Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy

Vault just released its list of the top 100 law firms. The methodology perfectly captures what a fucked-up industry law is.

The online survey asked attorneys to score each of the law firms on a scale of 1 to 10 based on how presTTTigious it is to work for the firm. Associates were asked to ignore any firm with which they were unfamiliar and were not allowed to rank their own firm.

Remember that in the Top 100, Vault is not assessing firms by profit, size, lifestyle, number of deals or quality of service; we are ranking the most presTTTigious law firms based on the perceptions of currently practicing lawyers at peer firms.

I'm glad survey respondents needn't trouble their fine minds with boring stuff such as quality, innovation, productivity, or, heaven forbid, results. All in on presTTTige, baby. Congratulations to the newly-annointed most presTTTigious firms. May your billing rates rise to meet your awesomeness.

#1 Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
#2 Cravath, Swaine & Moore
#3 Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
#4 Sullivan & Cromwell
#5 Davis Polk & Wardwell
#6 Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
#7 Kirkland & Ellis
#8 Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
#9 Weil, Gotshal & Manges
#10 Latham & Watkins

May 2015

There was a small gain year-over-year. Get your application in NOW!

In other news, "Paula Lorona, a former assistant director of financial aid at Arizona Summit Law School, claims that starting in May 2014, all three of InfiLaw's schools — Arizona Summit, Charlotte, and Florida Coastal — began offering $5,000 payoffs to students who were unlikely to pass the bar exam"

More, here. Meanwhile, I have this stuck in my head.

Finally, ATL issued its 2015 law school ranking, using employment outcome as the main criterion. I prefer library seats, myself. The usual suspects top the list. After that it becomes random, peppered with nonentities whose claim to fame is the local market is relatively less saturated. That's how Temple makes the cut and USC doesn't. My school did; I stopped putting it on my résumé years ago and my education has been useless both professionally and personally.

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t17.htm

Not seasonally adjusted	May	2014	1,115,400
	March	2015	1,115,800
	April	2015	1,117,300
	May	2015	1,119,000	3,600
Seasonally adjusted	May	2014	1,118,800
	March	2015	1,119,800
	April	2015	1,121,900
	May	2015	1,122,200	3,400
Change from Apr-15 to May-15				300