[XXXNoahXXX]

Mini-Trip Report from Firm Reception:

I just went to a firm reception at a Boston firm. The firm is right on the waterfront and has an amazing deck, so it was basically just walking around the deck drinking beer and eating amazing food. I implore you to go to as many as possible. I was there for two hours, and just hung out with people from my law school, and occasionally an associate from the firm would pop into the conversation, tell us some things about the firm, we'd ask some questions, etc.

Then we took a tour of the offices, which were pretty nice, and best of all, it was 6:45pm on a Wed. and they were deserted. Maybe this was a tactical decision on their part since they knew we'd be taking the tours, but it definitely added some credibility to their claim that there isn't as much pressure to bill hours, etc.

Also, it was interesting to watch the associates and partners interact on the deck, and it definitely seemed like a laid back (comparatively) environment.

The Pros of the firm were that the hours are less than the megafirms (one associate I spoke with said that hours worked per week in an average month would be something like four weeks of 40 hrs., 55 hrs, 50 hrs, 70 hrs. They seemed to be genuine in their "no face time" policy, etc. and they have an in-house chef and amazing location. They also have a really strong presence in a practice area I'm interested in.


The Cons were that it pays less than the biggest firms 135k<160k and I guess they don't do bonuses. Also, since they specialize in one area, the rest of the firm revolves around that area, and since I don't know what I want to do yet, I am wary of this. Also, since its not a national firm, thye prestige factor and exit options might not be ass great.


Also, when we left we got USB keychains w/ their name on it.


Food Served: Crab Cakes, Coconut Chicken, Bacon-wrapped melon, apple sausage w/ pineapple, chocolate-covered strawberries, etc.


Beer of Choice: Magic Hat-Circus Boy


definitely made me think better of the firm and was nice to give me a sense of what a firm is like, kinda.