Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP

Pros: Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP stands out for its exceptional team, fostering a culture defined by professionalism and camaraderie. The standard of work upheld here is consistently outstanding, complemented by the esteemed clientele we have the privilege to serve. My tenure with this esteemed firm has been marked by genuine satisfaction and a deep appreciation for the enriching experiences it offers.

Current or former employee?: Former Employee

Last Year at Employer: 2022

Job type: Full time

Advice to law firm management: Invest in your associates financially and emotionally. Have realistic expectations and give your associates more support and growth opportunities. Join the decade.

Pros: Some partners are nice to work for.

Cons: There are too many to list. I have very high expectations for relatively low pay. They have made it very difficult to work from home, and they have Draconian expectations, such as wanting attorneys in the office at 9:00 on the dot. Attorneys are not adequately supported by staff to assist in the drafting and proofreading process. Depending on the partner, be prepared to be nitpicked on every comma, hyphen, and indent. They will bring on an attorney and push them out the door within five or six months.

Current or former employee?: Current Employee

Job type: Full time

Advice to law firm management: The culture really needs to improve. If the firm is going to join the elite mid-sized firms, it's going to have to conduct itself is one. You cannot treat attorneys like pledges or cattle. The turnover rate has to improve. Sometimes it takes someone two or three years to develop. If you are not going to have a structured mentorship program, you cannot expect attorneys to just develop on their own.

Pros: For being in such a small market, attorneys are able to get hands-on experience on complex matters that they wouldn't otherwise. People are friendly and genuinely interested in helping out. Probably one of the most collegial environments that I have been in (management excluded).

Cons: The firm's very top-heavy, so associates don't have a lot of leverage. This is one of the few firms in the country that does not allow at least a hybrid work schedule. It is certainly a throwback to the 1980s with the expectation that you are at your desk at a certain time and that you "pay your dues." The firm is pretty fickle; one minute, they are parading around a new attorney or singing the praises of an established attorney, and the next minute, that attorney is either gone without explanation, or you find out they're pushing them out. I have worked in big law, and even they had more patience when it came to the development of attorneys and were more transparent about where people stood with the firm. there is no formal training or mentorship program.

Partners to Avoid and Why: There are a few. Any of the partners who have been there for 20 or 30 years are best to avoid.

Current or former employee?: Current Employee

Job type: Full time

Advice to law firm management: Move to a firm-wide hybrid policy, pay your attorneys more, and adapt to the younger attorney. Not doing this will cause the firm to lose out on potentially great attorneys who don't want to play old-school politics. Hire more support. At least double the number of legal administrators. A lot of firms provide food daily, your attorneys shouldn't have to pay for their own snacks.

Pros: Everyone at the firm is super friendly, and the hours are not unbearable. Although the firm is not on par with a lot of the Am Law firms in terms of events, the firm tries to put on events with food.

Cons: There's no other way to put it: the compensation is bad. You will not be paid like an attorney. Depending on the partner you work for, you may or may not be allowed to work from home. Most Partners want you in the office because of a lack of trust. There's very much this idea that "if I had to walk up a hill barefoot in the snow, you should too." That attitude just isn't going to work with young attorneys today. As attorneys, we don't have a lot of support. We don't have a proofreading or doc review department, so I was often billing for administrative work. We also have to pay for snacks, which shows that the firm is a little cheap.

Current or former employee?: Former Employee

Last Year at Employer: 2022

Job type: Full time

Advice to law firm management: Like many others have said, increase salary. Starting salary should at least be $50,000 higher. Speed up the modernization of the firm. There should be a proofreading department, there should be a more formal training process, and there should be more transparency throughout the year.

Pros: There are some Partners who are absolutely wonderful to work with. People are kind.

Cons: First, the workload can be intense, especially given what we are paid. I know that firms don't want to hear this, but most attorneys are considering how much they are paid before determining how much effort to give an assignment. Second, as attorneys, we do not have enough support. We don't have documents or a proofreading department. Despite the fact that we don't have one of those, a lot of Partners expect near perfection, which isn't realistic when you don't have those departments. Third, I do not feel like the firm cares about me personally. That specifically shows how we are trained. Most partners are going to try to train you by giving you red lines and trying to have you figure it out. They aren't going to go through an assignment with you in real-time and truly invest in your growth.

Current or former employee?: Current Employee

Job type: Full time

Advice to law firm management: Be realistic; Woods Oviatt Gilman is not Kirkland; you cannot expect the same level of work product that they or other Vault firms expect. Develop uniform policies on working from home and quality of training. Also, don't be afraid to take a stand on important issues. If a bunch of innocent Israelis are being slaughtered, it is okay to come out and condemn those attacks and make the Jewish members of the firm feel supported. I plan on staying at the firm because my family is here but if that were to change, there's not really an incentive for me to stay.

Pros: In my group, things are a pretty laid back and everyone is collegial and kind. Some partners are willing to work with you and help you understand the material.

Cons: The firm is very old school, as others have mentioned. It tries not to engage in the public discourse, even when it's really called for. As a practicing member of Judaism, I've been disappointed by the firm's response to recent developments in Israel. The firm hasn't issued a public statement or really done anything to make us feel comfortable or welcome at the firm. I cannot directly speak to what it's like to work in other practice groups, but from speaking to colleagues, some groups seem to be very overwhelmed. The firm is very fragmented. One's experience is going to vary significantly depending on the department you are working under. Some partners are cool with their Associates working from home, but the majority of them are not. Quite a few partners at the firm are what I would define as unrealistic perfectionists. They expect Cravath or Skadden quality work without the pay.

Current or former employee?: Current Employee

Job type: Full time

Advice to law firm management: Invest in your young associates. Give them at least a couple of years to develop and lower your expectations a few.

Pros: The work environment is very collegial and you will usually know where you stand with management. If you are in the corporate practice, you are going to be afforded the opportunity to work on very large deals. Real Estate is very laid back.

Cons: Management is very two-faced. 1 minute, they will be singing an associate's praises, and the next minute, they will be gone. Deadlines are not always realistic. The same Partners who will show up regularly past 9:00 a.m. are the same ones who will complain about the associates who do the same exact thing. The firm is really stuck in the 1980s. The firm primarily cares about quality of work and overall commitment

Current or former employee?: Former Employee

Last Year at Employer: 2021

Job type: Full time

Advice to law firm management: Take time to invest in your associates. Have a structured and transparent review process. Realistic expectations are key; if you want top-of-the-line work and talent, pay your associates more. Adjust to the times. Not having a firm-wide hybrid policy is really going to make retention difficult. Be patient; everyone learns differently.

Pros: People are friendly and everybody gets their own office.

Cons: There are so many. WFH is not an option. Some partners get all bent out of shape about associates not coming into the office by 9, despite the fact that they themselves often don't come in until noon. The firm likes to think of itself as a top-tier firm despite the fact that it pays well under Cravath. Essentially, come and say expect Cravath quality work, commitment, and recognition without the pay, training, or prestige. The types of feedback you get various partner by partner and it's not very transparent

Partners to Avoid and Why: IYKYK

Current or former employee?: Former Employee

Last Year at Employer: 2023

Job type: Full time

Advice to law firm management: Ease up. When I was there, it felt like Guantanamo. Increase pay a little bit more and be open to ideas from your Associates.

Pros: You get valuable experience on pretty large deals for important clients. This makes you a pretty attractive candidate for AmLaw firms. People at the firm are relatively friendly, for the most part, and firm politics are out in the open.

Cons: The firm is pretty archaic. You are expected to be in the office five days a week, and the firm has a stringent dress code. Not only does the firm pay so far below Cravath, but it also pays significantly less than midsized law firms in other markets.

Partners to Avoid and Why: If you know, you know

Current or former employee?: Former Employee

Last Year at Employer: 2022

Job type: Full time

Pros: 5.0 Current EmployeeGreat FirmParalegal in Rochester, NY ProsI have worked at Woods for 7 years and they are a well organized firmConsI don't have any cons

Current or former employee?: Former Employee

Last Year at Employer: 2020

Job type: Full time

Pros: 5.0 Current Employee, more than 1 yearReally great place to workAttorney in Rochester, NY ProsGreat people, great culture, great work and clients. Love working here!ConsThere really aren't any cons

Current or former employee?: Former Employee

Last Year at Employer: 2021

Job type: Full time