Discussion of Firms and Life in SF/SV - Page 46

Flinty_McFlint · 12-19-2003, 03:12 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by SillyconLawyer
I don't remember the name of the boutique that Thelen acquired but I ran into one of the attorneys who had been part of it. Apparently they have all pretty much left at this point. This guy struck me as a bit weird so it may have been a cultural issue.

SL

It was Britton, Silberman & Cervantes, and they seemed to be masters of PR (hey, we go to burning man and have a grand piano in the lobby!) as they got lots of mention in the Recorder during the boom years. In fact, they turned out to be the legal equivalent of a dot com. After they got thrown a life preserver from Thelen and the worm turned, I think most of them got kicked to the curb, except Cervantes, who may still be there as a partner. At least I think that's what happened, I'm sure someone else has the real scoop. I've just heard rumors that, much like their former dotcom clients, it was all a bunch of smoke and mirrors. I'd still like to go to burning man on my firm's dime though....

Edited to add: Tom Cervantez is still a partner at Thelen--having good credentials, and prior biglaw exp. at Pillsbury and Cooley, I'm sure he was a good fit for Thelen, the other partners, not so much.

Sidd Finch · 12-19-2003, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Flinty_McFlint
I'd still like to go to burning man on my firm's dime though....

They were not the only firm that sent lawyers to Burning Man. One bigger Valley firm (can't remember who) got press for sending a whole busload of lawyers, and pitching it as a marketing thing since that's where all the cool dot-commers would be.

This is just wrong, on so many levels. Burning Man should not be a "work event." People attending Burning Man should not be worried about whether the GPs are watching.* And busloads of lawyers should not go to events that feature public nudity.

*We are watching. We are always, always watching.

AngryMulletMan · 12-19-2003, 01:43 PM

Quote:

[i]We are watching. We are always, always watching.

Often with binoculars.

Atticus Grinch · 12-19-2003, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AngryMulletMan
Often with binoculars.

POTD.

Of course, Sidd knows perfectly well that you don't go to the Black Rock Desert for high-quality Nevada nudity. The signal-to-noise ratio is too low there. In the immortal words of John Hiatt, c'mon, baby, drive South.

sgtclub · 12-19-2003, 04:07 PM

In case you hadn't heard, there was a fatal shooting last night on the corner of gough and filbert. Apparently, a couple was getting out of a cab and the wife was approached by the killer. The husband tried to come to her aid and was shot in the head and died.

12-19-2003, 05:45 PM

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...ooting1219.DTL

ltl/fb · 12-19-2003, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tyrion Lannister
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...ooting1219.DTL

Nice moniker. Been betrayed by any hotties lately?

Sidd Finch · 01-08-2004, 06:20 PM

According to the Recorder, anyway, it looks like Spring is here with record profits at several Bay Area firms.

One question -- how do firms that have grown like Heller or shrunk like Cooley determine PPPs/Revenues per lawyer? Calculating the numerator is relatively straightforward, but the denominator?

idle acts · 01-08-2004, 07:54 PM

I'm in SF today on business and looking for a good place to eat tonight. Expense no object (seeking excellent food to counter having to eat alone). Any suggestions?

NotFromHere · 01-08-2004, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by idle acts
I'm in SF today on business and looking for a good place to eat tonight. Expense no object (seeking excellent food to counter having to eat alone). Any suggestions?

Any particular ethnic bend that you particularly like or are you looking for California cuisine (I hate that descriptor because it's so not descriptive)?

idle acts · 01-08-2004, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by NotFromHere
Any particular ethnic bend that you particularly like or are you looking for California cuisine (I hate that descriptor because it's so not descriptive)?

No particular thoughts, but I haven't been here for awhile, so I no longer know what is hot. I used to love Citron in Oakland and Jardiniere in the Civic Center, and Taditch Grill and Bix, if that helps. But I dig ethnic food, too, and I'm looking for something new. . .

c2ed · 01-08-2004, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by idle acts
I'm in SF today on business and looking for a good place to eat tonight. Expense no object (seeking excellent food to counter having to eat alone). Any suggestions?

If you like tapas, try Cortez in the Adagio Hotel (550 Geary between Taylor and Jones, about 3 blocks west of Powell Street, if you're staying in Union Sq.). The short ribs are sooooo good. I have yet to have a dish there that I didn't like, and I've tried about 2/3 of the menu. They have a nice bar and the bartenders there are super-nice.

Mom Deuced also always likes going to Kuletos on Powell (about 1/2 block down from the Westin St. Francis) to have a glass of wine and salad at their bar whenever she visits.

First Crush, also in Union Square, has a great selection of wines and decent salads and basic entrees. The bar area is small, but sufficient enough for having dinner. And they have a jazz trio (maybe duo sometimes) that plays downstairs, but the music wafts upstairs as a nice background to your dinner.

If you want to venture away from Union Square and uptowards North Beach (the Italian district), try Rose Pistola. It had lost its luster but the new exec chef has done a great job (IMHO) at reviving it. I've eaten at the bar - the bartenders (might be Steve and Ravell tonight) are awesome. It has the advantages of picture windows onto the street and being across from Ben & Jerrys.

Sake Lab has some very interesting sushi (not "interesting, is it not fresh" but "interesting, new combination") and the scene there is picking up. It's also in North Beach, on Broadway about 1 block west of Columbus at Kearney.

If you want any more info feel free to pm me.

C(mmm.... is it time for dinner yet?)deuced

NotFromHere · 01-08-2004, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by idle acts
No particular thoughts, but I haven't been here for awhile, so I no longer know what is hot. I used to love Citron in Oakland and Jardiniere in the Civic Center, and Taditch Grill and Bix, if that helps. But I dig ethnic food, too, and I'm looking for something new. . .

Kokkari, 200 Jackson Street. Greek/Meditteranean. Nice atmosphere. You could go with Sidd's $$$$ place at Gary Danko's but I've never been there.
And Farallon, has a great atmosphere and great food.

http://sanfrancisco.about.com/cs/res...a/farallon.htm

Sidd Finch · 01-08-2004, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by NotFromHere
Kokkari, 200 Jackson Street. Greek/Meditteranean. Nice atmosphere. You could go with Sidd's $$$$ place at Gary Danko's but I've never been there.
And Farallon, has a great atmosphere and great food.

I'm not a big fan of Kokkari (overpriced), personally. Danko is way expensive (but not overpriced) and tough to get into.

Aqua is wonderful, though pricy.

Helmand on Broadway is one of my favorite restaurants. Afghan food, so a bit unusual.

Butterfly on Embarcadero is good. Call to see if you can get in first. Fusion-ish, but not in a frou-frou way.

NotFromHere · 01-08-2004, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sidd Finch
I'm not a big fan of Kokkari (overpriced), personally. Danko is way expensive (but not overpriced) and tough to get into.

Aqua is wonderful, though pricy.

Helmand on Broadway is one of my favorite restaurants. Afghan food, so a bit unusual.

Butterfly on Embarcadero is good. Call to see if you can get in first. Fusion-ish, but not in a frou-frou way.

Yes, Kokkari is overpriced, but I believe money was not the issue. Speaking of overpriced, there's the Boulevard which gets all the good reviews.

the Boulevard - french

ETA Thank you San Francisco for leaving Rich Aurilia an unprotected free agent. Woo hoo!!!