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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Aug 13, 2018 1:19 pm

What callbacks have people done so far? Right around median at HYS and have callbacks at BB, TK, VE, Jones Day, Akin and Winston. Is it dumb to decline other callback offers if I 99.9% wouldn't accept an offer from them if I get at least one offer from the 6 I have? Seems like I would have to really screw something up not to get an offer from at least 1 out of 6, right?

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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Aug 13, 2018 9:03 pm

Anonymous User wrote:For those interested in the Dallas market, I thought it might be helpful to have a thread solely dedicated to Dallas. I'll post my general thoughts below as to the hierarchy of firms in Dallas from both the transactional and litigation perspectives. If anyone has questions, please chime in.

TRANSACTIONAL:

Overall thoughts - Transactional work is much hotter in Texas than litigation (especially when you're talking corporate, finance and to some extent tax - real estate is generally less lucrative than those practice areas and is not of focus of the national firms)
Also, the Dallas legal market is not nearly as hot as Houston - almost all of the big deals in the state come out of Houston and the corporate groups in Dallas are much smaller than in Houston (HayBoo Dallas' corporate group is probably the biggest group at 30ish lawyers whereas VE Houston easily has over 100 corporate lawyers)
There is also less capital markets work in Dallas than Houston - it seems like 2/3 of all capital markets work in the state is done out of VE Houston

Band 1:
-Gibson: Has some of the biggest names in the market and access to some high-profile work but you hear of many associates that are slow
-Vinson & Elkins: Lost some big names to GDC a few years ago but keeps chugging along; you hear mixed reports on culture and that its a satellite office but this is probably the best name in the state
-Sidley: Mostly former Weil and BB people; their Houston office is growing faster, but this is still a well-respected group
-Thompson & Knight: Very energy focused; mid-size group, was targeted heavily by Kirkland; TBD if anyone goes over; not a huge national name but well-regarded in Dallas
-Jones Day: Recently lost people to Kirkland but historically a great name; diversified wrt industries; mixed reports on culture
-Kirkland: In Band 1 for name alone; the first batch of lawyers to sign on leave a little to be desired, but the office will surely be busy
-Winston & Strawn: the transactional side is a mix of former Locke and Jones Day people for the most part; diversified with respect to industries; no energy presence
-Weil: Great name and was once the top name in the market but recent defections to Kirkland, Sidley, etc. have really hurt the group - unclear what it will look like in 10 years

Band 2:
-Haynes and Boone: largest group in town; very mid-market; diversified with respect to industry; you hear reports that they overhire and that many associates are slow
-Baker Botts: firm as a whole seems to be losing ground to VE (plus BB lost a couple big partners to Sidley a couple years ago); you don't hear much about their corporate group in town but there are definitely some good people there
-Akin Gump: most work comes from other offices but it is good work; mixed reports on culture; not somewhere to go if you want to make partner

Band 3:
-Norton Rose Fulbright: the corp group is formerly from Winstead (as of probably 20 years ago); you don't hear much about them
-Locke Lord: most of the top transactional folks went to Winston
-HuntonAK: a small group but have good private equity work (most of the former AK people went to Katten instead of coming over though)

Band 4:
-Winstead: Very mid-market but a good place to go if you want to make partner
-Foley Gardere: Similar to Winstead

Other Firms:
-Bracewell, Alston, Holland & Knight, Squire Patton Boggs, Katten, Greenberg, Munsch, Strasburger, DLA Piper, McDermott, Polsinelli, Baker McKenzie, McGuire Woods: All of these firms are good firms with very capable lawyers, but they all have small/new corporate groups or are very regional and likely have fewer spots than those firms listed above (if any)

LITIGATION:

Overall thoughts - Litigation as a whole is slower than transactional work in Texas and is generally less lucrative, though Dallas litigation sections usually represent a larger percentage of the office than their Houston counterparts

Band 1:
-Gibson: in a league of its own and certainly has the most number of heavy hitters

Band 2:
-Vinson & Elkins: Great Texas firm that is still seen as a force in the market after losing some big names to GDC a few years ago
-Winston & Strawn: The newest force in the market, and generally took the biggest name partners from Fish to launch the litigation section
-Sidley: The former Weil litigation group, prestigious, but you hear mixed reports on culture
-McKool Smith: A quasi-boutique that has a good reputation for work and a mixed reputation for culture

Band 3:
-Baker Botts: Stable group but not one you hear a ton about in Dallas
-Akin Gump: Light on general commercial litigation but with its DC ties is stronger in antitrust and other similar practices
-Jones Day: Similar to Akin Gump; mixed reports on culture here too (what you gain in "sophistication" here and at Akin Gump you probably lose in courtroom experience)
-Norton Rose Fulbright: Similar to Baker Botts above but at least at Fulbright, the litigators have more power
-Locke Lord: See Fulbright above
-Thompson & Knight: Mostly general commercial litigation, a busy group that is quite large; not bet-the-company litigation but probably good experience

Band 4:
-Haynes and Boone: Once a litigation force, now a very slow group that has been slow for probably a decade; still a great name
-Fish: Unclear how viable office is after losing big group to Winston
-Jackson Walker: Sort of like a smaller TK
-Winstead: Less sophisticated work but a fairly large section
-Foley Gardere: Same as Winstead

Other Firms:
-Bracewell, Weil, K&L Gates, Morgan Lewis, HuntonAK all have some litigation, but I don't think any of them have a more than a couple partners that litigate, so these are probably less viable options for most

-Note that this list leaves off a bunch of great boutiques, as it is my understanding those positions are hard to snag during OCI and are generally seen as options you would pursue after having worked in Biglaw for a few years (but if I'm wrong about this, please correct me)
-Note, also, that the most prestigious boutiques are in Houston and not Dallas (i.e., Susman, Yetter, AZA, Beck Redden, etc.)
Interested in Jones Day for lit. They have some unique practice areas that don't seem to be all that common in Dallas. Care to elaborate on culture and courtroom prospects? I recognize that trials are rare in Biglaw and JD does a lot of investigative type work, is that what you were referring to?

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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Aug 14, 2018 9:49 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:For those interested in the Dallas market, I thought it might be helpful to have a thread solely dedicated to Dallas. I'll post my general thoughts below as to the hierarchy of firms in Dallas from both the transactional and litigation perspectives. If anyone has questions, please chime in.

TRANSACTIONAL:

Overall thoughts - Transactional work is much hotter in Texas than litigation (especially when you're talking corporate, finance and to some extent tax - real estate is generally less lucrative than those practice areas and is not of focus of the national firms)
Also, the Dallas legal market is not nearly as hot as Houston - almost all of the big deals in the state come out of Houston and the corporate groups in Dallas are much smaller than in Houston (HayBoo Dallas' corporate group is probably the biggest group at 30ish lawyers whereas VE Houston easily has over 100 corporate lawyers)
There is also less capital markets work in Dallas than Houston - it seems like 2/3 of all capital markets work in the state is done out of VE Houston

Band 1:
-Gibson: Has some of the biggest names in the market and access to some high-profile work but you hear of many associates that are slow
-Vinson & Elkins: Lost some big names to GDC a few years ago but keeps chugging along; you hear mixed reports on culture and that its a satellite office but this is probably the best name in the state
-Sidley: Mostly former Weil and BB people; their Houston office is growing faster, but this is still a well-respected group
-Thompson & Knight: Very energy focused; mid-size group, was targeted heavily by Kirkland; TBD if anyone goes over; not a huge national name but well-regarded in Dallas
-Jones Day: Recently lost people to Kirkland but historically a great name; diversified wrt industries; mixed reports on culture
-Kirkland: In Band 1 for name alone; the first batch of lawyers to sign on leave a little to be desired, but the office will surely be busy
-Winston & Strawn: the transactional side is a mix of former Locke and Jones Day people for the most part; diversified with respect to industries; no energy presence
-Weil: Great name and was once the top name in the market but recent defections to Kirkland, Sidley, etc. have really hurt the group - unclear what it will look like in 10 years

Band 2:
-Haynes and Boone: largest group in town; very mid-market; diversified with respect to industry; you hear reports that they overhire and that many associates are slow
-Baker Botts: firm as a whole seems to be losing ground to VE (plus BB lost a couple big partners to Sidley a couple years ago); you don't hear much about their corporate group in town but there are definitely some good people there
-Akin Gump: most work comes from other offices but it is good work; mixed reports on culture; not somewhere to go if you want to make partner

Band 3:
-Norton Rose Fulbright: the corp group is formerly from Winstead (as of probably 20 years ago); you don't hear much about them
-Locke Lord: most of the top transactional folks went to Winston
-HuntonAK: a small group but have good private equity work (most of the former AK people went to Katten instead of coming over though)

Band 4:
-Winstead: Very mid-market but a good place to go if you want to make partner
-Foley Gardere: Similar to Winstead

Other Firms:
-Bracewell, Alston, Holland & Knight, Squire Patton Boggs, Katten, Greenberg, Munsch, Strasburger, DLA Piper, McDermott, Polsinelli, Baker McKenzie, McGuire Woods: All of these firms are good firms with very capable lawyers, but they all have small/new corporate groups or are very regional and likely have fewer spots than those firms listed above (if any)

LITIGATION:

Overall thoughts - Litigation as a whole is slower than transactional work in Texas and is generally less lucrative, though Dallas litigation sections usually represent a larger percentage of the office than their Houston counterparts

Band 1:
-Gibson: in a league of its own and certainly has the most number of heavy hitters

Band 2:
-Vinson & Elkins: Great Texas firm that is still seen as a force in the market after losing some big names to GDC a few years ago
-Winston & Strawn: The newest force in the market, and generally took the biggest name partners from Fish to launch the litigation section
-Sidley: The former Weil litigation group, prestigious, but you hear mixed reports on culture
-McKool Smith: A quasi-boutique that has a good reputation for work and a mixed reputation for culture

Band 3:
-Baker Botts: Stable group but not one you hear a ton about in Dallas
-Akin Gump: Light on general commercial litigation but with its DC ties is stronger in antitrust and other similar practices
-Jones Day: Similar to Akin Gump; mixed reports on culture here too (what you gain in "sophistication" here and at Akin Gump you probably lose in courtroom experience)
-Norton Rose Fulbright: Similar to Baker Botts above but at least at Fulbright, the litigators have more power
-Locke Lord: See Fulbright above
-Thompson & Knight: Mostly general commercial litigation, a busy group that is quite large; not bet-the-company litigation but probably good experience

Band 4:
-Haynes and Boone: Once a litigation force, now a very slow group that has been slow for probably a decade; still a great name
-Fish: Unclear how viable office is after losing big group to Winston
-Jackson Walker: Sort of like a smaller TK
-Winstead: Less sophisticated work but a fairly large section
-Foley Gardere: Same as Winstead

Other Firms:
-Bracewell, Weil, K&L Gates, Morgan Lewis, HuntonAK all have some litigation, but I don't think any of them have a more than a couple partners that litigate, so these are probably less viable options for most

-Note that this list leaves off a bunch of great boutiques, as it is my understanding those positions are hard to snag during OCI and are generally seen as options you would pursue after having worked in Biglaw for a few years (but if I'm wrong about this, please correct me)
-Note, also, that the most prestigious boutiques are in Houston and not Dallas (i.e., Susman, Yetter, AZA, Beck Redden, etc.)
Interested in Jones Day for lit. They have some unique practice areas that don't seem to be all that common in Dallas. Care to elaborate on culture and courtroom prospects? I recognize that trials are rare in Biglaw and JD does a lot of investigative type work, is that what you were referring to?
That’s correct re courtroom experience. As for culture, I just know that they seem to lose more associates to other firms than anyone else in town - by a wide margin. For some people it’s a great fit, but a lot of people seem to be frustrated by long hours and lower pay compared to peer firms and then adding on the weird culture can be the straw that broke the camels back. Any reason why you’re considering JD over other firms in town?

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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Aug 14, 2018 10:59 am

Anonymous User wrote: Is it dumb to decline other callback offers if I 99.9% wouldn't accept an offer from them if I get at least one offer from the 6 I have? Seems like I would have to really screw something up not to get an offer from at least 1 out of 6, right?
Yes. It is dumb. Accept all callback offers unless you have a firm offer in hand. Then once you do, call and cancel ones you aren't seriously considering taking over the offer you have. While you're probably right that at least one of the 6 will work out, you will be so mad at yourself if they don't and you turned down other possibilities because you were over confident. Schedule the CBs with places you want to work the most early and push out those that you don't care about as much. That way 1) you're more likely to get an offer from a place you really want if they do rolling offers and 2) there's a greater likelihood you'll get an offer before you have to go to those CBs of places you're less interested in.

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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Aug 14, 2018 11:11 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote: Is it dumb to decline other callback offers if I 99.9% wouldn't accept an offer from them if I get at least one offer from the 6 I have? Seems like I would have to really screw something up not to get an offer from at least 1 out of 6, right?
Yes. It is dumb. Accept all callback offers unless you have a firm offer in hand. Then once you do, call and cancel ones you aren't seriously considering taking over the offer you have. While you're probably right that at least one of the 6 will work out, you will be so mad at yourself if they don't and you turned down other possibilities because you were over confident. Schedule the CBs with places you want to work the most early and push out those that you don't care about as much. That way 1) you're more likely to get an offer from a place you really want if they do rolling offers and 2) there's a greater likelihood you'll get an offer before you have to go to those CBs of places you're less interested in.
I would agree, with the one caveat that you should wait until the last possible minute to schedule hotels and flights. That way, cancelling isn't a big deal.

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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Aug 14, 2018 11:25 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote: Is it dumb to decline other callback offers if I 99.9% wouldn't accept an offer from them if I get at least one offer from the 6 I have? Seems like I would have to really screw something up not to get an offer from at least 1 out of 6, right?
Yes. It is dumb. Accept all callback offers unless you have a firm offer in hand. Then once you do, call and cancel ones you aren't seriously considering taking over the offer you have. While you're probably right that at least one of the 6 will work out, you will be so mad at yourself if they don't and you turned down other possibilities because you were over confident. Schedule the CBs with places you want to work the most early and push out those that you don't care about as much. That way 1) you're more likely to get an offer from a place you really want if they do rolling offers and 2) there's a greater likelihood you'll get an offer before you have to go to those CBs of places you're less interested in.
I would agree, with the one caveat that you should wait until the last possible minute to schedule hotels and flights. That way, cancelling isn't a big deal.
Thanks for the advice. I think that makes sense. Hoping one of my top 6 works out, but I guess I shouldn't close any doors until I know I can.

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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Aug 14, 2018 2:54 pm

Anonymous User wrote:For those interested in the Dallas market, I thought it might be helpful to have a thread solely dedicated to Dallas. I'll post my general thoughts below as to the hierarchy of firms in Dallas from both the transactional and litigation perspectives. If anyone has questions, please chime in.

TRANSACTIONAL:

Overall thoughts - Transactional work is much hotter in Texas than litigation (especially when you're talking corporate, finance and to some extent tax - real estate is generally less lucrative than those practice areas and is not of focus of the national firms)
Also, the Dallas legal market is not nearly as hot as Houston - almost all of the big deals in the state come out of Houston and the corporate groups in Dallas are much smaller than in Houston (HayBoo Dallas' corporate group is probably the biggest group at 30ish lawyers whereas VE Houston easily has over 100 corporate lawyers)
There is also less capital markets work in Dallas than Houston - it seems like 2/3 of all capital markets work in the state is done out of VE Houston

Band 1:
-Gibson: Has some of the biggest names in the market and access to some high-profile work but you hear of many associates that are slow
-Vinson & Elkins: Lost some big names to GDC a few years ago but keeps chugging along; you hear mixed reports on culture and that its a satellite office but this is probably the best name in the state
-Sidley: Mostly former Weil and BB people; their Houston office is growing faster, but this is still a well-respected group
-Thompson & Knight: Very energy focused; mid-size group, was targeted heavily by Kirkland; TBD if anyone goes over; not a huge national name but well-regarded in Dallas
-Jones Day: Recently lost people to Kirkland but historically a great name; diversified wrt industries; mixed reports on culture
-Kirkland: In Band 1 for name alone; the first batch of lawyers to sign on leave a little to be desired, but the office will surely be busy
-Winston & Strawn: the transactional side is a mix of former Locke and Jones Day people for the most part; diversified with respect to industries; no energy presence
-Weil: Great name and was once the top name in the market but recent defections to Kirkland, Sidley, etc. have really hurt the group - unclear what it will look like in 10 years

Band 2:
-Haynes and Boone: largest group in town; very mid-market; diversified with respect to industry; you hear reports that they overhire and that many associates are slow
-Baker Botts: firm as a whole seems to be losing ground to VE (plus BB lost a couple big partners to Sidley a couple years ago); you don't hear much about their corporate group in town but there are definitely some good people there
-Akin Gump: most work comes from other offices but it is good work; mixed reports on culture; not somewhere to go if you want to make partner

Band 3:
-Norton Rose Fulbright: the corp group is formerly from Winstead (as of probably 20 years ago); you don't hear much about them
-Locke Lord: most of the top transactional folks went to Winston
-HuntonAK: a small group but have good private equity work (most of the former AK people went to Katten instead of coming over though)

Band 4:
-Winstead: Very mid-market but a good place to go if you want to make partner
-Foley Gardere: Similar to Winstead

Other Firms:
-Bracewell, Alston, Holland & Knight, Squire Patton Boggs, Katten, Greenberg, Munsch, Strasburger, DLA Piper, McDermott, Polsinelli, Baker McKenzie, McGuire Woods: All of these firms are good firms with very capable lawyers, but they all have small/new corporate groups or are very regional and likely have fewer spots than those firms listed above (if any)

LITIGATION:

Overall thoughts - Litigation as a whole is slower than transactional work in Texas and is generally less lucrative, though Dallas litigation sections usually represent a larger percentage of the office than their Houston counterparts

Band 1:
-Gibson: in a league of its own and certainly has the most number of heavy hitters

Band 2:
-Vinson & Elkins: Great Texas firm that is still seen as a force in the market after losing some big names to GDC a few years ago
-Winston & Strawn: The newest force in the market, and generally took the biggest name partners from Fish to launch the litigation section
-Sidley: The former Weil litigation group, prestigious, but you hear mixed reports on culture
-McKool Smith: A quasi-boutique that has a good reputation for work and a mixed reputation for culture

Band 3:
-Baker Botts: Stable group but not one you hear a ton about in Dallas
-Akin Gump: Light on general commercial litigation but with its DC ties is stronger in antitrust and other similar practices
-Jones Day: Similar to Akin Gump; mixed reports on culture here too (what you gain in "sophistication" here and at Akin Gump you probably lose in courtroom experience)
-Norton Rose Fulbright: Similar to Baker Botts above but at least at Fulbright, the litigators have more power
-Locke Lord: See Fulbright above
-Thompson & Knight: Mostly general commercial litigation, a busy group that is quite large; not bet-the-company litigation but probably good experience

Band 4:
-Haynes and Boone: Once a litigation force, now a very slow group that has been slow for probably a decade; still a great name
-Fish: Unclear how viable office is after losing big group to Winston
-Jackson Walker: Sort of like a smaller TK
-Winstead: Less sophisticated work but a fairly large section
-Foley Gardere: Same as Winstead

Other Firms:
-Bracewell, Weil, K&L Gates, Morgan Lewis, HuntonAK all have some litigation, but I don't think any of them have a more than a couple partners that litigate, so these are probably less viable options for most

-Note that this list leaves off a bunch of great boutiques, as it is my understanding those positions are hard to snag during OCI and are generally seen as options you would pursue after having worked in Biglaw for a few years (but if I'm wrong about this, please correct me)
-Note, also, that the most prestigious boutiques are in Houston and not Dallas (i.e., Susman, Yetter, AZA, Beck Redden, etc.)
How accurate is Chambers for Dallas litigation? Based on Chambers, I'm a bit surprised that McKool isn't at tier 1 along with Gibson. Gibson is band 3 for general commercial lit and Sidley is band 5. I thought that McKool is almost at the level of Boies, etc on a national level (and Dallas is its HQ)? How much of Gibson's reputation is based on its appellate work and are other places better if you want to do more general commercial litigation?

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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Aug 15, 2018 3:32 pm

Any thoughts on GDC/Sidley/Jones Day Dallas offices for litigation vs regional Texas firms in terms of culture and work experience?

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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Aug 16, 2018 11:03 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Thoughts on Jackson Walker? I have heard great things about the culture, curious to know more about the quality of work and development. Leaning towards litigation, but open to corporate work.
Great firm. I would say that JW and Winstead are prob the preeminent regional firms with Winstead being more RE Finance focused and JW more Lit and general Corp focused. You also tend to hear better things about JW’s culture than Winstead’s.
Someone on the Houston thread intimated that JW is subject to financial woes and no-offering is a legitimate concern. I haven't seen anything to support that for the Dallas office, do you have any insight as to where that comes from?

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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Aug 16, 2018 11:59 pm

Anonymous User wrote:Any thoughts on GDC/Sidley/Jones Day Dallas offices for litigation vs regional Texas firms in terms of culture and work experience?
Honestly I don’t know anyone who enjoys or enjoyed Jones Day. I hear very mixed reports about the culture at Sidley - the former Weil partners there are notoriously difficult. I’ve only heard good things about GDC culture - the only knock seems to be the low partnership prospects. Litigation is tough in this market. If it were me, I would do VE, TK, GDC or maybe Sidley. HB Lit has some great folks but the group has been really slow for a long tome.

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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Aug 17, 2018 12:01 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Thoughts on Jackson Walker? I have heard great things about the culture, curious to know more about the quality of work and development. Leaning towards litigation, but open to corporate work.
Great firm. I would say that JW and Winstead are prob the preeminent regional firms with Winstead being more RE Finance focused and JW more Lit and general Corp focused. You also tend to hear better things about JW’s culture than Winstead’s.
Someone on the Houston thread intimated that JW is subject to financial woes and no-offering is a legitimate concern. I haven't seen anything to support that for the Dallas office, do you have any insight as to where that comes from?
As a more regional firm, JW’s offer rates tend to be a little lower than the more national firms. This would not be a concern of mine, though - as long as you are smart and have common sense, you should be good. As for the financial woes, I’m not sure about that - I think they had a great year two years ago (largely due to a contingency fee) and a not so great year last year. But I think they’re healthy overall.

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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Aug 17, 2018 7:20 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Any thoughts on GDC/Sidley/Jones Day Dallas offices for litigation vs regional Texas firms in terms of culture and work experience?
Honestly I don’t know anyone who enjoys or enjoyed Jones Day. I hear very mixed reports about the culture at Sidley - the former Weil partners there are notoriously difficult. I’ve only heard good things about GDC culture - the only knock seems to be the low partnership prospects. Litigation is tough in this market. If it were me, I would do VE, TK, GDC or maybe Sidley. HB Lit has some great folks but the group has been really slow for a long tome.
What about McKool? They seem to be the only lit office in Dallas that's in band 1 for general commercial lit in Texas. I'm guessing hours/culture are tougher but what about long-term prospects, exit ops, reputation in the market?
Last edited by Anonymous User on Fri Aug 17, 2018 8:25 am, edited 3 times in total.

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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Aug 17, 2018 7:20 am

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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Aug 17, 2018 8:07 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Any thoughts on GDC/Sidley/Jones Day Dallas offices for litigation vs regional Texas firms in terms of culture and work experience?
Honestly I don’t know anyone who enjoys or enjoyed Jones Day. I hear very mixed reports about the culture at Sidley - the former Weil partners there are notoriously difficult. I’ve only heard good things about GDC culture - the only knock seems to be the low partnership prospects. Litigation is tough in this market. If it were me, I would do VE, TK, GDC or maybe Sidley. HB Lit has some great folks but the group has been really slow for a long tome.
What about McKool? They seem to be the only lit office in Dallas that's in band 1 for general commercial lit in Texas. I'm guessing hours/culture are tougher but what about long-term prospects, exit ops, reputation in the market?
I think they have good work, but I hear the hours are miserable. Supposedly, some associates bill close to 3,000 hours there. As for exit ops, they’re certainly good there, but exit ops for litigation are fairly limited everywhere. I would also be surprised if partnership is a realistic prospect for most associates who start there.

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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Aug 19, 2018 11:21 am

Has anyone interviewing for corp heard back from Gibson or Sidley?

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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Aug 23, 2018 7:07 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Any thoughts on GDC/Sidley/Jones Day Dallas offices for litigation vs regional Texas firms in terms of culture and work experience?
Honestly I don’t know anyone who enjoys or enjoyed Jones Day. I hear very mixed reports about the culture at Sidley - the former Weil partners there are notoriously difficult. I’ve only heard good things about GDC culture - the only knock seems to be the low partnership prospects. Litigation is tough in this market. If it were me, I would do VE, TK, GDC or maybe Sidley. HB Lit has some great folks but the group has been really slow for a long tome.
What about McKool? They seem to be the only lit office in Dallas that's in band 1 for general commercial lit in Texas. I'm guessing hours/culture are tougher but what about long-term prospects, exit ops, reputation in the market?
I think they have good work, but I hear the hours are miserable. Supposedly, some associates bill close to 3,000 hours there. As for exit ops, they’re certainly good there, but exit ops for litigation are fairly limited everywhere. I would also be surprised if partnership is a realistic prospect for most associates who start there.
How would exit ops from McKool compare to those from the top biglaw lit firms in town (VE, Sidley, Gibson, etc.)? Will going to one of the latter hurt you because you might get less substantive work as a junior? Or is it safer to go with a biglaw firm? The ideal would be to stay long-term & make partner, but assuming that you get pushed out and end up looking at lateraling, smaller firms, exploring things like ausa, etc.

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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:22 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Any thoughts on GDC/Sidley/Jones Day Dallas offices for litigation vs regional Texas firms in terms of culture and work experience?
Honestly I don’t know anyone who enjoys or enjoyed Jones Day. I hear very mixed reports about the culture at Sidley - the former Weil partners there are notoriously difficult. I’ve only heard good things about GDC culture - the only knock seems to be the low partnership prospects. Litigation is tough in this market. If it were me, I would do VE, TK, GDC or maybe Sidley. HB Lit has some great folks but the group has been really slow for a long tome.
What about McKool? They seem to be the only lit office in Dallas that's in band 1 for general commercial lit in Texas. I'm guessing hours/culture are tougher but what about long-term prospects, exit ops, reputation in the market?
I think they have good work, but I hear the hours are miserable. Supposedly, some associates bill close to 3,000 hours there. As for exit ops, they’re certainly good there, but exit ops for litigation are fairly limited everywhere. I would also be surprised if partnership is a realistic prospect for most associates who start there.
Interviewed there recently and I asked a senior associate about his/her typical day and he/she said: "8:00-7:00 usually, I bill almost every hour I am in the office, though." I then asked about a billable requirement and he/she said: "there is no requirement but 2400 is considering about right. But don't worry; everybody makes 2400 without a problem." In my head I was like . . . that's not why I'm worried about 2400. Similar answers came from everybody I spoke to, which was like 10 people.

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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Aug 24, 2018 6:58 pm

Anybody hear from McKool yet?

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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Aug 24, 2018 7:11 pm

Anyone hear from Weil?

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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Aug 24, 2018 7:48 pm

Anonymous User wrote:Anybody hear from McKool yet?
Some McKool offers are out at UT

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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Aug 24, 2018 7:51 pm

GDC? Anything?

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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Aug 25, 2018 12:03 am

Can anyone shed some light on the new Katten office in Dallas?

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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Aug 25, 2018 11:10 am

Anyone have more specific insights about Sidley-Dallas for litigation? The OP listed them as being at the top of the market, but Chambers has them below band 4 for general commercial litigation in Texas. Not sure if Chambers is accurate at all here. Any insights about culture would be helpful too.

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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Aug 25, 2018 11:31 am

Going to piggyback previous post. Sidley is ranked low on corp side and none of the M&A partners in Dallas office are listed. Is this just a result of partners being young or are they doing less sophisticated work than say V&E, GDC, Weil

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Re: 2018 Dallas Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Aug 25, 2018 11:56 am

Anonymous User wrote:Anyone have more specific insights about Sidley-Dallas for litigation? The OP listed them as being at the top of the market, but Chambers has them below band 4 for general commercial litigation in Texas. Not sure if Chambers is accurate at all here. Any insights about culture would be helpful too.
OP’s rankings are more accurate than Chambers in this case. No way that JW, TK, NRF, etc. are above Sidley lit in Dallas.

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