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Hello,

I was wondering what y'alls opinions were concerning these two Houston firms. I think international arbitration is interesting, but I'm still not sure whether I'd be corporate or litigation. Which would you choose, and why?

This is relevant to my interests and I don't mean to hijack but would also be interested in K&S versus BB, both Houston.

Anonymous User wrote:Hello,

I was wondering what y'alls opinions were concerning these two Houston firms. I think international arbitration is interesting, but I'm still not sure whether I'd be corporate or litigation. Which would you choose, and why?

V&E. I liked the people a lot more at V&E. Many of them were quite friendly, and didn't seem to think too much of themselves. I can't quite say the same about K&S.

Normally I would say go with the place where you liked the people better, but I guess I am curious -- why are you guys considering K&S over a Big3 in Houston? Neither of you have really given a compelling reason, especially if y'all aren't sure what you want to be doing.

Personally, although the K&S people were generally nice...they were not exactly the best fit for me.

Anonymous User wrote:Normally I would say go with the place where you liked the people better, but I guess I am curious -- why are you guys considering K&S over a Big3 in Houston? Neither of you have really given a compelling reason, especially if y'all aren't sure what you want to be doing.

Personally, although the K&S people were generally nice...they were not exactly the best fit for me.

I am not sure anyone here has expressed a preference (edit: 2 posts up--i stand corrected), and while Big3 prestige could be important (how i'm not too sure), I don't think it would make either of the three a default choice if given an offer.

but for one thing KnS is a third of the size, a bit heavier on the litigation side, and seem to do more work outside of big oil. Their international arbitration practice out of Houston is great, as is their latin american practice. Both these areas interest me and VnE has a presence in these areas. All those factors are harder to qualify given my uncertain interests. Aside from that, KnS has a second half split as far as i know. the people at both firms seemed nice; VnE seemed more diverse and NALP backs that up.

Also, I'm reluctant to base a decision where I'd spend my summer, possibly my career, from a sample of lawyers that represents about 6/100 for KnS, 10/300 for VnE. This concern probably applies more so to folks like me who asked to interview with various practice groups. I've found callbacks to be little more than a spoon feeding of conventional platitudes, even after I try to gently grill. Most professionals will not speak ill of other firms or their own. And i'm not really to sure how "fit" should be measured against other considerations, or what other considerations might be important--that's why I put the poll up.

Go with what you feel is your best fit, both in terms of personality and career goals. That said, I summered at one of the Big 3 in Houston and didn't know K&S had an office in Houston - much less a 100 attorney one - until I read this thread.

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