Vinson & Elkins Reviews

Pros

The people are real laid back and smart, and you get paid well.

Cons

The beurocratic red-tape of a large firm.

Pros

nice environment, good people. good benefits

Cons

no job growth. repetetive work.

Advice to Senior Management

admin services should have more room to grow.

Pros

Great people, nice environment, interesting cases.

Cons

As an intern, didn't quite gain the hands-on experience I would have liked. I sort of expected this as an intern, however no one really seemed to mind if I was entirely idle. I made myself extremely (almost obnoxiously) available, yet I didn't get the reach from the attorneys that i would have liked.

Advice to Senior Management

Try to more fully engage your interns. The program itself is great, but perhaps encourage the attorneys to be more involved with their department intern.

Pros

Local stand-out
Great energy in-house options
Great compensation on a cost-of-living basis
Faily-oriented as law firms go
Commitment to staying nationally relevant
Making partner not impossible

Cons

Hours, like anywhere else
Some weird partners
Salary compression
Probably not the best place to be single
The Enron taint

Advice to Senior Management

Be clear about your intentions. If you want to be a top national firm, unequivocally commit to NYC-level compensation. Lose the murky bonus system.

Pros

V&E has some of the kindest attorneys I have met -- they're very smart people, but it's their kindness that really struck me. V&E also appears committed to leading, not following, when it comes to associate compensation increases. They take care of their young attorneys, and they make sure you learn. Sometimes I would get a call from a senior partner saying, could you bring me X, Y, and Z? I'd bring them down to his office, and he'd say thanks and we'd chat for a bit, and he'd pretend to look at the clock and be surprised and say "Oh, hey, I have a call with our CEO's client right now... do you want to stick around and participate?" I realized he didn't really need X Y and Z -- he just wanted me to come over to his office so I could listen in on a _very_ important phone call. Very cool.

Cons

The same downsides that exist at any mega-firm. In particular, I am in the camp that would spend far less on events, cocktail parties, and recruiting lunches. I think the firm should trust the integrity, kindness, and intelligence of its attorneys to attract talent, and not stoop to spending tens of thousands of dollars on recruiting events. There are smart law students out there who would appreciate being paid $3000 more each summer rather than having parties every night in their honor, and it's those lawyers that V&E should target. Other downsides include that the firm is a slow adapter of technology.

Advice to Senior Management

In general, keep up the good work and remain accessible. The one thing I get from Senior Management is a feeling that there's only one way for a V&E associate to approach a certain issue like diversity, maternity leave, or work-life balance. They should be more open to the fact that there is a wide variety of opinions on issues -- even though they've come to a certain conclusion on a certain issue, there is likely a large percentage of associates who disagree.

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.

Pros

Great pay and training. The firm is the best in Texas and one of the best in the nation, so it is a great resume builder.

Cons

The hours are bad and getting worse now that compensation is hours-based. Partnership prospects are not much better than NYC firms anymore, although they will still tell you they are when recruiting you.

Advice to Senior Management

None.

Pros

V&E New York is a a good place to work if you're looking for a New York lifestyle without New York Biglaw firm attitudes. Because the firm is based in Houston, TX, the New York office has a bit more of a congenial attitude when compared to other New York firms. Most of the partners and almost all senior associates are willing to teach to younger associates and are interested in their development. The New York office is growing quickly, and V&E is putting emphasis on having a wider presence in New York. The office is smaller, so you get to know your coworkers.

Cons

As with any big law firm, the hours can be a beast. Your personal plans have absolutely no impact on when you'll be working. People were told to reschedule their already planned (and paid for) vacations in order to work on various client projects. There is not a whole lot of feedback, so you can be unsure as how you're doing in the office. The drawbacks to working in the New York office of Vinson & Elkins are similar to working at any other large law firm - hours are long and the work can be a bit mind numbing.

Advice to Senior Management

Put in place feedback channels that do not deal only with reviews.