Good law suffers under terrible management - Anonymous employee Mayer Brown Employee Review

2.0
Jun 20, 2014
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Mayer Brown has a history of very good lawyers providing excellent service to its clients. There is opportunity to learn best practices from accomplished partners.

Cons

The historic heartlessness and disorganization of the corporate culture threatens its standing as a provider of excellent legal services. Recent mass exodus of excellent practitioners is evidence. Associates are miserable and there is little cohesion amongst the U.S. offices. An "every man person for his/herself" culture pervades -- and ruins any scant collegiality. Professionals in administrative and support departments are treated as second (or third) class citizens, which further degrades the collegiality.

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5.0
Oct 5, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

very good Team and people

Cons

a lot Of work (just to full this space)

1.0
May 28, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Beautiful office space and decent perks. Provides solid industry exposure and can be a useful stepping stone early in your career to gain experience before moving to a more sustainable work environment. The benefits are good too. Parental leave options (18-weeks) which is rare nowadays.

Cons

Extremely poor work-life balance and a culture that often prioritizes billable output over employee wellbeing. Leadership and management can feel disconnected from the realities of staff workloads and operational challenges. Systems and internal processes are noticeably outdated, creating unnecessary inefficiencies and compliance concerns. Training is inconsistent, and support varies significantly by team. There is also a very noticeable hierarchy between attorneys and support staff, with accountability standards that do not always feel equitable. Many paralegals and support employees are expected to absorb unreasonable workloads with limited recognition or institutional support, contributing to high burnout and turnover. It is frustrating to see a firm generate significant revenue while continuing to rely on outdated systems and understaffed support structures instead of investing meaningfully in operational infrastructure and employee retention. Many of the day-to-day challenges staff face feel preventable with better resource allocation and modernization.

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