Vinson & Elkins – “The Good; Bad and Ugly of Vinson & Elkins”

Pros

Vinson & Elkins is a very diverse firm as far as "staff" is concerned. The Firm treats their employees with respect and the time off that you get cannot be beat by any other firm in the State of Texas (in my personal opinion). The Firm automatically gives you 20+ days off during a year and the year-end bonuses are great - a legal secretary will get a month's salary considering you are employed with the Firm for an entire year, otherwise, your bonus will be pro-rated. Other bonuses include an extra paycheck at the end of the year IF the firm does well year-round and during review time, employees can also get an additional paycheck if you get a "glowing" review, but I never got one! For the record, my reviews were always outstanding.

Cons

Too many changes and sometimes unexpected lay-offs that you definitely don't see coming your way. According to some employees, there are only a few secretaries who get the extra paycheck bonus during review time. Some secretaries believe that if you do not work for a partner, or a "top-notch" attorney in the office, you are pretty much left without a bonus during review time. Some secretaries were let go just a year or two prior to retirement and in my opinion, those secretaries should just be left alone - they are not harming anyone. Not a good way to let someone go especially when that person has devoted 20+ years to the firm.

Advice to Senior Management

Take into consideration the amount of time you give an employee before "letting them go." Take into consideration that most, if not all, these secretaries have mortgage payments and bills to pay. Please be considerate in this aspect and maybe let a person know with a lot more time instead of calling someone into your HR office and telling them they no longer have a job after today.