Pros

The compensation, which is about 10% below market but still a very good living. Further, Orrick's top practice areas (including IP and white collar) are well respected and ensure high quality work and good resume appeal. There is little pressure for face time.

Cons

The hours can be brutal. Teams can be haphazardly run depending on the partners on charge of a particular case. There is quite a wide variation between teams.

Advice to Senior Management

Reign in on expansion and focus on developing talent in-house. I think that the recent economic setbacks the firm has encountered have been caused in part by the dramatic expansion over the last decade. This expansion has made it impossible to filter people effectively against Orrick's core values - a process that rightly takes years - and, I think, diminished the culture of the place. Ultimately, the firm will benefit more from investing in culture than in short term benefits to profits from lateral expansion.