Anyone in biglaw get a pay cut?

[Anonymous]

Look at what happened in 2008 and then double it. Yes, obviously there are going to be associate layoffs and under-performing partner cuts. Whether there are pay cuts too will depend on how each firm wants to handle this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a tough one to predict. I could see how firms with robust employment law practices would be swamped. When the alarm bell rang from clients asking wtf do we do, those are the attorneys who got the call.

Employment isn’t where the big money is made though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a tough one to predict. I could see how firms with robust employment law practices would be swamped. When the alarm bell rang from clients asking wtf do we do, those are the attorneys who got the call.

Employment isn’t where the big money is made though.

No, but last month's hours were off the charts, so they better have some love for us now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm at a mid-sized law firm in Northern CA. We've been having firm-wide meetings (separated into section leaders, COVID Team, partners, staff) via Webex almost once a week.

Things are changing multiple times a day, and we keep changing policy to adjust. Nobody has been laid off, and there have been no pay-cuts. Right now, only our coffee attendants and some of the copy room has been furloughed.

So the partners and associates are still making full comp, but the lowest paid people at the firm have been furloughed?

Lovely. And by lovely I mean disgusting.

At my AmLaw 50 firm, the equity partners have been the first, and thus far only, people to take pay cut.

Heard that Morgan Lewis did the same thing: cut equity partner pay and kept all associates and support staff at the same level.

That’s what firms should be doing. Any firm that cuts support staff and leaves the equity partners the same is basically demonstrating that their corporate culture is broken and that they have major “Dewey and LeBoeuf” risk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm at a mid-sized law firm in Northern CA. We've been having firm-wide meetings (separated into section leaders, COVID Team, partners, staff) via Webex almost once a week.

Things are changing multiple times a day, and we keep changing policy to adjust. Nobody has been laid off, and there have been no pay-cuts. Right now, only our coffee attendants and some of the copy room has been furloughed.

So the partners and associates are still making full comp, but the lowest paid people at the firm have been furloughed?

Lovely. And by lovely I mean disgusting.

At my AmLaw 50 firm, the equity partners have been the first, and thus far only, people to take pay cut.

Heard that Morgan Lewis did the same thing: cut equity partner pay and kept all associates and support staff at the same level.

That’s what firms should be doing. Any firm that cuts support staff and leaves the equity partners the same is basically demonstrating that their corporate culture is broken and that they have major “Dewey and LeBoeuf” risk.

Yes, I totally agree. Partners should have millions saved, but support staff and equity partners will likely not be as flush.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm at a mid-sized law firm in Northern CA. We've been having firm-wide meetings (separated into section leaders, COVID Team, partners, staff) via Webex almost once a week.

Things are changing multiple times a day, and we keep changing policy to adjust. Nobody has been laid off, and there have been no pay-cuts. Right now, only our coffee attendants and some of the copy room has been furloughed.

This is gross.

The money is there, pay your staff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm at a mid-sized law firm in Northern CA. We've been having firm-wide meetings (separated into section leaders, COVID Team, partners, staff) via Webex almost once a week.

Things are changing multiple times a day, and we keep changing policy to adjust. Nobody has been laid off, and there have been no pay-cuts. Right now, only our coffee attendants and some of the copy room has been furloughed.

This is gross.

The money is there, pay your staff.

+1,000. Wow, just wow. Big-shot lawyers making well into the six and seven figures, so they furlough the people who make an hourly wage. You are everything wrong with this country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm at a mid-sized law firm in Northern CA. We've been having firm-wide meetings (separated into section leaders, COVID Team, partners, staff) via Webex almost once a week.

Things are changing multiple times a day, and we keep changing policy to adjust. Nobody has been laid off, and there have been no pay-cuts. Right now, only our coffee attendants and some of the copy room has been furloughed.

So the partners and associates are still making full comp, but the lowest paid people at the firm have been furloughed?

Lovely. And by lovely I mean disgusting.

At my AmLaw 50 firm, the equity partners have been the first, and thus far only, people to take pay cut.

It’s unfortunate, but if the offices are empty, how would you propose the coffee attendants work from home? I’m a lawyer and in my practice I could be busier than ever. I’ve had to request several extensions because I can’t get a full day in with the kids at home but there is plenty of work to go around, at least in my practice group.

They are on staff. Even if they cannot work, they should be paid.

You still pay your nanny and cleaning person, you still pay your coffee attendant and copy room staff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm at a mid-sized law firm in Northern CA. We've been having firm-wide meetings (separated into section leaders, COVID Team, partners, staff) via Webex almost once a week.

Things are changing multiple times a day, and we keep changing policy to adjust. Nobody has been laid off, and there have been no pay-cuts. Right now, only our coffee attendants and some of the copy room has been furloughed.

This is gross.

The money is there, pay your staff.

Same poster adding that this will get out and it will cost you clients.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm at a mid-sized law firm in Northern CA. We've been having firm-wide meetings (separated into section leaders, COVID Team, partners, staff) via Webex almost once a week.

Things are changing multiple times a day, and we keep changing policy to adjust. Nobody has been laid off, and there have been no pay-cuts. Right now, only our coffee attendants and some of the copy room has been furloughed.

This is gross.

The money is there, pay your staff.

Same poster adding that this will get out and it will cost you clients.

This is truly disgusting. This whole situation is disgusting. Law partners sitting in mansions on zoom waiting for instacart while poor people wait in miles-long lines for food banks. But save the rich grandpa's over all else. Let them eat cake.

[Anonymous]

I've been in BigLaw for 9 years, at 3 different firms, and I have literally no idea what a "coffee attendant" is or even possibly could be. Mental image = blank.

Are we sure PP isn't just trolling?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Real or fake partner?

my firm pulls that "everyone is equity" scam. 10% of my comp is equity. the rest is fixed. basically, this is a horseshit setup designed to make PPP look higher.

[Anonymous]

Above the law website has daily updates on which firms are making what cuts for those really interested.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've been in BigLaw for 9 years, at 3 different firms, and I have literally no idea what a "coffee attendant" is or even possibly could be. Mental image = blank.

Are we sure PP isn't just trolling?

i am in biglaw in DC. we have people who are responsible for maintaining our eating area (i wouldn't call it a cafeteria) and the copy rooms (which have water and coffee). maybe that's what PP means. who knows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm at a mid-sized law firm in Northern CA. We've been having firm-wide meetings (separated into section leaders, COVID Team, partners, staff) via Webex almost once a week.

Things are changing multiple times a day, and we keep changing policy to adjust. Nobody has been laid off, and there have been no pay-cuts. Right now, only our coffee attendants and some of the copy room has been furloughed.

This is gross.

The money is there, pay your staff.

I mean, how much would it cost, relatively speaking, to continue to pay copy and coffee people?