Help Me Pick My Firm Forum

[Anonymous User]

Would you rather live in NYC or Chicago? You'll either be down to two choices or one once you've made that decision.

OP here: almost certainly Chicago. If I went NYC I'd probably look to lateral to Chicago somewhere down the road. Just wanted to throw Cleary in the mix to get everyone's thoughts.

[Anonymous User]

Practice area: General corporate/tax

Firms: Cleary (NYC), McDermott (Chi), Skadden (Chi)

Fire away please.

Skadden Chicago is full of really awesome people, and has none of the sweatshoppy feel of its' New York counterpart. Also, Chicago is a superior city; if you get to choose between NY and Chicago, unless you're a NY person, I should think that ought to be nearly decisive all on its' own. It looks like the far and away clear win to me.

Edited to add this article RE: McDermott. http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... used-to-be

These are both really helpful to know. One of the things worrying me about Skadden is being in a sweatshop and having my life fall apart from doing nothing but bill 3k hours a year.

[Anonymous User]

Following up.... Does anyone have any thoughts on foley Lardner and the non-Milwaukee offices. I would love to hear some insight on the firm. Thanks everyone!

[Anonymous User]

practice area: lit, banking/finance - TBD). dechert v. reed smith v. mayer brown. all ny.

When is your Reed Smith deadline?
I think I'm wait listed there and would appreciate any insight into when the first round of offers expires

[Anonymous User]

Bump

[Anonymous User]

Could anyone weigh in on Ropes & Gray? please? and thanks!

[rpupkin]

Could anyone weigh in on Ropes & Gray? please? and thanks!

On the plus side, the lawyers are truly fantastic, the firm offers humane big law treatment, and there is no face time requirement. On the negative side, there is a lack of transparency, unpredictable hours, and too much of a focus on Boston. In sum, Ropes and Gray is a Boston powerhouse with good work-life balance, but it's also pretentious and snobby.

[Anonymous User]

Would love some advice, please.

Weil v. White & Case NYC. Mostly interested in Lit. Possibly want to do antitrust or international arbitration, but I'm not gung-ho about anything really. I'd like to live overseas at some point, but not sure how much this should factor into my summer decision.

FWIW, I feel like I equally liked the people that I met with at both places.

Any insight is appreciated!

[Anonymous User]

Chicago for litigation:

Skadden v. Winston v. Ropes & Gray

Ropes is obviously the smaller office/smaller lit footprint in Chicago, but I really enjoy the people/vibe I got while there. I want it to be Ropes, but definitely feeling like Skadden and Winston carry more umph in Chicago.

Can you help me feel okay about choosing Ropes here, or should I go Skadden/Winston?

[Anonymous User]

Please help me pick my firm!

Picking between: Paul Weiss, Sidley Austin, Hughes Hubbard & Reed (all NY). Interested in international arbitration and anti-corruption/internal investigations.

Things that matter to me: (1) I *might* want to move back to Europe in the next 5 years or so, so some flexibility there would be great. (2) Strong international arbitration practice, ideally investor-state as well as just commercial.

PW has the name recognition and strong litigation group. HHR have a Paris office and allow summers to spend a few weeks there, and there are currently a lot of JDs in that office and it looks like there will likely be a need for some time. Sidley Austin seems chill.

Help?

[Anonymous User]

Chicago for litigation:

Skadden v. Winston v. Ropes & Gray

Ropes is obviously the smaller office/smaller lit footprint in Chicago, but I really enjoy the people/vibe I got while there. I want it to be Ropes, but definitely feeling like Skadden and Winston carry more umph in Chicago.

Can you help me feel okay about choosing Ropes here, or should I go Skadden/Winston?

I have two of these... plus Baker lit. Can I piggyback and add them?

[Anonymous User]

Trying to decide between Jones Day or White & Case in NYC. Preference is (1) regulatory work or (2) litigation. I'm interested in financial regulation, antitrust, white collar investigations or securities regulation/litigation.

In terms of exit options, hoping to eventually work for the federal government.

[Anonymous User]

Help me pick! Please and thank you.

All D.C. Interested in general litigation with, likely, exit to BigFed soon after.

Arnold & Porter, Skadden, or Jones Day.

[Anonymous User]

Chicago for litigation:

Skadden v. Winston v. Ropes & Gray

Ropes is obviously the smaller office/smaller lit footprint in Chicago, but I really enjoy the people/vibe I got while there. I want it to be Ropes, but definitely feeling like Skadden and Winston carry more umph in Chicago.

Can you help me feel okay about choosing Ropes here, or should I go Skadden/Winston?

I have two of these... plus Baker lit. Can I piggyback and add them?

For Lit I would go with Winston. If corporate I would go with Skadden, but if you like Skadden more than Winston no harm in picking that. I would not go with Ropes or Baker.

If you really love Ropes that much more, pick it. In Chicago it is just pretty far behind Winston, esp. in Lit. You won't get the same kind of cases that Winston and probably Skadden get.

[Anonymous User]

Help me pick! Please and thank you.

All D.C. Interested in general litigation with, likely, exit to BigFed soon after.

Arnold & Porter, Skadden, or Jones Day.

No reason to take lower pay to work with weirdos at Jones Day when you've got better options. And unless you have a compelling reason to do Skadden (prob not, if you're just targeting general lit, which is a pretty vague and directionless path anyway, but I digress), A&P probably wins the day.

[Joscellin]

Help me pick! Please and thank you.

All D.C. Interested in general litigation with, likely, exit to BigFed soon after.

Arnold & Porter, Skadden, or Jones Day.

I think I go A&P, here.

[Anonymous User]

Please help me pick my firm!

Picking between: Paul Weiss, Sidley Austin, Hughes Hubbard & Reed (all NY). Interested in international arbitration and anti-corruption/internal investigations.

Things that matter to me: (1) I *might* want to move back to Europe in the next 5 years or so, so some flexibility there would be great. (2) Strong international arbitration practice, ideally investor-state as well as just commercial.

PW has the name recognition and strong litigation group. HHR have a Paris office and allow summers to spend a few weeks there, and there are currently a lot of JDs in that office and it looks like there will likely be a need for some time. Sidley Austin seems chill.

Help?

Was in a similar situation minus Sidley Austin but with two other firms which I was deciding between, one being pretty specialized, so I reached out to several alumni I had networked with at various firms and they all had really great things to say about Paul Weiss, they weren't partners I reached out to for jobs but kinda like mentors to me so I respect their advice (just to clarify none of them have worked at PW but all said great things), HHR I heard good things about but I also heard you have a lot less say in what you get to specialize in considering the smaller size, in my opinion since big law is a pretty rough field you might as well go to the place that will allow you to practice what you love (or think you love)

[Anonymous User]

Please help me pick my firm!

Picking between: Paul Weiss, Sidley Austin, Hughes Hubbard & Reed (all NY). Interested in international arbitration and anti-corruption/internal investigations.

Things that matter to me: (1) I *might* want to move back to Europe in the next 5 years or so, so some flexibility there would be great. (2) Strong international arbitration practice, ideally investor-state as well as just commercial.

PW has the name recognition and strong litigation group. HHR have a Paris office and allow summers to spend a few weeks there, and there are currently a lot of JDs in that office and it looks like there will likely be a need for some time. Sidley Austin seems chill.

Help?

PW

[Anonymous User]

Help me pick! Please and thank you.

All D.C. Interested in general litigation with, likely, exit to BigFed soon after.

Arnold & Porter, Skadden, or Jones Day.

I'd decide between AP and JD

[Anonymous User]

Market(s): New York
Firms you are considering: Kaye Scholer, Norton Rose, Bryan Cave
Practice group interest: Transactional, not set but Corporate M&A, Capital Markets & Securities, Emerging Company Venture Capital

Thanks

[Anonymous User]

doesn't bryan cave pay below market? i would rule that out and decide between NR and Kaye. neither seem like big NY transactional firms though... go with Kaye since it's actually a NY firm? NR looks big and unwieldy to me and i wouldnt want to be in a satellite office of a McFirm.

[Anonymous User]

doesn't bryan cave pay below market? i would rule that out and decide between NR and Kaye. neither seem like big NY transactional firms though... go with Kaye since it's actually a NY firm? NR looks big and unwieldy to me and i wouldnt want to be in a satellite office of a McFirm.

Bryan Cave pays market, at least that's what I was told by some of their summers this past summer.

[Anonymous User]

Practice area: litigation; Region: NY; Firms: Clifford and Mintz. Any help would be much appreciated!

[Anonymous User]

Please help me pick my firm!

Picking between: Paul Weiss, Sidley Austin, Hughes Hubbard & Reed (all NY). Interested in international arbitration and anti-corruption/internal investigations.

Things that matter to me: (1) I *might* want to move back to Europe in the next 5 years or so, so some flexibility there would be great. (2) Strong international arbitration practice, ideally investor-state as well as just commercial.

PW has the name recognition and strong litigation group. HHR have a Paris office and allow summers to spend a few weeks there, and there are currently a lot of JDs in that office and it looks like there will likely be a need for some time. Sidley Austin seems chill.

Help?

Was in a similar situation minus Sidley Austin but with two other firms which I was deciding between, one being pretty specialized, so I reached out to several alumni I had networked with at various firms and they all had really great things to say about Paul Weiss, they weren't partners I reached out to for jobs but kinda like mentors to me so I respect their advice (just to clarify none of them have worked at PW but all said great things), HHR I heard good things about but I also heard you have a lot less say in what you get to specialize in considering the smaller size, in my opinion since big law is a pretty rough field you might as well go to the place that will allow you to practice what you love (or think you love)

Oh weird, I understood the opposite!

Think I'm going with HHR in the end - but I have until tomorrow so open to hearing more.

[Anonymous User]

Please help me pick my firm!

Picking between: Paul Weiss, Sidley Austin, Hughes Hubbard & Reed (all NY). Interested in international arbitration and anti-corruption/internal investigations.

Things that matter to me: (1) I *might* want to move back to Europe in the next 5 years or so, so some flexibility there would be great. (2) Strong international arbitration practice, ideally investor-state as well as just commercial.

PW has the name recognition and strong litigation group. HHR have a Paris office and allow summers to spend a few weeks there, and there are currently a lot of JDs in that office and it looks like there will likely be a need for some time. Sidley Austin seems chill.

Help?

Was in a similar situation minus Sidley Austin but with two other firms which I was deciding between, one being pretty specialized, so I reached out to several alumni I had networked with at various firms and they all had really great things to say about Paul Weiss, they weren't partners I reached out to for jobs but kinda like mentors to me so I respect their advice (just to clarify none of them have worked at PW but all said great things), HHR I heard good things about but I also heard you have a lot less say in what you get to specialize in considering the smaller size, in my opinion since big law is a pretty rough field you might as well go to the place that will allow you to practice what you love (or think you love)

Oh weird, I understood the opposite!

Think I'm going with HHR in the end - but I have until tomorrow so open to hearing more.

Were you part of super Saturday? And yeah its a tough decision picking a firm, but I also factored in things like exit opportunities and getting substantive experience early on. In all honesty your best bet is reaching out to an associate at each of your potential picks that graduated from your school within the last few years and asking their honest opinion. A friend of mine did that and so far his choice has seemed to work out well for him.