Discussion of Firms and Life in SF/SV

[Sidd Finch]

Originally posted by SillyconLawyer
I am not sure why one poster knocked Postrio; I was there a few months ago and had a truly amazing meal (adimittedly the bill was dazzling also).

I've had at least three great meals at Postrio, though the most recent was well over 3 years ago. And, thankfully, I wasn't paying for any of those meals.

The place is an institution from which many top Bay Area chefs have graduated to start their own top restaurants. Given that inherent turnover, not to mention the extraordinary growth of the Puck empire, there is probably some inconsistency to the place.

[frodo corleone]

What does this say about the local legal economy when 3 weeks go by without a single post about the law/law firms, then we get 2 pages of restaurant reviews? Either we've got a lot of time on our hands, or we're doing so well we only eat at expensive restaurants. Man, I miss the days of the Zimburger.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by frodo corleone
What does this say about the local legal economy when 3 weeks go by without a single post about the law/law firms, then we get 2 pages of restaurant reviews? Either we've got a lot of time on our hands, or we're doing so well we only eat at expensive restaurants. Man, I miss the days of the Zimburger.

Maybe we were all hungry yesterday.

[AngryMulletMan]

Originally posted by Tyrone_Slothrop
Maybe we were all hungry yesterday.

Sidd should have had an associate prepare a memo.

I was too busy thinking about how to spend that boom-year bonus to deal with the restaurant issue and decided to ditch work early and use a little of my bonus money to get myself a new Nikon digital SLR and a zoom lens -- better than binoculars -- and a huge ass memory card.

Now I can process all those naked photos myself and don't have to endure the smirks of the photo guys at Costco any more.

Speaking of bonus money, anybody else have anything to report?

Mine was better than expected and then a few days later, we got the word that everybody (partners, associates and staff) got a special boom-year bonus to clean out a pile of unexpected cash somebody found and so we got a second bonus. And word is there's more to come.

AM(next thing you know we'll all be buying up tech stock again)M

[NotFromHere]

Originally posted by Sidd Finch
I've had at least three great meals at Postrio, though the most recent was well over 3 years ago. And, thankfully, I wasn't paying for any of those meals.

The place is an institution from which many top Bay Area chefs have graduated to start their own top restaurants. Given that inherent turnover, not to mention the extraordinary growth of the Puck empire, there is probably some inconsistency to the place.

Well then I was there on a really off night, as we were seated promptly at 8:45 for our 7:30 reservation, was given attitude about how the salmon would be prepared, salmon had sat under a heat lamp so long that it had dried out, steak was cold and tough, asked bus boy to get our waiter, waited 15 minutes never saw busboy or waiter until the bill came, at which point we were so mad and hungry that we ate part of the crappy meal, were never asked if we wanted another glass of wine (which we would have), never got a refill on the water and paid triple digits for a meal that consisted of 2 entrees and 2 glasses of wine. Manager was a dick so I'll never go back.

[Sidd Finch]

Originally posted by NotFromHere
Well then I was there on a really off night, as we were seated promptly at 8:45 for our 7:30 reservation, was given attitude about how the salmon would be prepared, salmon had sat under a heat lamp so long that it had dried out, steak was cold and tough, asked bus boy to get our waiter, waited 15 minutes never saw busboy or waiter until the bill came, at which point we were so mad and hungry that we ate part of the crappy meal, were never asked if we wanted another glass of wine (which we would have), never got a refill on the water and paid triple digits for a meal that consisted of 2 entrees and 2 glasses of wine. Manager was a dick so I'll never go back.

That blows. I wouldn't go back either.

To contrast, I went there for lunch with three colleagues. In addition to a really fine meal, we got superb service from the sommelier. She made some excellent recommendations -- and then, when they were out of one wine that she'd recommended, she brought us an obviously much more expensive bottle from her "private collection" and charged us the price of the wine she'd recommended.

[NotFromHere]

X post from Fashion Board with local phone number for the Rejection Hotline

San Francisco: 415-356-9833
Rejection Hotline

It's a number you can give to someone you're not interesed in but won't go away and won't take a hint. It tells the caller that they've been rejected and some possible reasons why.

Now here's something to gossip about:

V&E Axes Associates

[c2ed]

Originally posted by HeadLight
Now here's something to gossip about:

V&E Axes Associates

Wow - guess they couldn't hide a 10% reduction in workers, eh? Daaaaaaamn. Cooley's 16% or so in 2001 when the economy turned was bad enough. V&E still feels a need to cut 10%? The Legal Reader may very well be right that the reduction in Enron work has a lot to do with that.

Speaking of gossip, has anyone heard anything more about the Brobeck dissolution cases? What about the Tower v. Brobeck brouhaha? Seems like all that has disappeared.

C(just glad I'm not in Maine today)deuced

[godrestye]

As someone who found this board - in its former incarnation - of great use as a 3L, it's sad to see that it's fallen on such hard times. WSGR announced a significant increase in bonuses and nothing is mentioned on this board. Truly sad.

For those who care, it appears that WSGR is again the big dog as far as compensation-setting in SV, NY satellites excepted.

[c2ed]

Originally posted by godrestye
As someone who found this board - in its former incarnation - of great use as a 3L, it's sad to see that it's fallen on such hard times. WSGR announced a significant increase in bonuses and nothing is mentioned on this board. Truly sad.

For those who care, it appears that WSGR is again the big dog as far as compensation-setting in SV, NY satellites excepted.

Well, don't just sit there and complain - tell us how significant these bonuses were. From what I have heard from nearly every other firm, pay is business as usual - HEWM giving fairly decent extra money, Cooley is still laying people off, Morgan "don't call us Brobeck Redux" Lewis is still using Philly payscales for bonuses, and the Burning Man outings have been nixed by too many firms as no longer being "edgy." So if WSGR is still doling out the big bucks, that would be nice to know.

C(all I want is a pretty pony)deuced

[pony_trekker]

Originally posted by c2ed


C(all I want is a pretty pony)deuced

Mmm'kay.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by godrestye
WSGR announced a significant increase in bonuses and nothing is mentioned on this board.

First I heard of it. Tell me more.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

I've been asked by a newbie (hi!) to ask for information about firm's policies re parental leave. If you don't feel comfortable posting about it, PM me and I will sanitize it.

[c2ed]

The biotech patent group at Heller in San Diego has left to join Fish & Richardson.

Verrrrry interesting - wonder how much more money or power within Fish & Rich the new group got (or were they being mistreated at Heller?).