Wildeboer?

[ramoj]

Someone raised a point on another post that Wildeboer Dellelce LLP is a tip-top firm in terms of pay, benefits, culture, etc. Is this largely the view among the legal community? Curious as an incoming 1L who does not know what they do not know and whom is researching firms in practice areas I may be interested in.

Thanks!

Edited May 21, 2022 by jomar

[Kimura]

You can search up the firm's pay and benefits here: https://www.nalpcanada.com/

As to culture, I'll defer to someone else who has something meaningful to contribute in this regard.

Also, I just want to point out that whoever claimed WD has "top-tier culture" can only back this statement up if they've actually worked there. Unless they can verify they've actually been in the employ of WD, I'd take their comments as to culture with a grain of salt.

Firms will go to hell and back during the OCI and recruitment processes to promote culture, etc. You can get a sense of a firm when you meet with lawyers during interviews, but again, this may not be representative of "firm culture" (i.e., the real estate group may be vastly different from the corporate group, etc.).

 I don't know what WD's firm culture is like. I know they have a pool table and a gym lol. 

 

Edited May 21, 2022 by Kimura

[Rashabon]

50 minutes ago, jomar said:

Someone raised a point on another post that Wildeboer Dellelce LLP is a tip-top firm in terms of pay, benefits, culture, etc. Is this largely the view among the legal community? Curious as an incoming 1L who does not know what they do not know and whom is researching firms in practice areas I may be interested in.

Thanks!

It was sarcasm and an inside joke among certain forum posters.

Wildeboer is a good firm though.

[PzabbytheLawyer]

I know someone who works there. All the above are true in their perspective. 

[KOMODO]

On 5/21/2022 at 6:59 PM, jomar said:

Is this largely the view among the legal community?

No. But keep in mind:

1. Every firm is a collection of different lawyers, with different skillsets and personalities. As a result, no matter what the "general consensus" might be, your experience in or with any law firm is going to differ depending on who you're working with. @Kimura mentioned this and I agree with their comments.
2. The legal community is an even larger group of many lawyers with highly divergent skillsets and personalities (many of whom are quite argumentative), and we don't really come to collective decisions on much of anything.
3. Markers like being a "top tier firm" or having "great culture" are extremely subjective. A culture that promotes socializing within the firm and going out for drinks with colleagues might be perfect for some, but introverts and people with outside obligations might hate it. A culture where the lawyers are really aggressive corporate types in suits might make lots of people uncomfortable, but a subset of people love it and feel like winners when they're working on a team like that.
4. We don't really use the term "fit" anymore, because historically firms looking for candidates who "fit" with them have hired a mostly white and affluent group of students who are not representative of the wider pool, but looked like younger versions of the partners. The degree to which people should try to "fit" vs. the effort firms should make in promoting inclusion is a broader topic for another day. That said, it is important from a candidate's perspective that they feel like the firm's culture and values align with their own personality and goals. At some point (whether during recruitment or later when looking to change jobs), most law students/lawyers will be able to choose between different working environments, and that's when it becomes really important to try and understand what "ideal" means to the other members of a given firm. Some of that intel comes from what a firm is rumored to be known for, but I think more of it comes from actually talking to the people who work there.
5. Everyone makes decisions based on their other options. If I could chose to work at Firm X or Firm Y, I might say I strongly prefer Firm Y and think it's 100x better than Firm X and I would not choose Firm X. If instead my options were Firm X or working at a call centre, I would pick Firm X by a mile. You won't know what your options are until you are interviewing for positions, so start by applying broadly and then see where things go. You may be surprised that your initial "rankings" change drastically as you receive new information during the process.

[Turtles]

My limited interaction with the firm involved a session where the managing partner spoke about how the firm's work-life balance really differentiates it from other Bay St firms because they understand people have personal lives and need time outside work. He delivered these remarks via the backseat of a vehicle while being driven to a personal engagement, while the articling students and associates on the call were clearly still at their desks, looking exhausted, at the end of a long day.

That said, they have a pool table. They mentioned it 3 times.

[mistertubby]

its a very prestigious firm