Cleary Gottlieb
New York, NYWashington, DCSan Francisco, CA +1
FIRM PROFILE
Foley & Lardner
- Austin, TX
- Boston, MA
- Chicago, IL
- +19
A big Midwestern firm making big moves - could Foley be your Milwau-key to success?
About the Firm
- 24
- National Offices
- 3
- Overseas Offices
- 389
- Associates
- 515
- Partners
BigLaw is undoubtedly the place for the big dogs - corporate titans, litigation behemoths, and everything in between. But with New York and DC often being the stomping ground for such firms, it's easy to overlook the giants operating out in the Midwest.
“We’re a high performing firm and you do have to work hard,” begins Chairman and CEO Daljit Doogal, “but it’s so much better when your people have your back and support you. Everyone is nice, collaborative and it’s a good place to work.” The associates we spoke to were quick to agree too, “candidly, it was the combination of location, the quality of the work and clients that drew me in.” Founded in Milwaukee, its midwestern vibe permeates the 23 locations across the country, not to mention an additional three abroad. Milwaukee takes on the largest number of junior associates, followed by the offices in Boston, Dallas and Chicago.
“Candidly, it was the combination of location and the quality of the work and clients that drew me in.”
The firm’s practice focuses on four specific sectors: energy & infrastructure, healthcare & life sciences, manufacturing, and innovative technology. “Our brand awareness has grown exponentially and we’re building out our bench strength in those sectors,” Doogal adds. Our sister guide Chambers USA proves the firm doesn’t just talk the talk, it Milwauks the walk, with over 50 nods for departments such as corporate/M&A, real estate, litigation, healthcare, public finance, and life sciences.
Strategy & Future
Doogal outlines for us that “this past year, we’ve been shoring up those four sectors,” this has translated to a wave of lateral hires designed to bolster the firm’s hold on its key sectors, as well as a newly opened office in Nashville.
The other feature of the firm that’s on the rise is AI, which Doogal notes “everyone has to embrace it because it’s here and it’s here to stay.” Both the firm and its clients are interested in how attorneys can use AI to innovate and make practices easier: “I think it’s moving at a pace that’s very fast and something we haven’t seen at all,” Doogal explains, while he also acknowledges, “it’s dangerous to give people a tool without showing them how to use it. So, we’re making sure that training is happening too.”
Summer Program
- 61
- Summer Places
For those that took part in the firm’s summer program, juniors likened it to being on the best first date they’d ever had. Foley provides a great balance of both substantive work and bustling social occasions with one insider noting “we’re not doing busy work here, we’re not swamped but we’re exposed to a lot of what we do in our first year.” On the social side, networking events were regular with one highlight being an office retreat that changes location every year, bringing everyone on all the programs together to hang out: “It’s not just a vacation,” one junior cautioned, “you really are given a lot of opportunity to learn and do work that associates are relying on.” Over the last few years the retreat has been held in Chicago.
The Work
Foley uses a work utilization tool for its biggest practice groups, and operates a free market system for the rest, which insiders saw pros and cons for. “The nice thing about it is you can match up the teams appropriately for subject matter specificity,” one source weighed, “the downside is that some people are super busy and some people are less so.” Overall though, sources praised the “organic structure” to a free market system and were grateful that it “gives us a lot of flexibility to determine our own schedule.”
The litigation practice is split into several subgroups including antitrust, construction, and the largest and most populated commercial litigation group. The good news is, if tempted, associates can dip their toes into any of those proverbial pools; “you’re not excluded from getting work from other groups, for the first few years it’s just about growing your skills as a litigator.” As a result, typical junior associate tasks include doc review, depositions, research tasks, drafting motions to dismiss, summary judgments, and client contact.
Juniors spoke of the variety on offer in the group as “sometimes there are 15-20 matters going on at any one time.” One source took us through their experiences of the writing tasks: “One of the most enjoyable things is that you write as the partner you’re working for - you write with their voice, so you have to learn that when you get started,” adding “you will have your own voice eventually as a writer, but not when you start, so you learn to be flexible.”
Litigation clients: SideCars, Partner One Capital, Datavant. The firm represents Ascendium Education group in their class action against former subsidiary Great Lakes Educational Loan Services in relation to the latter’s violation of regulation concerning around 130,000 borrowers of student loans.
Over in the business law group - the firm’s “standard corporate group” – the practice is again split into several teams including M&A, real estate, finance, energy, environmental, estate planning, and tax and benefits, though it was common for associates to try their hand at each of those remits at some point depending on the case. Clients were often the big guns of corporate law and included top banks, energy sector corporations, and private equity assortments. Juniors relished the fact that “no two days are the same” in the group and that the variety of opportunities on offer exceeded their expectations. “They run things pretty lean in these practice groups,” one source elaborated, “so there can be a lot of work with no handholding, which is great for development.”
Of course, what specific work an associate will be staffed on depends on the subgroup they’re in, so to provide a few examples: those in the environmental group will often see themselves handling contested case hearings for waste permits, or regulatory compliance. Over in real estate, sources saw easement negotiations, titles on property, option agreements, and licenses. Regardless of the team, those in business law were proud of their group citing that “we do anything in those spaces, and we do it well.” Typical tasks include drafting documents, research, doc review, title and survey review, circulating forms, and marking up provisions. “We’re doing real work here,” one newbie reassured, “everything we get to do is substantive and important to the matter.”
Business clients: Charter Next Generation, Delta Air Lines, Kawasaki Motors Group. Foley advised Bradken Resources Pty on the sale of its subsidiary U.S. Specialty Products Division and Canada Specialty Products Division to TerraMar.
The IP practice involves a lot of patent work for clients including big pharma, cosmetic companies, hospital networks, research universities, and food and technology companies. “We work with the full gamut of life sciences here,” a source revealed, “anything you can imagine in that space, we cover it.” Work for associates was largely broken down into patent prosecution and patent counseling work, an example of the latter being “if there’s a merger, we’ll look and assess the target’s patent portfolio.” The former seemed to be the bulk of our interviewees’ workload and included tasks such as drafting, responding to instructions, and addressing replacement drawings.
As is often the case with IP, associates in the group tended to hail from scientific backgrounds which they could use to their advantage. “We’re all very intellectually curious and want to learn a lot about new levels of science,” reasoned one insider, “you need to have that broad knowledge, curiosity and drive to learn.”
IP clients: Textron, Utility Global, Johnson Controls. The firm advised the industrial technology company Oshkosh Corporation in its patent portfolio management, preparation, and prosecution including the securing of 166 US patents and overseeing thousands more that are pending.
Career Development
Juniors reported a steady supply of formal training opportunities they could immerse themselves in, as “there’s a good amount of support to get stuck in with anything that appeals.” From deposition training to attending conferences and client interaction, the firm provides an ample selection of training opportunities. That being said, multiple interviewees highlighted that “the informal learnings are where I’ve found even greater success at the firm” signaling that the mentors they’ve met along the way have always been keen to answer any questions and provide feedback.
With a retreat for fourth year associates lined up, insiders felt that the firm was definitely gearing towards longevity for their careers. “It’s pretty common to spend your whole career here,” one source described, “on day one they don’t hide the ball about wanting you to stay, and I appreciate that clarity.” This led to interviewees feeling that partnership was both attainable and transparent.
Culture
For anyone concerned that the BigLaw stereotype had infiltrated Wisconsin, rest assured that “they invite you in by promising Mid-West nice, but they deliver on that promise!” This was a relief for our sources who were pleased to embrace the warm, friendly culture on offer: “I think they really try to find out if you fit the vibe at the interview stage,” one interviewee recalled.
“They invite you in by promising Mid-West nice, but they deliver on that promise!”
On the social side of things, the firm is made up of a mix of introverts and extroverts with those fitting into the former gladly conveying that “I’ve never been dinged for missing a social event, they understand we all have lives.” If you do want to buddy up with your colleagues, then you can choose from regular happy hours, firmwide retreats every other year or so, and holiday parties. The in-office policy is generally expected to be four days a week but most of our interviewees exceeded that and got to reap the benefits as a result. “There’s ice cream on Wednesdays and donuts on Monday mornings,” one junior gushed, “and naturally, free coffee 24/7,” as well as wellness events.
Inclusion
Juniors were proud to tout that they “work with a really diverse bunch of people” highlighting that female partnership wasn’t just common but “it actually seems like the norm.” Firm boasts a selection of affinity groups that anyone can participate in. That being said, geography was not our interviewees’ friend and would often push up against diversifying the firm’s ranks: “Milwaukee isn’t the most diverse place in the country,” one source confessed, “the firm actively recruits from underrepresented backgrounds, the people coming through the door just tend to be white.”
Hours & Compensation
- Up to 1950 (dependent on year)
- Billable Hours Requirement
For the first three years, associates are given a billable target of 1,900 hours which juniors found “perfectly attainable.” In addition to that, 150 hours can be attributed to investment which includes professional development, CLE lunches, business development, reviewing trade press, and even “this very interview for example.” You’re welcome unnamed Foley associate! 100 hours of pro bono are also available within that, with the ability to extend that on a (literal) case-by-case basis.
A lot of our sources pushed for a 9-5 office day before logging back on in the evening and praised the fact that they felt like “I can do that and I don’t feel like I’m burning myself out.” Once you hit 1,950 hours, associates become eligible for a discretionary bonus, with the standard bonus unlocking at 2,100 hours. “It’s incremental at that point,” one junior explained, “I appreciate the clarity on it, it goes up with every 100 hours.” Although those amounts may vary, insiders were happy that their salary remained lockstep with the rest of the industry.
Pro Bono
- 53,532
- Total Us Pro Bono Hours
- 43
- Average Pro Bono Hours Per Attorney
With 100 hours of billable pro bono up for grabs, juniors felt it was very much “integrated into our culture.” A variety of causes seemed to be available including matters surrounding immigration, veterans, asylum and legal clinics, plus the firm has a working relationship with the Boys and Girls Club. Insiders felt the firm encouraged pro bono work with the Take it to 20 program being a clear indicator of that. Once an associate reaches 20 pro bono hours, they receive a token from the firm, which we heard in past years has been a jacket or a plaque. If that wasn’t incentive enough, interviewees pointed to pro bono as being “a beyond rewarding experience.”
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Top Figures
- Milwaukee
- Largest US Office
- Undisclosed
- Revenue (£m)
- $225,000
- 1st Year Salary
- 18
- Partners Made
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