City of New York Law Dept. Reviews

I have been working at City of New York Law Dept. as an intern for less than a year

Pros – Exposure to a wide variety of legal matters
Convenient and Flexible Hours
Professional and Efficient
I was able to aid in the construction of a case presented before federal court and was able to actually sit in on a federal court case.

Cons – This is a credit only internship so don't expect any pay other than in the form of experience. That being said be ready to do a lot of filing, exhibit preparation, and over all paralegal work. It's dull work but its most definitely worth the experience if you are interested in pursuing a career in the field of law.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at City of New York Law Dept. full-time for more than 10 years

Pros – As an attorney, you will handle a lot of responsibility very quickly.

Cons – The leadership sucks. The Office is micromanaged by a man who has no idea what being a city attorney really means. He came from the private sector and has no idea what it is like to live from paycheck to paycheck. He plays favorites, is impossible to approach without fear of retaliation, and many of the older supervisors get away with discrimination based on gender, race, you name it, they discriminate.

Advice to Senior Management – Start paying attention to the low morale and do something about it.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I worked at City of New York Law Dept. for less than a year

Pros – Free medical plans, dental, eye exams, podiatry and excellent prescription coverage.

Cons – Since New York State and New York City are "at-will employers", they have the right to discharge an employee at any time for any reason. If a supervisor does not like you (for any reason), he or she can terminate your employment without a reason. You are basically on your own if you want to move up. There are no mentors, or advisers to assist you with job progression. In fact, their reviews are arbitrary and usually against you. There is a culture in place with all the NYC agencies, you kiss butt .

Advice to Senior Management – This advice is for the unions - you take our money bi-weekly and do not offer your employees protection and The unions are not on the side of employees. The loud outspoken union leaders are the only people that benefit from the unions. Most union members are disappointed their voices are never heard.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at City of New York Law Dept. full-time for more than 8 years

Pros – Frequent courtroom experience, deposition, motion writing, oral argument, litigation experience, and some opportunities for trials depending on what division you are in.

Cons – Lack of a "profit motive" sometimes reflects on the seriousness to win cases rather than simply "manage" cases. Not up to date on litigation technology. Large older demographic which is both a pro and a con.

Advice to Senior Management – Find out what employees think. Add some additional incentives for winning cases. More collective strategic planning at all levels.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at City of New York Law Dept.

Pros – Gain a lot of experience and responsibility very early on in your legal career--just make sure you quickly sell yourself to another employer as soon as your 3 year commitment is up!

Cons – Unless you are constantly singing your own praises, kissing up to and massaging the egos of your supervisors, you will never get ahead.

Advice to Senior Management – Give out raises fairly, based on truly objective benchmarks, rather than the "good ol' boys club" method. There may be more women in the Law Dept. than men, but I'd love to know how you explain why all the men have higher salaries and get more quickly promoted.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at City of New York Law Dept.

Pros – If working long hours is not conducive to your lifestyle, this is a good place to work. The pay is really low and the City is experiencing financial issues which affect promotions, new hiring ets.

Cons – The pay and the lack of support in litigation servcies make this job much more difficult than working in a firm..

Advice to Senior Management – Need to make the job more attractive in terms of salary. Need to fire dead wood. Need to assess the present strategy of paying experts (surveillance in particular) meagre amounts as the results show the present strategy is not working.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at City of New York Law Dept.

Pros – Great hands-on trial and litigation experience early in career. Depending on the Division, there are opportunities for promotion and slight salary increases.

Cons – Believe it or not, even though a City agency, major salary inequities based on gender. If you are male, you will not only get a raise and promotion more quickly, but you will also get assigned better cases.

Advice to Senior Management – stop focusing so much on fake billable hours and reward hard workers. City employees deserve raises and recognition. If someone has not gotten a raise in over 5 years and still works in the office, they deserve one--make sure it happens.

I worked at City of New York Law Dept.

Pros – you learn alot of great things about law, a good opportunity to see the court system and see how lawyers operate

Cons – not much variation in tasks, city is in a hiring freeze

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I worked at City of New York Law Dept.

Pros – Medical and steady employment. Once aligned with the centers of power, you will do fine regardless of everything else on the job.

Cons – Office politics trump education and hard work. Less educated support staff managers tend to reject new ideas and best practices from subordinates.

Advice to Senior Management – Confront the internal nepotism and favoritism, particularly the discriminatory boys and girls clubs. Truth and facts should be placed on equal footing with law and authority.