business development manager

attorney

locator

lawyer

legal assistant

A&O Shearman

A typical day provided a mix of customer support activities and project management.  There were opportunities to build for future system improvements.

I learned a great deal about contributing to the overall strategic planning of my department, on a senior/global level.  I also learned how to deal with challenges related to opening new offices in foreign countries.

Management of the Firm was not always well-coordinated, with vastly differing priorities voiced by local and home office administration.

My peer managers were excellent teammates, each serious and passionate about their areas, and also very collegial partners in service to the "big picture".

The hardest part of the job was improving customer satisfaction in an environment where the pace of system improvements was severely constrained. 

The most enjoyable part of the job was working with peers to make our operation successful and more highly responsive to daily challenges.

Shearman & Sterling offered every opportunity, and I could have stayed had it not been for my Grandparents who needed my assistance, but I value family over money. The advancements in this company offer their employees a very good future. I traveled world wide for them, implementing roll outs of computer and servers systems, providing technical documentation for many of the 13 other branches of Shearman & Sterling that gave me most of the experience that I am still well versed in. I was there go-to man on ACE security systems that provided access control encryption in a key fob providing a series of 6 digits to enter with at the time of login. I was the liaison between Shearman &Sterling and Microsoft testing of beta products on our systems to make decisions on whether to use the product or not.

I was on call 24/7 one week every 15 weeks that sometimes required a 24-36 hour day to solve a problem. It was fun.

It's NYC big law so none of this should really come as a surprise unless you're like me and didn't quite know what you were signing up for... It's challenging, hard work. You learn a lot. It often pushes you to your brink. Very unpredictable and almost no work-life balance. Good exit opportunities. Lots of people only last a couple of years and then leave. Half of my current group has quit in the past few months and they haven't hired anyone new to replace all the bodies we've lost, so everyone else is frequently over max capacity. Weekend work is fairly common - sometimes you don't know a weekend is ruined until the Thursday or Friday of that week. Hard to make plans, hard to date, can't imagine juggling kids/a family with these hours. Sometimes it is rewarding and can give an adrenaline rush on the busy or exciting days, but most days people are just stressed and overwhelmed and trying to do multiple assignments at once and still can't seem to work fast enough to please people...

The company values attorneys more than support staff and there is a clear divide across the firm. If you are an attorney, this may be a good place to build or at least start your career. The firm is stuck in its ways and anything outside of that box will take several rounds of approval and persuasion before even being considered. Firm operates on an "if its not broke don't fix it" capacity. Salaried business staff: don't expect "pats on the back" or to feel valued. But its a solid pay check, annual bonuses and raises, and flexibility if you have the right boss. I wouldn't say this is a place where creativity is warranted and all projects have one goal, which is partner satisfaction. All in all, I would say get the experience, but wouldn't recommend staying for the long run. If this is your first law firm experience, brace yourself and develop some tough skin. Otherwise, its probably typical.

A typical day would be answering calls from client, manage attorney calendars, entering attorney time into billing system, running bills.  Handle expense reports and arrange travel itineraries.  Draft, edit and proofread letters, documents, etc.  File correspondence and various documents into the virtual file.

I have learned to work well under pressure and deadlines and prioritize my daily activities.

It's a pleasure to work with management, who are helpful and understanding.  As to my co-workers, we are all a team helping one another out.

The hardest part of my job is finding enough hours in the day in completing all tasks that need attending to.  However, through years of experience I have learned to prioritize.

The most enjoyable part of my job is the client contact that I have, who have come to rely on me for assistance.  As my mentioned, my co-workers and I work as a team which makes the environment much more pleasurable.

A typical work day consisted of multi-tasking various administrative duties for Partners, Attorneys and Legal Assistants including, but not limited to, managing and scheduling calendar of events, meetings and conferences; maintaining records of confidential files, producing client invoices; responsible for revising, reviewing and proofreading legal documents and answering high-level of telephone calls and relaying all messages. The most enjoyable part of the job was working as a team with my co-workers in establishing a friendly and supportive workplace culture for both staff and clientele. Through the years, my experience as a legal administrative assistant/secretary has shown me how to be flexible, efficient and productive in all I do.

Shearman hires 2 year classes of Business Analysts and Legal Assistants interested in attending law school, guaranteeing a reccomendation and SA interview down the line. Great focus on professional development, though the actual work is not intellectually stimulating/challenging (though there is a lot of work). Lots of opportunity for OT (especially LAs) and attorney/partner exposure. Heavily recruits from Princeton, tho LAs/BAs are generally from top universities/smart/hard-working. Most go on to top law schools (Yale, Columbia, Penn in last class), but this is probably self-fulfilling due to the nature of hires. Work/life balance is great and Shearman emphasises an inclusive culture -- everyone I have worked with, generally, is extremely nice and welcoming (partners included). Many people working here for 30+ years. 

Everyone here is very friendly and it's great work/life balance!

However compensation is really low and the yearly raises don't even cover inflation. Everyone is complacent and unless somebody leaves or quits you won't see job advancement for a while. Management is very poor, it's difficult to find out who knows what or does what in this work environment when there is no formal training. A lot of wasted time on poor communication through emails. Definitely needs some change in that area. The job culture is great, but it's hardly demonstrated. Everyone is nice, but they keep to themselves, it's a very quiet environment and people are hard to approach.

A typical day for me will include placing orders for services, products softwares, reviewing SOW's etc.  Will include contacting vendors and researching products, confirming deliveries, orders or processing invoices for payment.  I work with a variety of people on a day-to-day basis both within the firm and outside the firm.  The hardest part of my job at times can be taking a minute to breathe. Sometimes there is so much to do but with skillful planning everything  can be solved without a hick-up.  I perfer to be busy and taking care of things than to not be busy at all.  Greatest part of the day is when all tasks are completed and everyone is satisfied, then you get to do it all over again the next day.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The environment was great! The technology was up to date and it was engaging.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Concerned about not having a technical mishap during a big meeting and all eyes are on you.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Just an environment that you call a home away from home. A pleasant work environment. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Arriving earlier than most at a 7am start. Greeting each conference room prior to any clients which helps curb issues and allowing ample time to address what may arise.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Business development manager 2 salaries reported	$121,750 per year
Attorney 3 salaries reported	$153 per hour
Locator 2 salaries reported	$156 per hour
Lawyer 1 salary reported	$177,000 per year
Legal assistant 4 salaries reported	$83,000 per year

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