Pros
Professional and collegial work environment; team-oriented culture among attorneys, including a generous willingness to share time and expertise often on short notice; close working relationships between partners and associates; true "no-assholes" policy (98% effective); associates have significant client contact and high levels of responsibility; work is typically interesting and challenging; substantial professional development opportunities and resources.
Cons
Outside the major markets, compensation has been below market and does not match the billing and collections expectations. Money is not the first priority for typical H&K attorneys. This fosters an outstanding culture but means that compensation doesn't keep pace with competing firms. Associate compensation also can be arbitrary because it is tied too closely to geography and billable hour production while giving little or no objective weight to originations and profitability. Associates in different offices doing the same work for the same clients and being billed at the same rates earn vastly different salaries depending on where they are located.