On-campus recruiting is underway at law schools around the country and that means the monumental decision of which firm to start your career at is weighing heavily on the minds of lots of law students right now.
Figuring out which Biglaw firm to join is an important decision. Not only does it impact the kind of work you get to do, it gives your career a particular trajectory, and can have a massive influence on your sense of well-being and mental health. But how do you know which firm is right for you?
Some folks will tell you to rely on your gut instinct, and that’s important — of course it is! But the interview process — no matter how thorough — is designed to only give you a small window into a firm, and a favorable one at that. Think about it, no firm has the ill-tempered partner conducting interviews. So, you try to delve into mountains of data about firms, but digging through everything to make sure you make an apples-to-apples comparison can be difficult. LOTS of firms say they pay market bonuses, but a firm that only ponies up market bonuses at 2,100 hours is very different than one with no hours requirement.
So, to help you sort through all that data, Above the Law has the 2022 version of the Law Firm Transparency Directory, powered by Leopard Data Solutions. We give you easy access to the intel you really need to make these incredibly important decisions. Yes, the basic info is there like the salary deets, bonus numbers with hours requirements, and head count. But so is some deep stuff, like average length of attorney tenure, promotion rate, the caregiver leave available, a full list of benefits, the legal superstars at the firm, whether the firm has a mandatory arbitration clause, and — of course — some selected Above the Law coverage to get a real sense of what life at the firm is like. The directory is currently populated with the top 100 Biglaw firms, but we’re growing the list.
Plus, you can select a limited number of firms (like, for instance, the two firms you have offers from) and create a personalized direct comparison between them. It really is the ideal way to compare and contrast the Biglaw firms where you’re considering starting your career.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).
