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August 21, 2002

Hale & Dorr by Candlelight

After a massive power outage disrupted my spaghetti & meatballs preparations last night, I had nothing better to do than read the Hale & Dorr propaganda recruiting materials they so kindly forwarded to me in the mail. (Note to 1Ls: apply to all the firms after December 1st, even though you don't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting hired this year. Your mailbox will become quite full of pure law firm joy.)

I discovered -- even through the romantic, flickering light and the extraordinarily tiny print on the NALP form -- that Hale & Dorr's recruiting department never quite grasped the basic concept of proof-reading. How would they feel if I misused the comma in my resume? (I'll say nothing further, except judgment should be spelled just so.)

I did actually learn a few things. Hale & Dorr has formed an international joint venture firm with Brobeck. This makes me wonder if they'll start taking hiring cues from their partner, which is now bribing associates with $2-3,000 per month not to show up to work. I can't say getting paid $24,000 a year to not work is entirely awful. However, getting paid $125,000 does have its perks (making loan payments, for one).

They have also instituted an in-house emergency daycare program. A very smart lawyer once told me to run as hard and fast as possible whenever those words are uttered (unless you particularly like strangers caring for your sick child while the firm forces you to slave away). My personal favorite is the "formal 'upward evaluation' program." Associates are always so willing to provide constructive criticism to partners.

This evening I was ever so lucky to be invited to Hale & Dorr's swanky palace for the fall recruiting season staple: the meet and greet. Sixty State Street indeed has the most well-appointed elevators I've ever had the pleasure to be in.

Tonight, I discovered that young associates are able to participate in deal closings via the closing checklist (because it is so intellectually stimulating), that pro bono work is "a welcome break from the daily grind of corporate work, because it is a grind," and that young associates get a lot of client contact because partners don't like answering the phone. When the last panelist finished his spiel, instead of allowing us to proceed directly to applause, a partner-fellow stood up, told us that the remarks were "insightful and illuminating," then directed us to commence the clapping.

At the post-panel reception, there were very few associates around to ask questions of, despite the fact that Hale & Dorr employs 350 attorneys in its Boston office. The associates were understandably reluctant to give us any particularly candid impressions of their experience working at Hale & Dorr, but a few whispered some tidbits out of the partners' earshot. Some were at least interesting characters. Others, sadly, were not. Several did not speak to any students whatsoever; they just talked amongst themselves and downed some beer. A few seemed very keen on discussing the Brobeck joint venture, but I must admit I was terribly uninterested. I must give Hale & Dorr credit for two things tonight: they really do seem to keep hiring on a fairly even kilter, and their caterer was pretty damned good.

Overall, it was a rather illuminating evening.