sawyer & Collins is actually adding attorneys. Wait! Don't all jump into your leased Beemer's and race to their office just yet ... the positions have been filled. LSC brought on five new associates recently: Jing Zaho from Michigan;
Abigayle Dang from Washington University;
Greg Carlson from UC Hastings;
Brin Gibson from BYU; and
Elizabeth High, former D.C. Associate and Federal District Court Clerk.
If your name is not listed above, you may return to your job search ... sorry if we got your hopes up.
But seriously, it is good to see that LSC (for the time being, anyway) has shown an ability to manage itself in a financially responsible manner. When asked if there were changes taking place at LSC due to the current economic climate, our helpful tipster responded that there were "no real changes except for a smaller incoming class and smaller summer associate class." What? You mean to say that it isn't necessary to freeze salaries and nuke summer programs to stay profitable ... the hell you say!
When asked about the lack of Boyd hires, he responded:
While I'm not part of the hiring process, I think a large part of the Boyd thing is that there is a lot of competition among firms for the top of the class and not a lot for everyone else. So if we interview the top 10 - 15 students, probably 5 - 10 of them are a good fit, and those 5 - 10 probably have multiple offers. So it's not unreasonable to think that we might not end up with any Boyd students. And why dip lower in to the Boyd class when there are other well qualified
candidates out there (like the ones mentioned above)?
Ouch! That stings a little.
Come on, LSC ... let's show a little local love. Is there really that big of a difference between #15 and #30 at Boyd? Maybe you guys should drop the "law school grades = ability to practice" garbage and dig a little deeper for some local talent. You did, after all, hire their former dean.
(Thanks, VD)
Hrm, #30 at BSL or law review members at much higher ranked schools? Decisions, decisions....
ReplyDeleteCome on, they aren't all law review members...there is one law journal member and a much higher ranked law school.
ReplyDeleteOK, sorry... to be clear... #30 at BSL or:
ReplyDelete1: Michigan grad (secondary journal)
3: Law review members from higher ranked schools
1: Grad from a higher ranked school who graduated Summa, secondary journal, and was a federal clerk.
Sorry for trying to mislead everyone... (and I don't even work there - just hate the "everyone MUST hire from BSL at any cost" mantra).
I read in the newspaper a few months ago that LS wasn't laying people off, but also wasn't replacing attorneys who left the firm which gets to a similar end result without the big "L" word.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, good to see that they're hiring. Just wondering if this shows growth or whether these are just replacements for attorneys who left.
It probably also helps to have the same last name as a partner.
ReplyDeleteThese associates were obviously extended offers back in the fall of 2007 after their 2L year and hired on once they passed the bar in October of 2008 before the crash of the economy. So this really isn't that impressive or news worthy. Lets wait and see how many associates LSC hires from 2009graduating classes.
ReplyDeleteInteresting point, 2:10. Probably right on the money.
ReplyDeleteAt least LS didn't reneg on offers or extend start dates like some of the big out of state firms are doing.
Anyone know the size of their 2L summer associate class?
ReplyDeleteLooks like I'm in the minority here, but WTF does law review and the like have to do with your ability to practice law? The best attorneys in this town did not come from prestige, they earned their stripes. I just think it's misleading to assume that these hires are better based on credentials alone.
ReplyDeleteOne of the new hires took the Feb bar it seems. I hear that LSC is also hiring another new associate in their Reno office who will take the bar in this coming July.
ReplyDeleteRe: the comment at 4:28, I agree with you 100%.
ReplyDelete4:24: I think I read Hejmanowski say in an article that they were probably only going to hire like one summer associate.
ReplyDelete4:28: What would you propose to use to screen people for the purposes of OCI, etc.?
Would agree that grades / law review are not the be all to end all but if I'm looking at 200 law student resumes, I would say that it's not a bad proxy.
And for better or worse, prestige does matter to some clients.
4:54: I think maybe she's a December graduate from what I can deduce from her bio.
They're hiring one summer associate for their Las Vegas office and one for their Reno office this year. Their Vegas summer associate is from UNLV.
ReplyDelete4:28 and 5:17 - apparently Marquis & Aurbach has a really interesting interview procedure in which they will give out hypothetical problems dealing with typical client and co-worker issues and judge the responses.
@ 5:17
ReplyDeleteI would put together a short hypothetical that my interviewers were familiar with and have applicants answer it in no more than 1 page (like 5:44 said M&A does).
This would sure beat the mindless drivel found in most "cover letters,' where students cut and past the names of firms in and spend the entire time kissing the firms ass. At least you would be able to evaluate their legal writing ability, the rest can be discerned through the interview.
As for interviewing 200+ applicants ... how exactly are they interviewing that many when they admittedly limit interviews to the top 15?
How's about they put a little effort into it, instead of letting the all-powerful academic elite decide who would be the best candidate for the job. I, for one, would not want my old ConLaw professor deciding who gets to work at my firm.
I interviewed at M&A and didn't really understand the purpose of their hypotheticals. Sure, it was nice not hearing the same old questions but did they really care what my answers were? In the end, I'm sure they looked mostly at my grades (the reason I didn't get the job) and law school (highly ranked).
ReplyDeleteHowever, I'll take an interview at M&A any day over an interview with a certain jerk partner at Gordon and Silver who shall remain nameless.
All interviews are incredibly inaccurate tools. But I am pretty incredulous that a short series of hypothetical questions is somehow more indicative of an interviewees potential than a body of educational achievements. I'll take the kid who managed to stay near the top of his class for 3 years while balancing the (archaic) requirements of Law Review over the kid that can explain to me why man hole covers are round (a poplar interview question). . .
ReplyDeleteRecent hires? Three of the five associates named in this article were summer associates in 2007, graduated in 2008, sat for the July 2008 bar and started working at LS&C almost a year ago. In fact, WWL actually posted an article about those same three in the Fall when bar results were announced and their positions were "officially" publicized.
ReplyDeleteOnly one of these is a "recent hire," and that person was a summer in 2008 who probably received an offer back in September or October.
Is there anyone out there actually hiring? At least LS isn't cutting kike the other big firms in town, but the comments here seem right on. What started as a positive story is now looking bleak.
ReplyDeleteWhy not an article about ATMS incoming class of 2009 and their continuing summer program? I know they are starting more than 4 this fall and will have a significant summer class, too.
ReplyDeleteOh, I forgot. ATMS is a horrible place and we should pity anyone who is so unfortunate as to go there and be employed. I mean, I heard that they even didn't give raises this past time round and have an honest-to-god billable requirement. . . the nerve!
This site is hoppin' lately. Way to go JWL. Unfortunately, I think it may be partially due to associate workload (or lack thereof), but keep it going.
ReplyDeleteOne of those hires was a Boyd 1L that transferred out for the 2L/3L year, and had a 2007 summer associate spot at LSC. Does that count as a Boyd hire? I'm surprised that these are even considered 'new hires' - most were there while studying for the Bar exam almost a year ago.
ReplyDelete7:04: Not 200 interviews, 200 resumes. If you have a stack of 200 resumes on your desk to review, how do you sort through them all to find those that meet your criteria?
ReplyDelete9:35: Guess it would depend on if you think they would have gotten the LSC job without their new credentials?
LSC is not anti-Boyd by any stretch of the imagination. I think that we've hired at least one Boyd grad a year. Our Las Vegas office will have one summer clerk this year, and she's a Boyd student.
ReplyDeleteI was a member of Nevada Law Journal, was published, worked full time in the legal field prior to, and while attending Boyd, was in the top 40% of my class, passed the bar on my first attempt, and I'm STILL hitting the pavement!
ReplyDeleteWhy? Because of arrogant, asshole attorneys (like the one quoted in this blog entry) who think that only those in the very top of their class, and/or those who graduate from "top" schools, are competent to practice law. If you passed the bar, you are deemed competent by law!
This is sad indeed, especially since Boyd sprung into existence for the purpose of serving the local legal community. It's a shame the law firms don't give the graduates a chance to serve.
11:45: All you needed to say was "was in the top 40% of my class" [at Boyd].
ReplyDeleteYou're exactly right that it's unwise for a top firm to choose higher ranked students from higher ranked schools (some much higher) over you....
Thanks for sharing...........
ReplyDelete___________________
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