Akin Gump Reviews

Pros

Competitive firm and salary without the cut-throat lifestyle. The work-life balance is not ideal, but is better than one would expect from similarly situated firms.

Cons

Firm needs more open communication with associates.

Pros

Majority of the staff are great to work with.

Cons

Lack of communication from upper management.

Advice to Senior Management

More open communication from upper management down.

Pros

The pay and benefits are good and the work is top notch. You get to work on interesting projects and can earn a lot of responsibility.

Cons

The downsides are that of any big law firm. Long hours, little chance of making partner, no respect for home life.

Advice to Senior Management

I would try to pay more attention to alternative career paths. Partner is becoming increasingly difficult if not impossible to make so to keep good attorneys, make other options available.

Pros

Great benefits and as far as law firms go, this is one of the better ones.

Cons

There are no advocates for non-attorney's and non-managers. Speaking with HR about an issue you're having with a direct supervisor or manager only puts you on the radar so, most people (those who want to keep their jobs) will keep quiet about issues with their boss, no matter how serious it may be.

Advice to Senior Management

Sadly, any advice would fall on deaf ears, but if they really wanted to change, they'd pay more attention to what's going on with their non-legal staff.

Pros

Social Events- Corporate Events, Employee Recognition Awards

Metro Accessible

Conveniently Located

Competitive Pay

Bonus- Year-end, Mid -Year

Employee Recognition Month

Cons

Few Growth , Advancement and Development Opportunity

No job stability

Stress Environment

Strict Coporate Culture

Attorneys placed at higher priority to employees

Pros

Good work environment, good bonuses, flexibility in determining your own schedule. There are lots of opportunities to do pro bono work and all pro bono hours count just like billable hours.

Cons

Work can come at any time, twenty four hours a day, seven days per week. Chances of making partner are small, and there is little transparency on partnership admissions.

Advice to Senior Management

The more communication with the associates, the better. The new focus on evaluations is good, but they need to make sure that the evaluators use the same standards.

Pros

good work, talented workers and depending on what department you're in, fairly understanding superiors. generally a typical big law firm

Cons

stressful when busy because of fast pace, stressful when slow because of pressure to bill even if there isn't enough work, again, it's like most big law firms out there.

Advice to Senior Management

it would be nice to get feedback on work done and more flexibility to help with work life balance and stress.

Pros

The work is very high-level, and the mentoring by other attorneys (associates and partners) is top-notch. The salaries and benefits are very competitive.

Cons

Like most BigLaw, the downsides are the billable hours requirements and the uncertainty about the prospects for partnership after 7-10 years. .

Advice to Senior Management

The firm has an inverted pyramid. It might be time to take a hard look at the partners who might not be contributing fully.

Pros

Work/Life Balance. Always willing to give me my earned time off for my child.

Cons

The recent turnover of a lot of partners. We haven't quite recovered. There seems to be so many empty offices and we will really need to fill them.

Advice to Senior Management

We know the economy is in turmoil and layoffs are inevitable, but what is the real criteria? Performance reviews, longevity, etc. I personally think that the summer associate program needs to be really trimmed back. Way too much money is spent on this program. I know we have to compete with other firms, but in this economy I think it is possible to cut the program.

Pros

I have always felt that Akin Gump was a place where my contribution was appreciated and that feedback from me to management was at least acknowledged. Their feedback to me is routine and open. There is no one watching over my shoulder and if I keep my attorneys happy, admin seems to be happy. I feel that I negotiated a good salary to start with since I was hired to be a secretary to a partner who was known to be difficult. I asked for more than I expected to get and they met that demand and added some to boot!

Cons

Lately (May 2008) the office has been in turmoil because of the departure of a fair number of partners. It is only through news stories that I know that the NY partners are balking at the rates and per partner profits of the other offices. This has caused staff to wonder if we are in trouble or just adjusting our practice. The office is looking a little shabby these days, and that feeds the rumor mill. The managing partner met with us to try to quell the nervousness, but most people felt that he was just giving us the party line. It still remains to be seen if Akin is on the way up, or down or just maintaining the status quo.

Advice to Senior Management

Be aware that the staff are feeling a great deal of insecurity about the upheaval in the partnership. Some affirmation would go a long way toward settling nerves. We may lose some good people who are afraid to remain on a perceived sinking ship. For heaven's sake, paint the walls and clean the carpets! It looks like no one cares.