Hey, Lat's super cool. Lat is far from snobby. For someone who made the cut enough to work at Wachtell, he's downright humble.

But, Lat, about this Senior Associate thing.... At a lot of firms, I think, Of Counsel is what is given to what you describe as Senior Associate. I thought that the greybeards you describe as Of Counsel were sometimes that but frequently Retired Partner or Retired Counsel.

But, look, I want to know if there is a two tier associate system at some large firms, where some start at Associate and others start at Senior Associate, and both are promoted rapidly. I.e., Senior Associate is a step to Partner. I don't want to call any firms out, but I am pretty sure I have seen this.