Sullivan & Cromwell – “A Mixed Bag”

Pros

Perhaps the primary reason to work for Sullivan & Cromwell LLP is because you have the opportunity to work on extremely significant legal matters. Over the course of my two year tenure with the firm, I worked on two "bet the firm" matters and the exposure was certainly not lost on me. Partners are smart, although a bit arrogant at times and associates are driven, sometimes a bit too much. Base pay is competitive and opportunities for overtime are rife. Additionally, benefits and parks aren't too shabby; when I was at the firm, black cars and SeamlessWeb were de facto.

Cons

In my position, the work could be extremely tedious, repetitive, and boring. Because the structure of the firm is extremely hierarchical, there is limited opportunity for someone at the lower rungs to make a difference. Furthermore, I experienced episodes in which my superiors were extremely disrespectful to me. Much of what associates do is project management, and not actually practicing law, yet few have any experience with managing people and tasks. Work/life balance is somewhat absence as you are expected to be on call 24/7. WIth the exception of those who actually think they can make partner, I found that many associates were miserable, making my job all the more difficult.

Advice to Senior Management

First, I would advise senior management to provide attorneys at all levels with project management training. At the end of the day, much of what occurs is the management of projects and not the practice of law. I would also encourage the firm to institute 360 degree reviews. Many of the firm's clients use these types of reviews and I believe that they would significantly aid employees by recognizing their strengths and identifying their weaknesses. Additionally, I would clarify the decision making process as it pertains to some of the newly created departments. Many times, we would not know who to turn to for various tasks and that made our job frustrating.