A night out

It's midnight, and I've just came back from being out with a mishmash of summer associates here in Hong Kong. Three are from Mighty Big Firm's office here, one from "Deb"-utante Firm, and one from Mo'Fo Firm (that last one isn't really far from the actual name of the firm, if you can belief it). I'd met the three from Mighty Big Firm in New York, and I was pleased to see them again. I like all of them, particularly the married guy, who refreshingly admitted, "I didn't go to law school because I love the law. I went to make money. I was in private equity before, and law seemed like it was more stable, but good money." Right on! (Although the lifestyle still sucks.)

It was nice time: although those three are leaving this coming weekend, the guy from Mo'Fo Firm seemed cool. The one from Deb, however, was the classic lawyer nightmare -- aggressive without substance or kindness. Seriously. I mentioned how I wanted non-lawyers to take part in the lunch program, and he exclaimed in disbelief, "Are you serious? They're not the ones bringing in the money. Why should the firm pay for them to go to lunch?" I explained that I thought they'd know more about the firm than a first year who'd been with the firm for 9 months, and anyway, first years don't actually make the firm money anyway. "I don't know -- I don't think that's true," he challenged. Fortunately, everyone else around the table disagreed with him. Honestly, though. What an ass. I suspect it's mostly immaturity, but this job is not likely to improve those aspects of the little bugger.

We went to a very fancy bar with a large birdcage on the patio, whose website made me nervous about the appropriateness of my work clothes, but it was early enough that it didn't matter. Two non-lawyers were with us -- they must have been bored out of their minds. I guess when you get a bunch of people in the same profession together, they naturally talk about their profession, but still. Around 10 pm, the non-lawyers departed along with the Mo'Fo guy, and the rest of us went to a local dumpling place, which was surprisingly not that good. At least to my taste. I don't know. For all the vaunted cuisine of HK, I've only really enjoyed one place -- the Indian restaurant I went to on Saturday.

The three Mighty Big Firm summers and I all agreed that the New York office was a little chilly, and that the smaller size of the HK office was a big plus. They're getting more pampered than I am -- they get a per diem and their laundry is covered, for example. But I like to think I'm getting a good foreign office experience, complete with foreign firm... anyway, my apartment is apparently much nicer than theirs. So there.

I got to have this night out with summers from across the city thanks to the generosity of a partner who gave me some work today. Today was actually very busy for me -- I started working at 10 am, stopped at around 7, and billed more than 7.5 hours. The work was semi-interesting research and some drafting (again with the find-and-replace, but slightly more difficult), and there's a deal getting filed tonight that I thought I might have to stay for, but the partner said, "We won't even find out what's going on until 8:30 tonight. Nah, go out and enjoy Hong Kong." Yippee!

I asked one summer, who's spent time in HK before, what I should see, and she replied, "Well, there's not that much sightseeing to do here." I think that's probably true. There are temples here and there, and Victoria Peak, and apparently decent hiking (which it's too hot to do), but other than that, I guess people just shop and eat.

Eh. I don't know. I don't care for shopping, and the eating's good in other places around the world. It's a little weird to be in a place with so little to do. (Last year I had a string of visitors, and a roommate, and the sublime beauty of Alaska to explore. It seems so far away and long ago now.) Undoubtedly I'm missing a whole other side to HK that I, as a foreigner, would have a hard time accessing -- the same summer said that the Hong Kong natives are pretty insular, and so the expat community is also.

One of the non-lawyers tonight, though, lives in HK, and said he'd be up for some weekend traveling. So I may get in some sights after all!

Okay, I must to bed. Work tomorrow and all.