Non-Billable Hours

Recorded October 27, 2026, before Bloomberg Law reported on October 28 that Weil Gotshal & Manges plans to wind down. This is the audio edition of my full video explainer from the day before that report. My updated Hearsay piece is linked below.

I break down the partner departures, Weil’s growth compared with its peers, and why a loss of confidence can turn into a “partnership run.” I also discuss the merger options I saw at the time and what I’d be considering as an attorney at the firm.

The discussion of possible merger partners reflects my analysis at the time, not an announced transaction.

In this episode:
00:00 Why Weil’s situation matters
00:23 How a partnership run works
01:43 Growth and competition for partners
03:34 Departures, referrals and client confidence
05:14 The leadership succession setback
06:21 Merger options and their complications
09:02 What attorneys should consider

Updated Hearsay: Weil Set to Shutter. A Premature Autopsy
https://brysonmalcolm.substack.com/p/weil-gotshal-wind-down-premature-autopsy

Read my Hearsay article on LinkedIn: Weil Set to Shutter. A Premature Autopsy
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/weil-set-shutter-premature-autopsy-bryson-malcolm-wo5he/

Bloomberg Law’s October 28 wind-down report
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/weil-gotshal-to-wind-down-in-stunning-fall-for-heavyweight-firm

Watch the full video explainer

Connect with Bryson on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brysonmalcolm/

Mosaic Search Partners
https://mosaicsearchpartners.com/

All my social accounts and resources (link in bio)
https://mosaicsearchpartners.com/links

Bryson breaks down what top law students at leading law schools can expect on their journey to landing a Big Law summer associate position in 2026. 

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Job board of all anticipated and open student positions in Big Law (Summer & entry-level): https://mosaicsearchpartners.com/student-docket 

[We do not earn commission and are not paid by firms or students for this service. It was created purely to support students]

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Connect with Bryson on LinkedIn 

Follow Bryson on TikTok

This is a conversation about common pitfalls in and best practices for building a network as a law student or attorney, through the lens of feedback received from the nation's top rainmaking partners and business development professionals. 

I personally consider Eva Wisnik one of my close mentors whom I respect deeply and think extraordinarily highly of. 

This is just one slice of the wisdom that Eva has spent decades discovering and refining. In my opinion, this is part of a must-have go-to toolkit for any top law student looking to set themselves up for success in both the immediate and long term. 

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About Eva Wisnik 

Eva is one of the most trusted voices in legal talent, a career strategist and executive recruiter who has spent over three decades shaping how America's most prestigious law firms hire, train, and retain their people. 

She founded Wisnik Career Enterprises in 1996 after running recruitment and training at Schulte Roth & Zabel and Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, and over the years has worked with more than 120 law firms, including much of the Am Law 100, placed over 1,000 recruitment and marketing professionals, and delivered more than 800 training programs nationwide. 

She earned a degree in Psychology from Barnard College (Columbia) and an MBA in marketing from Fordham. Her insights have been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg.

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Bryson Malcolm

Law Student Mentorship Series [Mosaic Scholars/ Network] 

Big Law doesn't break folks down because the substantive work is "too hard". If you made it all the way to the AMLAW 100, odds are you can handle the intellectual rigor. Big Law can break attorneys down by, often times, being "psychologically unsafe", and most high-achievers have no framework for guarding against that when they walk in.

I (Bryson Malcolm) talk with Sarah Cottrell, founder of Former Lawyer and host of The Former Lawyer Podcast. Sarah graduated from The University of Chicago Law School and spent 3 years in big law before transitioning to a judiciary role, and she's spent the last several years interviewing and working with many lawyers who left Big Law as well.

We get into why firms are good at marketing mental health, yet are often bad at supporting it, how toxic partners run teams in ways that train associates to assume they're the problem, and what's going on economically that lets some problematic rainmakers keep their power no matter what they do.

The conversation also moves into what happens when someone reports misconduct, why calling a labor and employment attorney before HR is often the better move, how bias shifts the math for women and lawyers of color, and why burnout is baked into the pyramid model rather than a reflection of personal weakness.

The back half of the episode is about preparation. We talk through what a real support system looks like before you start: a therapist who understands trauma, a short list of non-negotiables you've written down somewhere you'll actually look at, a network of former big law attorneys who can reality-check you, and friendships outside the lawyer bubble that keep you grounded when the firm starts feeling like your whole world.

Worth a listen if you're starting at a firm soon or trying to figure out whether what you've been feeling is you or the Big Law environment itself. 

In our first official episode, we share our candid experiences navigating both Big Law and boutique law firms as Associates!

Was the grass actually greener at elite boutiques?

Were we able to pull off the increasingly rare practice group pivot?

Which firms should be a little more honest about their culture from the outset?

Listen to find out!
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Hosts:

*Bryson Malcolm is a JD graduate of Columbia Law School who practiced at Skadden and Fried Frank (Real Estate). Founder & CEO.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brysonmalcolm/

Tatyana Monnay is a Reporter at Bloomberg Law
Tatyana's LinkedIn Page

Bryson Malcolm is a JD graduate of Columbia Law School who previously practiced law at Skadden and Fried Frank (Real Estate). Founder & CEO of Mosaic Search Partners.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brysonmalcolm/

Is all of Big Law the same? Can we believe law firm marketing of inclusion, attorney development, and firm cohesion? During our time in the field, a handful of firms have legitimately proven themselves as ideal destinations for Associates, especially those from historically underrepresented backgrounds! Gibson Dunn is certainly one of those firms and in this episode, Bryson Malcolm sits down with Connie Lee, a midlevel Associate in Gibson Dunn's Antitrust & Competition Group in Washington, D.C., to have a down-to-earth chat about her life and career at the firm.

No, GDC did not pay us to say this lol

*Connie’s statements are given in her personal capacity as an individual and do not inherently reflect the policies or ideals of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP.

Bryson Malcolm is a JD graduate of Columbia Law School who previously practiced law at Skadden and Fried Frank (Real Estate). Founder & CEO of Mosaic Search Partners.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brysonmalcolm/

Welcome to the Debut Episode of Non-Billable Hours! Kind of!

In this “pre-episode”/trailer, you'll get to know your hosts (aka us) Becca, Bryson, and Erica as we pull back the curtain on our paths through Big Law.

We chat about how and why we entered the legal profession, the lessons we learned in the high-pressure environment of top firms, and what inspired us to pivot toward our current mission: empowering historically underrepresented attorneys in Big Law through our work as recruiters at Mosaic Search Partners.

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Hosts:

Bryson Malcolm is a JD graduate of Columbia Law School who practiced at Skadden and Fried Frank (Real Estate). Founder & CEO.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brysonmalcolm/