Pros
The benefits are the best thing about the whole place.
Kontras
I would strongly advise any bright, motivated young lawyer to think twice before joining this firm. The “Staff Attorney” role is deeply misleading; it is not an attorney position in any meaningful sense. You are essentially a customer service agent, micromanaged at every step. Even routine emails require pre-approved language from the “real attorneys.”
The pay is low, especially given the expectation of near-constant availability. The firm loudly claims to be progressive and “for the people,” but in practice, it is one of the most elitist environments I have encountered. Unless you went to a top-five law school, you will never be treated as a full attorney.
Management of staff attorneys is equally disappointing. They promise autonomy and client management experience, but you quickly realize that independence is discouraged. The firm also remains overwhelmingly white and has made no visible effort to improve diversity or inclusion. The treatment of their only non-white employee on the mass torts team was disgraceful and emblematic of the culture.
If you are seeking real litigation experience such as writing, research, strategy, or courtroom exposure, this is not the place. You will not be developing as a lawyer; you will be answering client questions with prewritten scripts.
To make matters worse, management feedback was laced with microaggressions, and when I left, not one of those same managers acknowledged my departure. The lack of professionalism and empathy says it all.
In short, if you are a thoughtful, ambitious new lawyer who wants to grow and be respected, look elsewhere.