You mentioned L.A. If you ultimately may want to be in SoCal then probably Heller gives the most flexibility with offices in SD and L.A. I thought I heard that WSGR was opening in SD but don't think I've seen anything on that recently and they are not in L.A or the OC. Ditto Cooley.

Heller probably weathered the recession best given that they were never as heavily invested in the dot.com thing as the other two. WSGR seems much stronger today than Cooley financially and as an incoming 1Y it's probably not worth worrying too much about the huge backlog of senior people trying to make partner.

People on this board and certainly in infirmation.com can tell you all about the "groups" at WSGR and how that works. I was at VLG before the Heller days but my understanding from my friends who stayed and went to Heller is that virtually none of VLG's culture survived, i.e., it's just a more typical large firm culture relatively interchangeable with a dozen other firms.

Anecdotally, I think WSGR probably has the highest prestige work and conversely the lowest quality of life. Heller seems more stable and safer then Cooley (around whom rumors continue to swirl almost daily).

My $.02.

Actually, Cooley has an SD office and life science attorneys there as well. Though there is nothing in the works to open in LA or OC.

Heller and WSGR both look to be in better financial shape than Cooley, which is constantly looking for a merger partner. Cooley, though, is known for having a stronger life science practice (transaction-wise, at least) than the other two.

If you're going to be in California no matter whether you stay in the Bay Area, Heller, WSGR and Cooley all have good names. WSGR might be a bit higher up on the Prestige Ladder, but in the end, that really amounts to a hill of beans. It might buy you interviews at a couple firms, but really, anyone would look at you with Heller or Cooley on your resume, too.

It sort of depends on what sort of life science work you're trying to get. For litigation (not what you indicated, but FWIW), Heller or WSGR might be better than Cooley (which has a great litigation practice, but it's stronger in securities and general business than patents). If you're looking for securities and corp work for life science clients, WSGR might be better for training. If you mean transactional work (joint venture, research collaboration agreements, clinical trials, FDA regulations), Cooley has the strongest practice and training of the 3, IMHO.

The best thing would be to interview and get a sense of the people in each of those areas and ask them about their training and mentoring. Get a gut feel for where you think you'd "fit" the best, and whether their answers for training and mentoring are copacetic with what you'd like to receive.

Good luck!

Looks like Auntie Deuce is back in town, ready to give us all a big hug. And a nice cup of hot chocolate.

Bummer for Brazil
 

I don't have a link to the story but the Oakland Tribune is reporting that Brazil is in trouble. Looks like the feds seized $61,000 from her, and want to keep it, even though there are no federal criminal charges.

Apparently, "clients posting reviews of Brazil's services at another Web site gave her rave - and sometimes, explicit - reviews as recently as February 2004, a month after Internal Revenue Service agents seized evidence and $61,171 from Schultz's Oakland apartment, storage locker and safe deposit box."

Sidd should have kept his trap shut.

Bummer for Brazil
 

The article mentioned that she charged $1300 for two hours. Shit, I can't afford those rates. But I get all tingly thinking about charging recent law school grads out at those rates.

Earthquake!
 

Before we all start running to brace ourselves against doorjambs because of the map the DinoStud posted, is that little conglomeration of earthquakes unusual? Looks like they're all on a scale of 1 or 2 and probably just some concentrated plate movement there.

Doesn't make me feel much better, but it's not like the fault is about to blow. Maybe.

And if it is, someone let me know so I can at least have a decent glass of wine before the city falls apart.

Earthquake!
 

The little red ones are aftershocks. The big blue squares are the actual quakes, and CNN's front page says it was a 6.0. http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/09/28/cal....ap/index.html

But hey, I'm no Californian. I'm just really not busy at work today.

Earthquake!
 

Ah. Oh well. Didn't feel a damn thing here, and looks like there was no extensive damage.

I love the reference in the CNN article to the good building codes here in California. I have a sneaking suspicion that not all of the homes in the developments 'round here really meet them. Thank God the weather generally isn't that harsh.

It's all about possession
 

I hope this is not one of you guys...

Man who caught Bonds' 700th homer gets sued

From the article..."Immediately after the 700 home run ball fell to the area of plaintiff's feet, plaintiff established possession, dominion and control over the ball by sitting on it and securing it with his right leg," according to the suit."

If it were football, that's not dominion or control. And let's just say that if he did have dominion and control, and he held the ball up to the cheering crowds and for the cameras and it slipped out of his hands, would he still be entitled to it?

It's all about possession
 

Man, it's deja vu all over again. This is exactly what happened when Bonds hit the homerun to break McGuire's season HR record. Utlimately the judge split the baby, I think, ordering a sale of the ball and the proceeds split. By that time, Bonds had surpassed his own record and the ball's market value had plummeted. The plaintiff and his lawyer then sued each other for fees/malpractice.

Baseball is a silly sport.

It's all about possession
 

But cocaine is a helluva drug.

It's all about possession
 

As I recall one of the guys actually had the ball in his glove. And the melee afterward caused the ball to "come out." But still, I think that was a stupid ruling.

This guy here had it under his leg. Never really "had" it. I think he's got less of a case and because there's no video to support his theory.

Hotel strike
 

I'm all for people wanting to get healthcare and all, but all of the whistle blowing and horn honking makes me want to hate these people and to kill them.

Greenberg Traurig SV
 

Any scuttlebutt on this office?