2024 DIVERSITY DATABASE UNDERWRITER Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP

Our Survey Says

VAULT'S VERDICT:

Stroock’s hiring decisions often come down to personality and whether a candidate demonstrates motivation and respect. The firm has a friendly culture, but how much socializing occurs varies by practice group. Associates feel that partners are respectful and willing to mentor, but while reviews provide transparent, honest feedback, they note that transparency in other areas is lacking—especially as to promotions. Associates report some issues with work distribution, but the firm employs workflow coordinators to help. The billable-hours requirement for a bonus is 2,000 hours, which includes up to 200 hours of pro bono and other non-billables, and associates are generally satisfied with compensation. Most assigned work is substantive and level-appropriate, though small teams mean bouts of either more-administrative tasks or stretch assignments. Training is provided to associates in all forms: CLEs and other topical trainings, a formal mentorship program, and on-the-job training and informal mentorship. Though the process is unclear, associates generally believe partnership is realistic, especially following the addition of a non-equity position. For those not seeking partnership, a senior counsel position provides a place to land, but there are plenty of exit options too. Associates agree the firm did a great job transitioning to remote work. Plenty of wellness initiatives are offered—associates were especially excited by a new “mental health day”—but some feel lack of time inhibits their ability to take full advantage. Associates rave about the firm’s commitment to pro bono and commend the firm’s pro bono partner for his dedication to various causes. Associates are quick to point out the need to expand diversity within the firm, but they give kudos for the genuine conversations and steps being taken.

ASSOCIATE REVIEWS

The below associate quotes are derived from Vault's Annual Associate survey, which took place from mid-March 2021 to mid-May 2021.

GETTING HIRED

Hiring Process

• “The firm looks for candidates that can take ownership of assignments. This can mean, depending on the assignment, going beyond exactly what was asked for. I believe the firm is fairly typical in what it factors into its hiring decisions, although I think it is less stringent on what law school was attended than some other firms. The firm has extensive training for those interviewing potential candidates, particularly those interviewing law school students for summer associate positions.”
• “Initial hiring occurs through OCI at law schools, with recruiting mostly coming from New York law schools (NYU, Fordham, Brooklyn). Focus is put on school attended, grades, journals, [and] work experience. We receive extensive materials to prepare us for interviewing candidates.”
• “I believe the competitiveness is typical of law firm hiring in New York, an excellent law school and good grades are bare minimums. I wouldn't say journal experience, a clerkship, or prior work experience beyond your 1L summer is necessary, as I had none of those things. Personality is a major factor, as I think Stroock, as with all firms, see a wide range of people who on paper are qualified for the job, and decisions often come down to, ‘Would I want to work with this person?’ A good personality can overcome any other flaws in your resume on any day.”
• “Stroock seeks the optimal blend of intelligent and motivated candidates, as well as those that fit the Stroock culture of inclusion and respect.”

Interview Questions

• “Mostly standard stuff. No tricks. [We are] just trying to get a sense of the person and the attorney they might one day become.”
• “The recruiting department advocates asking behavioral questions to get at how a candidate would act in a certain situation and what kinds of things the candidate has learned from various experiences, like summer internships. For example, an interviewer may ask what a candidate's management style is for a candidate that has had experience with leading or managing a team.”
• “Obviously, be prepared for the usual ones: Why law school, why Stroock, what practice areas are you interested in, etc. Also, be prepared for open-ended ones [such as], "Tell me about yourself,’ and use that opportunity to start an actual back-and-forth conversation rather than just rehearsing answers.”

Lateral & Clerk Integration

• “Lateraling in is always a transition process, but strong efforts are made for integration and to get people up to speed.”
• “The firm did a good job of integrating me into the group. I went through extensive training, some of which was not particularly useful, but other training was very helpful to becoming familiar with the firm's systems and technology.”

ASSOCIATE LIFE

Firm Culture

• “Very friendly; each practice group has a sub-culture as well. Lots of events, pre- and during COVID. Lawyers and staff interact well.”
• “Positive environment. People are generally welcoming and glad to help you or get to know you. People socialize at the level they are comfortable with.”
• “Associates socialize within their group and, to a smaller extent, outside their group. Most attorneys are social, friendly, and happy to talk to each other. The firm sponsors events, but they are infrequent. Associate events also feel strictly budgeted. For example, the firm will offer wine and beer in a renovated conference room but rarely will organize an associate happy hour at a nearby bar or restaurant to create a space to socialize outside the office.”
• “I think Stroock has excelled at maintaining a strong and cohesive culture even through the COVID pandemic. Little things such as weekly emails from firm management that touch on timely topics and are encouraging in tone are appreciated. The effort is clearly being made.”

Associate/Partner Relations

• “In general, partners and associates have very good relationships in the sense that both sides treat each other with respect. The firm does a pretty good job of being transparent with finances and in performance reviews. We are given honest assessments of how we are doing during reviews. There could be a little more transparency with respect to promotions, however.”
• “I believe that associate/partner relations are good, because it does not feel like people put too much stock in hierarchy. In my experience, partners respect the ideas and work of associates. …”
• “Most partners are approachable, respect associates, and are willing to take on mentor roles. There is very little transparency regarding firm performance, finances, and promotions. The review process has been greatly improved in recent years, as the firm has created a standard form/process.”
• “Partners go out of their way to get to know you and generally seem to care about the relationships they are building. I wouldn't say transparency related to firm performance or promotion is very transparent, although I can't imagine many firms are very transparent with those issues either. Formal reviews are conducted twice a year, in June and December, with your assigning partner and a partner you've worked with closely from your practice group.”

Hours

• “The department has a workflow coordinator that assists with making sure you have enough work and also are not overwhelmed. Senior attorneys also maintain reasonable expectations.”
• “I generally have an appropriate amount of work and good flexibility in where and when I complete it. There are sometimes issues with how work is distributed, but that is sometimes a function of the small size of the group.”
• “I work a lot, but it’s by choice. The firm rewards the go-getters.”
• “[It] has been a busy year, and work does not always come at the most desirable times or at the most desirable intervals, but I understand and respect that such challenges can be inherent in the industry. While I think there is a general expectation that I will accept assignments, I feel like I do have a bit of leeway if I am particularly busy. When being approached with an assignment/deal, I am often not given a strong indication of what the assignment/deal may entail, which I believe is an area for improvement.”

Compensation

• “Compensation is market standard. There have been special bonuses related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but they have been performance based (i.e., you need to meet your utilization/hours requirement), while other firms have given them without a need for requirements.”
• “I'm grateful that the firm decided to give out hours-based COVID bonuses. I think it was important for them to do so for morale.”
• “Compensation has been market; however, I have never been bonus eligible (which is a good and bad thing). Not being bonus eligible is a good thing in the sense that I have done all the work I have been assigned and had great work-life balance, and nothing negative has happened because I haven't hit my hours. However, we all know that being bonus eligible means a big pay day at the end of the year from these big firms, and leaving that money on the table hurts.”
• “Compensation is market. [The] bonus standard is 2,000 billable hours, though up to 200 of those hours may be allotted towards pro bono and firm initiatives.”

Quality of Work

• “Substantive work is provided to associates that show they can handle it, regardless of what year they are.”
• “As a mid-level associate, I have more responsibilities on a substantive-basis, but also am tasked with training the lower-level associates, which becomes more of a juggling act considering that the substantive legal work is also increasing.”
• “A bit of doc review for big clients, but mostly I am leading [the] drafting [of] motions, legal papers, etc. and attending client conferences, which is level-appropriate for me.”
• “The majority of my work is substantive and interesting, though I am also often tasked with handling administrative matters inherent in deal cycles.”
• “I believe there is a good distribution of interesting and substantive assignments. This is out of necessity because the relatively small size of the group requires everyone to contribute in important ways that require doing interesting and substantive assignments.”

Technology

• “The firm is always striving to get us the best and newest tech. The firm adapted amazingly to the pandemic, and everything was seamless—and even sometimes better than in the office.”
• “The firm has made an effort to adapt to work-from-home with respect to technology, both through firm-issued equipment and reimbursement for additional items.”
• “The firm gave all associates a $500 tech reimbursement for working from home in both 2020 and 2021 and sent us all laptops, which was critical to ensuring an efficient work environment.”
• “I am generally happy with the firm's technology, although there are downsides. Security measures are stronger than at my previous firm, which can make certain tasks like logging in remotely more tedious. The firm is good about adopting new technology to make things more efficient, and I look forward to improvements.”

Wellness Efforts

• “The firm has various wellness benefits available, including gym membership (or equivalent classes) and has made additional programs available during the pandemic, including meditation and support.”
• “The firm offers multiple digital programs that aim to improve attorney/staff mental health (particularly in the age of COVID). However, many feel that these are yet another task to perform in an already-busy work day.”
• “The firm is providing a ‘mental health day’ to allow associates to decompress. They also send periodic reminders that there are still boundaries to maintain, even though those lines have been blurred by working from home.”
• “The firm sends us routine wellness emails and has given us free subscriptions to apps like Headspace. [They also] have given us a couple new holidays recently. We have had separate paid leave just to get the vaccine and no limit on sick days.”

Training & Mentoring

• “All associates are assigned mentors, and the firm regularly provides formal training, including [training about] substantive practice areas and client expectations.”
• “Training and mentoring seem strong for junior associates. The level and amount for more-senior associates seems appropriate, and partners make themselves available to assist.”
• “In my mind, training occurs all over the place. I view every matter that I work on as a real and valuable opportunity to learn from those senior to me. The firm puts on occasional CLEs, and my practice group meets regularly, both groupwide and in smaller breakout groups, to discuss timely industry topics. Formal training programs take place as well, particularly for summer associates and first-year associates.”
• “There are many training programs for junior associates, provided they take advantage of them. Different departments have different mandatory trainings/activities for attorneys of all levels (not including partners). The firm has a formal mentoring program that is very successful. Many attorneys also develop informal mentor/mentee relationships with multiple other attorneys.”

Career Outlook

• “It has been a few years since an associate in my group was internally promoted to partner, but it does seem possible. Several senior associates have transitioned to a special counsel role over the past few years in my group. Most associates who have left have gone to other large firms. The partnership process is somewhat opaque.”
• “The firm now has a two-tiered partnership (equity and non-equity), which makes partnership a more realistic prospect for some than it once was. That said, promotion to partner of any level still seems like a black box. Far more likely is a promotion to special counsel. Special counsel are not pressured to become partner (i.e., we are not ‘up or out’), but they can elevate to partner if the firm is amenable and they wish to do so.”
• “I believe promotion to partnership is realistic given Stroock's size and hiring rates. There are counsel and non-partner roles to which senior associates can transition, and I believe the exit opportunities are on par with the average New York law firm.”

PRO BONO & DIVERSITY

Pro Bono Commitment

• “[There are] tremendous pro bono opportunities available for anybody who wants them. The firm has a dedicated pro bono partner, which is very unique.”
• “We have a full-time pro bono partner, and associates are encouraged to work on pro bono matters. I regularly work with one long-standing pro bono client that provides nutrition to NYC students.”
• “The firm has a very active pro bono partner who runs our Public Service Project and ARIA, the firm's pro bono practice group aimed at combatting racial injustice. Most attorneys are very active in one of our main pro bono practice areas—family law, housing, asylum, name changes, and ARIA.”
• “[The] firm is very committed to pro bono work, and a portion of the total hours requirement for your bonus may be filled by pro bono work.”

Diversity Efforts

• “We have received several trainings related to diversity initiatives, and the firm does offer billable credit for diversity-related activities.”
• “The firm has been a leader on supporting diversity and inclusion issues, encouraging attorneys to participate in pro bono matters and get involved and putting out public statements on these issues.”
• “We need more attorneys who are of color, LGBTQ+, and disabled. They are currently underrepresented. To its credit, the firm is trying to rectify the situation and attract/retain diverse talent. Additionally, these groups—and women—are very unrepresented at the partner level.”
• “… The firm has created a diversity, inclusion, and equity program focused on making sure that associates of color have the same opportunities as everyone else by hiring more Black partners laterally and by giving hours credit for actions that promote diversity. … The firm’s diversity activities are a constant conversation among the partnership and with associates.”