"We scare because we care" - Associate Attorney Wilson Elser Employee Review

2.0
Mar 10, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Free parking. Custodial staff are really nice characters. When partner meetings end you can scavenge left over potato chips and sodas. You learn to endure hardship and realize you should've rethought major life decisions. Employee assistance program came with free visits to a therapist. You'll need them.

Cons

We scar(e) because we care. This sums up my employer's motto in deed, if not in word. He soaked up billables, padded hours in the last weekend of every month. He secretly spies on his associates' email accounts. The group got routinely audited and associates could barely meet their hours, which resulted in grievance sessions where every time entry would be discussed and scrutinized, as a group. Mind you, those group meetings are non-billable. Despite the fact that the partner's billing practices drove carriers to cut time, the blame fell exclusively on associates. Boss's mood depended on a number of factors: his family, his physical health, and whether he took his meds. Open door policy does exist, except he will yell at you loud enough for interrupting him that you don't end up using it. We feared him. Once we went back and forth on the wording of an email and he lost it (definitely off his meds) and yelled so loud his lips quivered with rage. I spoke (cried) to HR who nodded sympathetically and suggested I look for a new job. That was only week three of the job. In the end we were traumatized and no number of left over bags of potato chips in the conference room made up for it.

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5.0
Jul 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good coworkers and supervisors. Billable work environments tend to be the same in terms of monotony, so it helps to have a good team.

Cons

Billable hours aren't the most fun thing in the world. Huge caseload.

3.0
Jul 14, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Comp transparency, quarterly bonuses, CLE access, training videos, many practice areas

Cons

High billables, several teams without associate oversight, high volume, medical premium is employee responsibility

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