The Scoop

Looking for the latest Red Sox scores? You might find Morgan instead. The firm's web site, www.mlb.com, has attracted a lot of baseball fans. Morgan has a link to Major League Baseball's web site on the firm's home page to redirect those seeking scores, highlights, and game analysis. This minor fun will end in June 2000, however - Morgan Lewis is taking the domain name morganlewis.com, leaving mlb.com to Major League Baseball (also a longstanding client of the firm).

Getting Hired

Broad recruiting effort

Any firm with 1,000 attorneys is going to have to do a lot of recruiting. Firm insiders say that each office does its own recruiting and generally focuses on local law schools. The firm lists Columbia University, the University of Virginia, Georgetown, Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, NYU, Stanford, Yale, Michigan, and Duke as the main targets.

The firm's growth, coupled with a booming economy, has made recruitment more challenging for Morgan Lewis. Some associates fear this has led to a lower quality of hires. "I think it used to be more difficult [to work at Morgan Lewis], but now the volume of people interested in working in Philadelphia seems to have dropped at the same time that a large number of associates have left the firm," reports one associate. "As a result, while there are still some schools that Morgan will not recruit from, I think more candidates get offers than used to be the case." Another contact charges that Morgan has "hired a slew of under-qualified laterals in the last year." Morgan Lewis reportedly had to stretch a little bit in the most recent recruiting season. "We were being turned down by candidates that wouldn't have gotten offers [in the past]," says one insider. The firm says that while it focuses on the quality of law schools for entry-level applicants, it gives equal weight to experience when hiring laterals.

Interview process: social rejects need not apply

Morgan Lewis recruits can expect an initial on-campus interview, usually conducted by a partner. If they like what they see and hear, callbacks visit their office of choice to "meet with four to six partners and associates" for a half a day. "You have to be able to come into the interview and speak about your interests," says one lawyer. Some offices cap off your visit with lunch or cocktails depending on when you come in. Academic credentials are generally checked during the campus interview, so office interviews are "looking for a personality fit." "They don't hire social rejects," says one source.

Our Survey Says

Everybody's happy

Firm insiders paint a fairly rosy picture of the corporate culture. "[Morgan] is a very high-energy place, teeming with clients, prominent partners and interesting work," says one Philadelphia associate. "It is also incredibly collegial. I can go to any associate's office to discuss one of my assignments and without exception or hesitation that associate will take the time to help. Lawyers here know each other's spouses or significant others and children and seem to genuinely enjoy each other's company." Insiders use the words "relaxed", "team", and "collegial" often. One contact seems to have changed his mind about the firm. "I had a negative preconception about the firm's culture but came here anyway for the professional opportunities," says that contact. "One of the pleasant surprises is that it's a pleasant place to work."

Little hierarchy

Naturally, partners vary in their treatment of associates. At Morgan, the treatment tends to be positive. "I have had very positive interactions with partners here who respect me and my work and who treat me as if I am far more senior than I am," one Philadelphia associate states proudly. "Partners [include] me on strategy sessions and in some instances, [allow] me to take the lead in cases and to be responsible for day-to-day dealings with the clients, local counsel and opposing counsel." "There is very little sense of hierarchy here," one source says. "Partners and associates are on the same team." Of course, not all partner-associate relationships are perfect. "My direct supervisor treats me like an idiot," one Philadelphia associate says. "Other partners treat me well."

The New York office reports more specific problems. While one insider notes that "we have no yellers or screamers - wouldn't be tolerated," others say the partners get into the habit of seeing associates as "billing units." "The firm's business model has been set up to take on very big cases," explains one New Yorker. The firm favors "big, gravy-train type cases" that don't allow for associate development. The firm notes that the litigation and labor and employment practice groups tend to handle a large number of small cases.

Pay: you got some 'splainin' to do!

Morgan attorneys seem fairly satisfied with their pay, saying it's at or near the top of the market. "The firm has indicated in the past that it wants its associates to be the most highly compensated in this market" says a Philadelphia source, "and it has responded to market pressure recently to confirm that this is the case." Still, some associates, especially those who watch Nick at Nite, seem perplexed by Morgan Lewis' pay scale. "There are more harebrained schemes when it comes to ML&B's compensation practices than an 'I Love Lucy' marathon," says one contact. Another worries that if the firm's business ever suffers, layoffs will be necessary to keep the firm in the black. "I just hope that when the music stops, everyone still has a chair."

Utilitarian offices

"We just moved into these offices within the year and are already bursting at the seams," one Philadelphia lawyer notes. "Little effort has been made to make them 'homey.'" Another Philly associate calls the move "tumultuous" and the office d?cor "eclectic." "The Philadelphia office is OK on the inside," according to a contact. "The outside is nasty." "Some of the real pluses of our new digs are the rooftop terrace for lunch and cocktail parties, a big cafeteria with wraparound windows, a great conference center and mock courtroom, and large associate offices," another says.

In the New York office, a space crunch has caused some friction. "They keep us doubled up through the third year," reports one source, despite the fact that there are some open offices. This may be avoided in the future, as sources say the firm is expanding to another floor in New York, which may provide more space.

The stress of growth

One attorney says that the recent turnover has led to "increased lateral hirings [which] means many new faces and perhaps a bigger challenge to gel." One associate gripes that "the fact that the firm has high expectations and more work than one can handle may create some pressure." An angry business and finance associate says that a big drawback to working at Morgan is "enduring the whiners in sections other than the corporate department who think they should get paid a lot of money based on the fact that law firms in general are raising their salaries to retain corporate attorneys."

Happy, happy Morgan: some love it, some chase their friends away

"If you would like to do highly sophisticated work with a variety of companies from the multitude of start-up dot coms to the world's largest companies, then this place is for you," says an associate who might make a promising copywriter. That cheerleader continues: "If you enjoy being the leader on projects and handling as much responsibility as you can, you can get it here." In general, "everyone here seems to be happy and I can't say that about friends who work at other firms." Another source reports that "in my five years at ML&B I've been stressed, exhausted, overworked and panicked - but never bored or unchallenged."

Atmosphere, prestige, and quality of work are the biggest factors in choosing Morgan. One lateral hire says, "I voluntarily left my previous firm when I was told that ML&B was looking to hire a new associate. My decision was very easy simply because we are number one in the state and [have] an outstanding national reputation."

Employment Contact

Ian Shrank
Chairman, Recruiting Committee
(212) 309-6076

Key Competitors

Jones Day, Reavis & Pogue;Sidley & Austin;Latham & Watkins;Kirkland & Ellis;

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