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Summer offers from Weil Gotshal in New York and Bracewell Giuliani in New York. Any advice on which to choose? Has anyone started out at a big office and then a moved to a smaller one that can shed some light on the true differences between them?

I go to school in Texas, looking to start in New York and settle in Austin after 2-4 years (I know, not exactly easy). BG is big in Texas, small in New York. Weil is big in New York, smaller in Texas.

Any advice? If so, thanks!

When did you get your Bracewell offer?

Anonymous User wrote:Summer offers from Weil Gotshal in New York and Bracewell Giuliani in New York. Any advice on which to choose? Has anyone started out at a big office and then a moved to a smaller one that can shed some light on the true differences between them?

I go to school in Texas, looking to start in New York and settle in Austin after 2-4 years (I know, not exactly easy). BG is big in Texas, small in New York. Weil is big in New York, smaller in Texas.

Any advice? If so, thanks!

congrats! I think the conventional wisdom would be to take Weil- the name will carry you. but if you are certain you want to go back to texas, I would imagine you would have an easier time transferring to BGs Texas offices. another consideration might be to take Weil and know that your exit options would be incredible with that name on your resume for any texas firm...

I'd go w/ Weil... incredible cache internationally. You could lateral to any firm in TX easily... w/ Bracewell, options would def. be more limited.

I'm a big fan of Weil. I'm surprised you feel they aren't big in Texas as I know the offices there are highly thought of by most people. I have been treated incredibly well by the partners there. They are really decent people. You will, however, work hard as I'm sure you know.

I know nothing about the other firm.

Anonymous User wrote:I'd go w/ Weil... incredible cache internationally. You could lateral to any firm in TX easily... w/ Bracewell, options would def. be more limited.

ehhh... Austin is a *very* tough market to break into. firms there probably have a higher applications/jobs ratio than virtually anywhere in the country right now. really desirable city with a pretty small legal market. also the homegrown firms--Graves Dougherty/McGinnis Lockridge/Jackson Walker/Brown McCarroll etc. etc.-- don't seem to be terribly impressed by out-of-towners with fancy credentials just based on clicking around their rosters. and my guess is that there are dozens of people at V&E/Fulbright/BB/AK Houston who are dying to get to Austin, so probably not too many external lateral hires at the big 3/big 7 either.

OP, do you have serious Austin ties?

justinp wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:I'd go w/ Weil... incredible cache internationally. You could lateral to any firm in TX easily... w/ Bracewell, options would def. be more limited.

ehhh... Austin is a *very* tough market to break into. firms there probably have a higher applications/jobs ratio than virtually anywhere in the country right now. really desirable city with a pretty small legal market. also the homegrown firms--Graves Dougherty/McGinnis Lockridge/Jackson Walker/Brown McCarroll etc. etc.-- don't seem to be terribly impressed by out-of-towners with fancy credentials just based on clicking around their rosters. and my guess is that there are dozens of people at V&E/Fulbright/BB/AK Houston who are dying to get to Austin, so probably not too many external lateral hires at the big 3/big 7 either.

OP, do you have serious Austin ties?

May be true about Austin... still think Weil gives a better shot than Bracewell, though.

justinp wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:I'd go w/ Weil... incredible cache internationally. You could lateral to any firm in TX easily... w/ Bracewell, options would def. be more limited.

ehhh... Austin is a *very* tough market to break into. firms there probably have a higher applications/jobs ratio than virtually anywhere in the country right now. really desirable city with a pretty small legal market. also the homegrown firms--Graves Dougherty/McGinnis Lockridge/Jackson Walker/Brown McCarroll etc. etc.-- don't seem to be terribly impressed by out-of-towners with fancy credentials just based on clicking around their rosters. and my guess is that there are dozens of people at V&E/Fulbright/BB/AK Houston who are dying to get to Austin, so probably not too many external lateral hires at the big 3/big 7 either.

OP, do you have serious Austin ties?

Yes, born and raised in Austin, UT undergrad, UT Law

Does that change your opinion at all? Bc I am really want to wind up here in the end.

Anonymous User wrote:

justinp wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:I'd go w/ Weil... incredible cache internationally. You could lateral to any firm in TX easily... w/ Bracewell, options would def. be more limited.

ehhh... Austin is a *very* tough market to break into. firms there probably have a higher applications/jobs ratio than virtually anywhere in the country right now. really desirable city with a pretty small legal market. also the homegrown firms--Graves Dougherty/McGinnis Lockridge/Jackson Walker/Brown McCarroll etc. etc.-- don't seem to be terribly impressed by out-of-towners with fancy credentials just based on clicking around their rosters. and my guess is that there are dozens of people at V&E/Fulbright/BB/AK Houston who are dying to get to Austin, so probably not too many external lateral hires at the big 3/big 7 either.

OP, do you have serious Austin ties?

Yes, born and raised in Austin, UT undergrad, UT Law

Does that change your opinion at all? Bc I am really want to wind up here in the end.

Junior associate @ Fulbright Austin here... go with Weil. Austin IS a tough legal market, but you will have a wider array of options to come back from there than from Bracewell. Bracewell doesn't stand out in Texas, and you will have to compete with Bracewell TX attorneys from other TX offices for a lateral move.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

justinp wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:I'd go w/ Weil... incredible cache internationally. You could lateral to any firm in TX easily... w/ Bracewell, options would def. be more limited.

ehhh... Austin is a *very* tough market to break into. firms there probably have a higher applications/jobs ratio than virtually anywhere in the country right now. really desirable city with a pretty small legal market. also the homegrown firms--Graves Dougherty/McGinnis Lockridge/Jackson Walker/Brown McCarroll etc. etc.-- don't seem to be terribly impressed by out-of-towners with fancy credentials just based on clicking around their rosters. and my guess is that there are dozens of people at V&E/Fulbright/BB/AK Houston who are dying to get to Austin, so probably not too many external lateral hires at the big 3/big 7 either.

OP, do you have serious Austin ties?

Yes, born and raised in Austin, UT undergrad, UT Law

Does that change your opinion at all? Bc I am really want to wind up here in the end.

Junior associate @ Fulbright Austin here... go with Weil. Austin IS a tough legal market, but you will have a wider array of options to come back from there than from Bracewell. Bracewell doesn't stand out in Texas, and you will have to compete with Bracewell TX attorneys from other TX offices for a lateral move.

+1

Weil

Weil

Anonymous User wrote:

justinp wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:I'd go w/ Weil... incredible cache internationally. You could lateral to any firm in TX easily... w/ Bracewell, options would def. be more limited.

ehhh... Austin is a *very* tough market to break into. firms there probably have a higher applications/jobs ratio than virtually anywhere in the country right now. really desirable city with a pretty small legal market. also the homegrown firms--Graves Dougherty/McGinnis Lockridge/Jackson Walker/Brown McCarroll etc. etc.-- don't seem to be terribly impressed by out-of-towners with fancy credentials just based on clicking around their rosters. and my guess is that there are dozens of people at V&E/Fulbright/BB/AK Houston who are dying to get to Austin, so probably not too many external lateral hires at the big 3/big 7 either.

OP, do you have serious Austin ties?

Yes, born and raised in Austin, UT undergrad, UT Law

Does that change your opinion at all? Bc I am really want to wind up here in the end.

I certainly didn't mean to imply that there was no chance or even an unfavorable chance, especially someone from Austin originally-- I was just responding to the guy who was saying 'yeah bro Weil will take you wherever you want to go.' Wasn't meant to be doom-and-gloomy. If you've got real ties and good practice experience in a field that Austin firms need, you'll be in a good place.

If I were you I'd probably go to Weil here, reasoning that a) the exit opps are better generally so if Austin doesn't work out you've got options, and b) it's a big enough presence in Texas that it'll be on people's radar in Austin as a high-quality shop. The Bracewell internal-transfer deal probably isn't something to gamble on.

And probably just start making calls to Austin a good long time ahead of when you're looking to go-- I bet there are a fair few Texas Law folks who did NY for a couple years then came back. I bet if you asked them to talk for fifteen minutes to help you figure out the lay of the land (as far as lateral hiring, who is busy and who is dead, etc) they'd be happy to, and you could wind up with a couple people in your corner. V valuable come the tme you actually want to make the move.

[/quote]I certainly didn't mean to imply that there was no chance or even an unfavorable chance, especially someone from Austin originally-- I was just responding to the guy who was saying 'yeah bro Weil will take you wherever you want to go.' Wasn't meant to be doom-and-gloomy. If you've got real ties and good practice experience in a field that Austin firms need, you'll be in a good place.

If I were you I'd probably go to Weil here, reasoning that a) the exit opps are better generally so if Austin doesn't work out you've got options, and b) it's a big enough presence in Texas that it'll be on people's radar in Austin as a high-quality shop. The Bracewell internal-transfer deal probably isn't something to gamble on.

And probably just start making calls to Austin a good long time ahead of when you're looking to go-- I bet there are a fair few Texas Law folks who did NY for a couple years then came back. I bet if you asked them to talk for fifteen minutes to help you figure out the lay of the land (as far as lateral hiring, who is busy and who is dead, etc) they'd be happy to, and you could wind up with a couple people in your corner. V valuable come the tme you actually want to make the move.[/quote]

Great, thanks for the advice. I've made my decision.