Baker & McKenzie Reviews

Pros

(i) International Network of clients and colleagues
(ii) Working in several different languages
(iii) dealing with different backgrounds and professional cultures
(iV) learning to work hard

Cons

(i) difficult relationships between associates

Advice to Senior Management

It should be advisable to value trainees and young professional and to invest specifically in their professional growth in order to keep them motivated and, most of all, to increase the firm's potential and appeal.

Pros

Endless opportunities; Partners & Associates go above the call of duty to help one another to the extent the firm worldwide eludes an atmosphere of family and close friends working relentlessly for our clients; the breadth and value of the continuing education seminars; the opportunities to pursue and propose legal cutting-edge approaches and creative initiatives for the benefit of the firm; great travel and placement opportunities

Cons

not all offices subscribe to WestLaw and/or other very valuable non-legal research databases; difficult to diversify and expand your social life due to long hours; "on-call" 24/7 for client matters; not all offices offer free or discounted memberships to recreational facilities for professional staff near the workplace

Advice to Senior Management

offer free or discounted memberships to recreational facilities for professional staff near the workplace; subscribe to WestLaw as well as other non-legal research databases used by law schools and universities

Pros

great work life balance
steady position

Cons

little room to grow
can be a bit boring

Pros

Largest international law firm and well recognized

Cons

The firm is large for someone who wants to be a generalist.

Advice to Senior Management

Sorry but I have no advice for the firm.

Pros

I worked on the professional services side, so I was not an attorney there. Therefore, based on my experience:
-Good Work/Life Balance
-Nice office set-up
-Good benefits. Firm pays 90%+ of your benefits (if no dependents)
-Firmwide happy hours every month
-Casual Fridays
-Aside from some of your 'difficult attorneys, I loved the people - professional, intelligent, driven, friendly, collaborative

Cons

-Because it's such a large firm, lots of politics and bureaucracy.
-Professional development framework/evaluation process definitely needs improvement. Attorneys/partners/managers need to invest more time and effort with really 'developing' their people. Engage and encourage 'meaningful goals' on evaluations.

Advice to Senior Management

-REALLY 'listen' to your people - attorneys and staff. You give them opportunities to voice their opinions/concerns, but seems you don't really take their feedback into account when making important bottom-line decisions. A lot of good people have been leaving lately, and I think that can be prevented if the Firm truly implemented practices based on what employees are sharing.

Pros

Interesting international clients and work. Some really great partners who care about your career advancement. High level of professionalism.

Cons

Poor communication from management. Compensation could have been better.

Pros

Decent treatment by partners. Interesting work when available.

Cons

NY still trying to recover from recession.

Advice to Senior Management

Partner compensation structure does not promote sharing deals or associates and creates fiefdoms.

Pros

Colleagues are very nice.
We are international.
Baker can handle just about any task a client requests.
Great for the resume.

Cons

Management is horrid, non-communicative until review time. For current firm news, go to abovethelaw for updates, or ask a secretary for the latest gossip. Zero workflow management; billables are becoming unattainable. Benefits are good, but barebones-basic. One poster in Texas mentioned "flex-time", this is not true for staff in the California offices, maybe it's true for the attorneys. OT for staff is only applicable to secretarys. Paralegals are rarely, if ever, included in projects from RFP through and into the actual project. Low morale and no sense of shared vision and goal for the local office or the firm as a whole.

Advice to Senior Management

Communicate! Be an industry leader, not a cookie-cutter mouse. Learn to share the pie a little more.

Pros

Smart lawyers doing great work. There is an emphasis on growing the practise and getting better clients, but no sense of how to do that. Compensation was fair, bonuses not really existent. Bit of a face time place, but high level of autonomy in actual work.

Cons

Management is terrible, especially in corporate. I understand management is changing. There is an emphasis on conformity. Creativity in pitching clients and performing work is discouraged greatly. Performance review system is a joke.

Advice to Senior Management

Be open to new ideas. Hire less consultants to tell you how to communicate your business to others. Promote better leaders.

Pros

Good benefits for the employees.

Cons

Unsupportive seniors and overly intense working style.

Advice to Senior Management

it's ok.