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Second City history Founded in 1881, Chicago-based Mayer, Brown & Platt has become one of the largest firms in the country. Early Mayer clients included Sears Roebuck and Continental Bank, which selected Mayer when it incorporated. The firm began to branch out in the 1970s, opening offices in Washington, DC, New York, and London. Mayer became a pioneer of sorts in 1991 when Debora de Hoyos was elected managing partner. De Hoyos, a Harvard law grad, was one of the first women selected to lead a top law firm. Other top partners include former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Mickey Kantor and former Illinois Attorney General Ty Fahner. More than 10 former Supreme Court clerks now work for Mayer (including four hired in 1999) as do nine former members of the U.S. Solicitor General's office. Steady growth (at least in most places) With more than 500 lawyers, the Chicago practice encompasses almost half the firm's total and is well known for its government, tax, and mergers and acquisitions work. The New York office has experienced explosive growth from one attorney in 1978 to 166 in 2000 and is reportedly the most profitable non-New York-based firm operating in the city. Notable practice areas include corporate, more specifically securities law, finance, structured finance, real estate, tax, banking and bankruptcy. The London office, relatively petite at 31 lawyers, works on finance and mergers and acquisitions. Mayer is expanding its Charlotte practice as well. The firm moved into the banking mecca in 1998, merging with local firm Blanchfield Cordle & Moore. Since then, the branch has more than tripled in size, employing 23 lawyers (including 12 partners). It has also widened its practice areas, now handling structured finance and other transactional work in addition to tax. Further expansion appears to be on the horizon as Jay Monge, architect of the firm's successful New York foray, joined the Charlotte office at the end of 1999. In spite of all this growth, Mayer Brown shut its Moscow offices in September 1999, one of many law firms to pull out of Russia after that country's economic crisis. Merger powerhouse Mayer's corporate practice is well-respected and the firm has advised on several high-profile mergers. For example, Mayer represented Pacific Retail Trust when it was sold to Regency Realty for $2 billion. The firm was co-counsel to Aetna when the company spent $1 billion for the health care business of Prudential Insurance, a deal completed in August 1999. The following month, Mayer Brown represented Illinois Tool Works in its $3.4 billion merger with Premark International. That December MBP served as counsel to MapQuest.com in its $1.1 billion acquisition by America Online. (The firm also advised MapQuest in its May 1999 IPO.) Supreme Court regulars The firm's litigation department is also top-notch. In 1999 the firm racked up five victories (with no losses) in front of the Big Nine. Mayer handled the oral arguments in four of these cases. In fact, Mayer attorneys appeared in front of the Supreme Court more than any other firm's lawyers in the 1990s. The firm's 1996 appearance in BMW of North America v. Gore won a reduction in a $2 million punitive damage award for the automaker. The litigation department also secured a settlement in a suit against Dow Chemical stemming from the company's breast implant liability. Boldly into the New Economy Mayer Brown has jumped headfirst into the Internet revolution, representing a number of firms on various issues. The firm represented startups Launch Media, Auctions.com, 3Clix.com and EDC.com on numerous issues related to their launches, from funding to incorporation. Members of senior management at Ameritrade and Apartments.com selected Mayer to negotiate compensation and employment agreements. Yesmail.com and CompUSANet.com used the firm to negotiate technology contracts and licenses. Larger, more established companies such as Ernst & Young and Dell Financial Services have used Mayer to get their own web ventures set up. The firm has represented Internet heavyweights such as America Online and Ziff-Davis in intellectual property litigation. Apartments.com and harmonycentral.com have secured venture capital funding through Mayer. Finally, Mayer has represented many companies in their exit strategies, either IPOs or mergers and acquisitions.
You'd better study Good news for those with great grades who may be lacking in the personality department. Mayer insiders report that the firm focuses on grades and schools and virtually ignores personalities. "MB&P tends to be quite grade focused, especially when considering students who aren't from the top five schools in the country," reports one insider. "It seems like students from so-called lesser schools have to have an almost perfect GPA to be seriously considered." Another contact says "if you have high enough grades, Mayer will hire you. If you have low grades, Mayer will not hire you. Personality is normally not an issue during the hiring process." Another source goes even further, saying "personality disorders and poor interpersonal skills are not a handicap." Summer associates usually have it made. "It is very competitive to become a summer associate here but it is very easy to get an offer for full-time employment once you are a summer associate," reports a current Mayer lawyer and former summer associate. "Out of my class of roughly 60 summer associates, only one did not receive an offer." The firm's web site has a section for both law school recruits and lateral hires. The law school section has facts about individual offices, including contact information. Laterals are required to have two years experience and should be admitted to the bar of the state where they apply. All applicants are encouraged to submit resumes via U.S. mail or fax, not e-mail. Campus screening interviews Mayer Brown conducts "screening interviews on campus with a partner or an associate," depending on who's available at the time. Applicants who cannot make a campus interview can send their resume to the office to which they are applying, where it is "reviewed by designated partners." Those who make the cut have callback interviews at the office with six attorneys (three partners and three associates). If the candidate expresses an area of interest, an interview with a partner in that area follows. Each interview "lasts a half-hour" and "sometimes includes lunch." The review committee "usually gets back to people quickly, within a week." Insiders say that "the requirements for being invited in for an interview are stiff, but once invited, many candidates are given offers."
Corporate culture: no white shoes Firm insiders say that Mayer is friendly but "a little stiff." But at least one associate says, "I haven't found it to be overly 'white shoe.'" "Very cold, impersonal atmosphere," complains another source. "People have strong business faces, then go out and party like fraternity boys. That might sound appealing but it's actually just immature and tedious." Another contact says associates have a lot of autonomy. "The firm is very laid-back. People are pretty friendly and helpful. You are free to do the kind of work you want as long as you meet your hours." Typical hours Hours, insiders say, are "cyclical - some weeks are nuts, others are quiet. MB&P is not a big face time firm." The recent salary increases are expected to have an impact on workload. "Partners are very resentful of the recent salary rises," says a contact. As a result, "MB&P just raised its billable hours requirements. It remains to be seen how this will affect the quality of life at the firm." Pay raises, grudgingly "Although the firm has matched the salaries of other top Chicago firms and recent salary increases across the country, it wasn't without a struggle," reports one attorney. "As many of the associates pointed out, Mayer Brown was not one of the first Chicago firms to announce a salary increase." As previously noted, the jump in pay has caused problems at the firm. "Mayer has had many problems stemming from compensation - especially in the last few months," says an insider. At least one associate sided with management: "We shouldn't have made the pay jump; we are not a Silicon Valley firm and do not get the Monopoly money from taking equity in over-valued, no-asset, no-profit dot com companies." Chicago-specific perks Mayer associates get most of the typical perks - meals and cabs for late nights, for example. Also, the firm gives out tickets to the Bulls and White Sox in Chicago and the Chicago Symphony. "A gym allegedly is on the way," notes one source. Also, "there is an annual associates-only party," monthly wine and cheese parties for the whole firm, and an annual event to which lawyers' families are invited. Breakfast - donuts, muffins, and bagels - is served every morning. The invisible hand at Mayer Brown Mayer's free market system allows associates unusual latitude in choosing the engagements on which they would like to work and the partners with whom they would like to work. This has its advantages and disadvantages, according to those in the know. While associates rave about the "tremendous opportunities" open to the proactive, others warn that "it's easy to fall through the cracks. Make sure you are willing to hustle for the good projects." "In a sense, you are truly on your own," contends one Chicago lawyer. "The system can be very effective, but it can be alienating and difficult at first." For those who master the system, the payoff is "extremely sophisticated and rewarding work." Please mentor me Mayer's associates are critical of the firm's diversity policies in general. "I don't know if the firm is actively trying to recruit minorities and simply being unsuccessful but there don't seem to be any minorities around here," says one attorney. "The firm works at minority recruiting but needs to improve retention and mentoring, as well as lateral hiring of minorities." One associate in Chicago jokes, "I would know better if I could ask our African-American partners. Oh yeah, they don't exist!" This is not actually the case - the firm points out that there are in fact two African-American partners in the Chicago office. They own you One associate lists "the assumption that they own me" as a drawback of working at Mayer. Another lawyer complains that "it's not a meritocracy but it's promoted as one." The training is also high on the list of complaints. A Mayer insider reports "constantly feeling like you don't know what you are doing. [There's] very little training. You're supposed to know things by magic." The friction between partners and associates, exacerbated by the recent raises, also comes up. "The partners do not care about you. They just care that you get the work done."
Kelly B. Koster Legal Recruiting Manager (312) 701-7002
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