Move over the Magic Circle - the top US firms pretty much swept the board for overall staff satisfaction in Firm of the Year 2013. The very top spot may have been taken by a UK insurance firm, but otherwise the US firms, with their bumper pay packets and smooth routes to partnership, easily out-classed home-grown rivals.
Overall Scores
Newcomer to the survey Kirkland & Ellis together with Shearman & Sterling took the joint top spot with 83% apiece, both managing pretty stellar scores across the board.
Unsurprisingly both firms performed well for pay. Kirkland, which hands NQs a wallet-busting £97k, posted its best score here, an unimpeachable 100%. The two firms were also lauded for good career prospects: with "genuine career development" at Shearmans and "a very high quality of work" at Kirkland.
Pay
Lawyers at US firms can receive up to 40% more than their Magic Circle peers at the same level, so it's unsurprising that they dominated the top ten, taking seven of the spots. Kirkland, where the best thing is "the money!", topped both the US firms and came first overall pay. Shearman lawyers were also happy with their "fantastic pay" awarding the firm 92%. And whilst Jones Day, also on 92%, may not be "quite as lucrative" as some other US outfits, "the pay is still well above Magic Circle" and the firm "strikes the golden mean between salary and hours".
Further down the chart and Latham & Watkins with 82% (seventh overall), was praised for "piles and piles of filthy lucre" although satisfaction seems to have been offset to an extent by the "crazy hours" expected in exchange. Even the poorest performing US firm for pay, White & Case (77%) was praised for "above average" salaries and "brilliant" benefits packages. Although there were grumbles that some associates work twice as hard for "no extra reward, monetary or otherwise".
Work-Life Balance
In exchange for all that filthy lucre, US firms demand their pound of flesh. And whilst work-life scores did drag the US firms down overall, their performance in this category was markedly better than the abysmal show put on by the Magic Circle. The best performing US firm was Mayer Brown (69%), which understands lawyers have a life outside law even if "the hours can be bad in some departments". Baker and McKenzie (67%), where "work-life balance is encouraged" and the firm is "very accommodating of flexible working" also scored well.
Life was less balanced at Kirkland (59%) where the hours are "brutal" and there are always colleagues "more than happy to screw your Friday night/weekend/holiday/life". And at Latham (57%) the hours are so "miserable" that one over-worked associate "fell asleep in the lift and fell out of the opening doors onto the shoes of a partner". Meanwhile White & Case associates complained that they could "work a 50+ hour week and get told you're really not busy enough". So it's not surprising the firm landed at the bottom of the US pile with 53%.
Development
Most of the US firms scored excellent satisfaction scores for career development. Pick of the US bunch, and first place overall, was Kirkland with 93%. The firm was lavished with praise for the "high quality of work" and partners that are "happy to let you get on with it." Shearmans also scored well (89%), praised for "genuine career development". One future Apprentice contestant gushed "working with very good people makes you want to do your very best".
At Jones Day (89%) there's "responsibility by the bucket-load" but "also support when you need it" plus "it's incredibly easy to make partner" (although be warned, it also seems rather easy to be subsequently demoted). And Mayer Brown also scored well (81%), where "if you are capable regardless of the level they let you run with things".
Staff at White & Case, however, were less effusive about career prospects and awarded a satisfaction score of 70%. Lawyers complained of partners "not being able to manage their associates or team very well", a "lack of appreciation or recognition of hard work" and associates that "'disappear' or quit in droves".
Openness
Transparency is part of the US firms' shtick. They pride themselves on flat structures and open management and as a group they achieved some pretty solid scores in this year's survey. Shearman took the crown with a 78% score, coming third overall. Staff praised the firm's "open discussions" and "open door policy". Mayer Brown (74%) also did well did well, with lawyers praising the firm's good "communication and values". And Latham (70%) won plaudits for its "transparent management" and making associates feel their "input is taken seriously".
It seems a different story at Jones Day (63%). "There's no transparency as to salary progression" moaned one respondent, whilst another complained partners will promise good maternity pay but "as soon as there's a bun in oven it's all forgotten". And at Bakers (67%) "rumours circulate for a few weeks" before official announcements and trainees are told about decisions affecting their seat choices "too late in the day".
Biscuits, bogs and bonding
Despite the focus on billing and the hefty hours, staff at US firms do get the chance to enjoy a little bit of socialising. Jones Day appears to offer the best social scene (87%), especially "if you're a partner who wants to spend lunch times drinking".
At "jovial" Shearmans (85%) people "like to go out for Friday beers". And the "anti-wanker" hiring policy at Latham (73%) helps lubricate a good social life. Meanwhile at Mayer Brown the finance party was apparently "a hoot", with "gangnam style dancing". Although not everyone enjoyed it: "finance are up themselves" moaned one colleague. Only White & Case let the side down with 65%. Despite its "annual football and volleyball world cup", this does not seem enough to paper over divisions within the firm which apparently "make the middle east look cohesive".
There was a mixed bag of scores amongst the US firms for their biscuit offerings. Kirkland's cookies must be out of this world to warrant the firm's 95% score. Shearmans also scored well, where "Duchy Originals have nothing on our cookies" and White & Case (81%) scored highly due to a cookie revamp that has rendered them "bigger and more chocolately!" But at Mayer Brown (77%) "too much cost-cutting" has impacted the biscuits.
And finally to the washroom facilities. Although "the toilets often block up" at Shearmans, most of the time they are "nice smelling" enough to warrant an impressive 87% satisfaction score. Things were less sweet at Bakers (66%) where the loos "keep running out of sterilisation fluid" and at Latham (73%), one respondent complains (intriguingly) that the firm "still hasn't sorted the toilet paper issue from 2012".
Tip Off ROF
Overall Scores
Newcomer to the survey Kirkland & Ellis together with Shearman & Sterling took the joint top spot with 83% apiece, both managing pretty stellar scores across the board.
Unsurprisingly both firms performed well for pay. Kirkland, which hands NQs a wallet-busting £97k, posted its best score here, an unimpeachable 100%. The two firms were also lauded for good career prospects: with "genuine career development" at Shearmans and "a very high quality of work" at Kirkland.
Pay
Lawyers at US firms can receive up to 40% more than their Magic Circle peers at the same level, so it's unsurprising that they dominated the top ten, taking seven of the spots. Kirkland, where the best thing is "the money!", topped both the US firms and came first overall pay. Shearman lawyers were also happy with their "fantastic pay" awarding the firm 92%. And whilst Jones Day, also on 92%, may not be "quite as lucrative" as some other US outfits, "the pay is still well above Magic Circle" and the firm "strikes the golden mean between salary and hours".
Further down the chart and Latham & Watkins with 82% (seventh overall), was praised for "piles and piles of filthy lucre" although satisfaction seems to have been offset to an extent by the "crazy hours" expected in exchange. Even the poorest performing US firm for pay, White & Case (77%) was praised for "above average" salaries and "brilliant" benefits packages. Although there were grumbles that some associates work twice as hard for "no extra reward, monetary or otherwise".
Work-Life Balance
In exchange for all that filthy lucre, US firms demand their pound of flesh. And whilst work-life scores did drag the US firms down overall, their performance in this category was markedly better than the abysmal show put on by the Magic Circle. The best performing US firm was Mayer Brown (69%), which understands lawyers have a life outside law even if "the hours can be bad in some departments". Baker and McKenzie (67%), where "work-life balance is encouraged" and the firm is "very accommodating of flexible working" also scored well.
Life was less balanced at Kirkland (59%) where the hours are "brutal" and there are always colleagues "more than happy to screw your Friday night/weekend/holiday/life". And at Latham (57%) the hours are so "miserable" that one over-worked associate "fell asleep in the lift and fell out of the opening doors onto the shoes of a partner". Meanwhile White & Case associates complained that they could "work a 50+ hour week and get told you're really not busy enough". So it's not surprising the firm landed at the bottom of the US pile with 53%.
DevelopmentMost of the US firms scored excellent satisfaction scores for career development. Pick of the US bunch, and first place overall, was Kirkland with 93%. The firm was lavished with praise for the "high quality of work" and partners that are "happy to let you get on with it." Shearmans also scored well (89%), praised for "genuine career development". One future Apprentice contestant gushed "working with very good people makes you want to do your very best".
At Jones Day (89%) there's "responsibility by the bucket-load" but "also support when you need it" plus "it's incredibly easy to make partner" (although be warned, it also seems rather easy to be subsequently demoted). And Mayer Brown also scored well (81%), where "if you are capable regardless of the level they let you run with things".
Staff at White & Case, however, were less effusive about career prospects and awarded a satisfaction score of 70%. Lawyers complained of partners "not being able to manage their associates or team very well", a "lack of appreciation or recognition of hard work" and associates that "'disappear' or quit in droves".
Openness
Transparency is part of the US firms' shtick. They pride themselves on flat structures and open management and as a group they achieved some pretty solid scores in this year's survey. Shearman took the crown with a 78% score, coming third overall. Staff praised the firm's "open discussions" and "open door policy". Mayer Brown (74%) also did well did well, with lawyers praising the firm's good "communication and values". And Latham (70%) won plaudits for its "transparent management" and making associates feel their "input is taken seriously".
It seems a different story at Jones Day (63%). "There's no transparency as to salary progression" moaned one respondent, whilst another complained partners will promise good maternity pay but "as soon as there's a bun in oven it's all forgotten". And at Bakers (67%) "rumours circulate for a few weeks" before official announcements and trainees are told about decisions affecting their seat choices "too late in the day".
Biscuits, bogs and bonding
Despite the focus on billing and the hefty hours, staff at US firms do get the chance to enjoy a little bit of socialising. Jones Day appears to offer the best social scene (87%), especially "if you're a partner who wants to spend lunch times drinking".
At "jovial" Shearmans (85%) people "like to go out for Friday beers". And the "anti-wanker" hiring policy at Latham (73%) helps lubricate a good social life. Meanwhile at Mayer Brown the finance party was apparently "a hoot", with "gangnam style dancing". Although not everyone enjoyed it: "finance are up themselves" moaned one colleague. Only White & Case let the side down with 65%. Despite its "annual football and volleyball world cup", this does not seem enough to paper over divisions within the firm which apparently "make the middle east look cohesive".
There was a mixed bag of scores amongst the US firms for their biscuit offerings. Kirkland's cookies must be out of this world to warrant the firm's 95% score. Shearmans also scored well, where "Duchy Originals have nothing on our cookies" and White & Case (81%) scored highly due to a cookie revamp that has rendered them "bigger and more chocolately!" But at Mayer Brown (77%) "too much cost-cutting" has impacted the biscuits.
And finally to the washroom facilities. Although "the toilets often block up" at Shearmans, most of the time they are "nice smelling" enough to warrant an impressive 87% satisfaction score. Things were less sweet at Bakers (66%) where the loos "keep running out of sterilisation fluid" and at Latham (73%), one respondent complains (intriguingly) that the firm "still hasn't sorted the toilet paper issue from 2012".