London Magi Circle Forum

[Mal Reynolds]

do magi circle firms give good gifts?

You're the best.

[rilakkuma_nyc]

I'm at US firm in London right now, and I used to work at a Magic Circle. The following COLA information might be useful:

Freshfields: £25,000 (GBP)
Linklaters: $60,000
Cravath: $109,000
Latham: $100,000
Simpson: $66,000
Kirkland: $100,000

Out of the above, I would recommend Latham. They have one of the top reputations in the market, have a huge team (60+ US/JD lawyers, 200+ lawyers total in London) and bill less than Cravath and Kirkland. Also, if you work for a US firm over here, you will probably focus on high-yield debt work. High yield is especially grueling compared to other corporate work (most associates at US firms in London bill 2,200 hours to 3,000 hours (Cravath and Kirkland seriously have you billing near 3,000 hours) per year). If you go to a magic circle (except for Links), you will probably also get to do more equity and investment-grade debt deals. Your hours are also generally lower at magic circles (many colleagues did 1,600 - 1,800 hours per year for 6-7 years consistently) and you can make a long-term career at those firms. Firms like Cravath, Latham and Kirkland will grind you up and spit you out after 2-3 years.

Can anyone tell me a little more about Ropes & Gray London? They seem to be expanding fairly quickly.

[TheNavigator]

I'm at US firm in London right now, and I used to work at a Magic Circle. The following COLA information might be useful:

Freshfields: £25,000 (GBP)
Linklaters: $60,000
Cravath: $109,000
Latham: $100,000
Simpson: $66,000
Kirkland: $100,000

Out of the above, I would recommend Latham. They have one of the top reputations in the market, have a huge team (60+ US/JD lawyers, 200+ lawyers total in London) and bill less than Cravath and Kirkland. Also, if you work for a US firm over here, you will probably focus on high-yield debt work. High yield is especially grueling compared to other corporate work (most associates at US firms in London bill 2,200 hours to 3,000 hours (Cravath and Kirkland seriously have you billing near 3,000 hours) per year). If you go to a magic circle (except for Links), you will probably also get to do more equity and investment-grade debt deals. Your hours are also generally lower at magic circles (many colleagues did 1,600 - 1,800 hours per year for 6-7 years consistently) and you can make a long-term career at those firms. Firms like Cravath, Latham and Kirkland will grind you up and spit you out after 2-3 years.

Can anyone tell me a little more about Ropes & Gray London? They seem to be expanding fairly quickly.

I would also be interested in knowing about Rope’s London presence.