Pros
-Prestigious firm, excellent reputation, global -Generous business development budget for associates -Associates are allowed to collect on originations they bring in (some firms do not allow this) -Both formal and informal mentoring and Bus Dev and Professional Development available for those that want it. -Cross-selling is out of control here, pretty awesome, haven't seen anything like it elsewhere. -Origination credit is shared as opposed to limited to just the original attorney that brought in the client. Those that do the work will also get some credit although it might not be weighted equally. -For Biglaw it's high on diversity rankings (depends on the office), adopted the Mansfield Rule -Each office has autonomy and run like a small firm. GT is run like a business instead of like a law firm - They treat their Of Counsel like partners. Other firms treat Of Counsel like second class citizens but GT treats them with respect/ as valuable. You can still transition to partner from of counsel whereas at other firms, it might be a dead end. -All the employees are treated with respect. Very laid back environment. Other firms have separate parties and events keeping a clear dividing line between staff and attorneys but GT is happily blended not segregated. - This place is like a haven for people that didn't fit into more traditional firms. - Less beaurocratic than other firms.
Cons
- Tradeoff for sweet lifestyle is way below market pay. Only certain offices are at the $180k payscale. - Black box compensation system (although some see this as a plus) - Lack of transparency and clear objectives. The idea is that this allows greater flexibility to reward and promote those that don't hit the traditional markers but are still bringing in value to the firm, but the down side is that it looks like they are trying to hide something (i.e. no clear objectives so they can keep moving the bar). -Lack of diversity in leadership