Wilmerhale Reviews

Pros

Some of the best reasons to work at Wilmerhale are to get fantastic experience as an attorney and work with tremendously talented attorneys.

Cons

Some of the downsides of working at a place like Wilmerhale is that the hours are long and a decent work-life balance is difficult to achieve.

Advice to Senior Management

Unfortunately, I currently do not have any suggestions, advice or feedback for the leadership at WIlmerhale as of this time.

Pros

Interesting cases that the firm handles

Cons

Need more focus on the administrative side

Pros

For the first few years:
Great benefits packages;
Interesting work;
Access to professional development trainings;
A lot of autonomy;
Flexible bosses who encouraged work-life balance;
Enjoyable to work with so many socially conscious people;
Highly competent managers who were really interested in mentoring you and helping you further your career;
Location;
Appreciated that WilmerHale had diversified their departments so as to avoid having major layoffs like their competitors in the economic downturn.

Cons

There were a number of management changes within departments the last year I worked here. Communication between management and staff disintegrated in my department. The full scope of new projects were kept hidden from staff, thus staff were left to make decisions on projects without all of the information (which may have changed those decisions). Management started denying or sitting on time off requests while taking multiple weeks themselves. Many staff members found themselves caught in the middle of conflicts between managers on how projects should be completed. Management also spent most of their time behind closed doors and piled more projects on already overworked staff. Staff consistently left hours after management had already gone home.

Advice to Senior Management

Need to value loyalty of long-time employees over potential short-term gains. It is good to bring in new leaders and fresh ideas, however make sure these new leaders are willing to first understand the department before making major changes and also be team players with current staff.

Pros

The staff was reasonably nice.

Cons

It was a pressure cooker for the attorneys so the enjoyment at work in general is reduced.

Advice to Senior Management

Remember that staff are not serfs and that it is how they make their living. Find attorneys that have people skills which include treating employees with respect and dignity.

Pros

I enjoyed working with partners/attorneys. Felt like a team player. Attorneys are friendly.

Cons

no place to grow, low morale, no perks for staff

Advice to Senior Management

give staff room to grow and be leaders.

Pros

Top level attorneys at the height of their craft working side by side with lower level associates is, in many respects, exciting. Despite its growing size, for the most part, WilmerHale remains a humane workplace. The culture is changing, however.

Cons

The life of an attorney is difficult and tedious, with voluminous documentation to constantly review. It's not for the weak of stomatch.

Advice to Senior Management

Overall I think management has done a good job, but there is increased focus on productivity (also known as "billable hours"). This is not to say that excellent work is not valued, but it is difficult to maintain such high levels of productivity and attention to detail on a consistent, long term basis.

Pros

WilmerHale has a great paid time off policy, health and welfare benefits. The firm also does a lot fo community out reach. The overall culture of the office is great.

Cons

Wilmehale's compensation policies seem low. Career development/ advacncement for staff seems to vary greatly between offices. There seems to be a lack of communication between lower management across offices.

Advice to Senior Management

I would suggest management take more interest in developing their employees. In addition, commincation amongst departments needs to imporve greatly.

Pros

-The people are smart and motivated
-The socialization/networking opportunities are endless
-Prestigious firm with an excellent culture
-Great experience overall

Cons

-very bureaucratic. As an employee on the administrative end of the company, it was difficult to explore new (professional) opportunities outside of my job function.

Advice to Senior Management

Think creatively about how to utilize administrative staff. The people are just as smart and motivated as the attorneys and would thrive if given more diverse professional opportunities. This does not apply to personal opportunities, which are endless.

Pros

Great colleagues. Wicked smart people. Highly ethical. No "bush league" behaviour. Good work and opportunities. It's a great way for a young attorney to build their skills and network.

Cons

Work life balance is difficult once you have children. The "ethos" has changed towards metrics and productivity and away from collegiality and good work. It's now a factory headed towards a sweat shop, and it used to be a real Washington regulatory boutique. They basically moved all moms and part time lawyers out--contrary to their stated policies and contrary to their historical ethos. It's now become all about the numbers and less about the individuals.

Advice to Senior Management

I think its sad when the law firm is so big that the only thing all the partners can agree upon is that they should all be making more money. Life isn't about PPP and yet that appears to be what the focus is all about these days.

Pros

strong roots in community and philanthropy

Cons

There are no down sides to working at WilmerHale but its no perfect nor it anyplace.

Advice to Senior Management

none at this time