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Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2014 7:19 pm
by Anonymous User
I was idly browsing some topics and thought this description of LA Biglaw firms was pretty amusing and somewhat helpful
http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... &start=100
Would be very interested in seeing something like this for DC Firms (Wilmer, W & C, Covington, A & P and whatever other firms are in that category)
Re: Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2014 9:50 pm
by Anonymous User
Anonymous User wrote:I was idly browsing some topics and thought this description of LA Biglaw firms was pretty amusing and somewhat helpful
http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... &start=100
Would be very interested in seeing something like this for DC Firms (Wilmer, W & C, Covington, A & P and whatever other firms are in that category)
+1
Re: Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 10:28 am
by FSK
Anonymous User wrote:Anonymous User wrote:I was idly browsing some topics and thought this description of LA Biglaw firms was pretty amusing and somewhat helpful
http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... &start=100
Would be very interested in seeing something like this for DC Firms (Wilmer, W & C, Covington, A & P and whatever other firms are in that category)
+1
DC Firms, with Office Size per NALP, where 1/3 or more of the associates are in DC (i.e. didn't include Skadden, Latham, Sidley)
hogan lovells: 494
Arnold & Porter: 463
Steptoe & Johnson LLP: 321
Crowell & Moring LLP: 324
Covington & Burling LLP: 400
WilmerHale: 403
Williams & Connoly: 265
Akin Gump: 258
Finnegan Henderson: 242
venable llp: 229
Re: Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 11:25 am
by beepboopbeep
Anonymous User wrote:Anonymous User wrote:I was idly browsing some topics and thought this description of LA Biglaw firms was pretty amusing and somewhat helpful
http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... &start=100
Would be very interested in seeing something like this for DC Firms (Wilmer, W & C, Covington, A & P and whatever other firms are in that category)
+1
Re: Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 11:35 am
by Anonymous User
Can someone do a list of firms with top litigation practices? And the same for regulatory, corporate, and appellate? I know there's chambers but I've been told that it might not be completely accurate.
Re: Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 12:58 pm
by gk101
Anonymous User wrote:Can someone do a list of firms with top litigation practices? And the same for regulatory, corporate, and appellate? I know there's chambers but I've been told that it might not be completely accurate.
you want someone to survey DC lawyers/clients/whoever, compile all the information, and generate a list of top litigation, regulatory, corporate, and appellate practices?
Re: Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 1:09 pm
by FSK
gk101 wrote:Anonymous User wrote:Can someone do a list of firms with top litigation practices? And the same for regulatory, corporate, and appellate? I know there's chambers but I've been told that it might not be completely accurate.
you want someone to survey DC lawyers/clients/whoever, compile all the information, and generate a list of top litigation, regulatory, corporate, and appellate practices?
He dun wanna do the work.
Re: Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 2:54 pm
by gk101
flawschoolkid wrote:gk101 wrote:Anonymous User wrote:Can someone do a list of firms with top litigation practices? And the same for regulatory, corporate, and appellate? I know there's chambers but I've been told that it might not be completely accurate.
you want someone to survey DC lawyers/clients/whoever, compile all the information, and generate a list of top litigation, regulatory, corporate, and appellate practices?
He dun wanna do the work.
and what Chambers has already done isn't good enough for him (even though he won't explain why). You sir are destined to become a partner
Re: Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 3:01 pm
by jrthor10
Anonymous User wrote:Can someone do a list of firms with top litigation practices? And the same for regulatory, corporate, and appellate? I know there's chambers but I've been told that it might not be completely accurate.
Ignoring this guy (who wants his own personalized version of Chambers) it would be good to see any insights or firm reputations from current associates/partners in the DC area.
Re: Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 3:25 pm
by gk101
jrthor10 wrote:Anonymous User wrote:Can someone do a list of firms with top litigation practices? And the same for regulatory, corporate, and appellate? I know there's chambers but I've been told that it might not be completely accurate.
Ignoring this guy (who wants his own personalized version of Chambers) it would be good to see any insights or firm reputations from current associates/partners in the DC area.
I think Chambers does a really good job of providing the tiers for the various practice groups. As for firm reputations, I only know about IP generally and even that information is a lot of baseless hearsay (and it tracks very closely with Chambers).
Re: Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 4:48 pm
by rayiner
DC to a great degree comes down to what you want to do. If you want to do commercial lit, W&C and Boies are good choices. Kirkland, Baker Botts are good too. If you want regulatory, Covington, A&P, Hogan, and Wilmer should be on the list. Depending on what sort of regulatory work you want to do, you shouldn't ignore the smaller firms. If you want to do telecom work, for example, it'd be fine to take Wiley Rein over Covington.
The D.C. market is really big and diverse, it would help to list your specific interests. Otherwise, you're asking someone to write a treatise.
Re: Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 5:04 pm
by Anonymous User
OP:
My specific interests are litigation broadly. Unfortunately I'm not sure about much more than that. I have some interest in products liability, but I'm also interested in potential exits into government (DOJ, etc). More broadly, I guess I'm interested in which firms provide the most options going forward assuming you stay in litigation.
But I'm also interested in "firm cultures." Obviously this is very subjective and depends on who the person knows, bt if you hear one story from 10 people maybe you can start ascribing some validity to it.
Re: Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 5:20 pm
by Anonymous User
Anonymous User wrote:OP:
My specific interests are litigation broadly. Unfortunately I'm not sure about much more than that. I have some interest in products liability, but I'm also interested in potential exits into government (DOJ, etc). More broadly, I guess I'm interested in which firms provide the most options going forward assuming you stay in litigation.
But I'm also interested in "firm cultures." Obviously this is very subjective and depends on who the person knows, bt if you hear one story from 10 people maybe you can start ascribing some validity to it.
Sounds like you need to 1) Get stupid good grades from an excellent school 2) Clerk for an AIII judge or two 3) Go to the most prestigious firm you can. That seems to be the best advice when your goal is "Exit into DOJ, keep options open"
Re: Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 5:23 pm
by Anonymous User
Who are the best DC firms for financial institutions regulatory work? Or is it best just to head to NYC for anything having to do with banks?
Re: Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 5:31 pm
by Georgia Avenue
Anonymous User wrote:Who are the best DC firms for financial institutions regulatory work? Or is it best just to head to NYC for anything having to do with banks?
http://www.chambersandpartners.co.uk/12 ... _editorial
Re: Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 5:39 pm
by Anonymous User
What's the general perception of DC offices like Davis Polk and Paul Weiss?
Re: Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 5:43 pm
by FSK
Actual question that I'm not satisfied with the chambers: DC corporate practice that has the most tranferability to other markets? My thought is either Hogan or one of the V10 that have DC offices, but I don't know how to distinguish.
Re: Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 5:45 pm
by VulcanVulcanVulcan
The best option might be the DC office of the major NY firms.
Edit: accidental anon, sorry.
Re: Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 7:08 pm
by Anonymous User
There is clearly interest in this thread, and it has potential, but the questions may be too broad for anyone to answer.
To ask a more specific question: In the style of the Atlanta thread (
http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 3&t=156536), can any SAs, associates, or anyone in the know discuss the reputation / atmosphere of a particular firm? Would be useful to have a compilation of thoughts on the major firms.
Re: Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 10:25 pm
by nygrrrl
Hi All - this thread does look like it has potential, so I thought now would be a good time to remind everyone about the correct use of the Anon Feature (as some of the Anon posts so far really didn't need that protection.)
TLS Moderators wrote:The anonymous post feature is meant for serious, legal employment-related questions that could reveal something about the poster to future employers. This can include information about grades, where a person has interviewed/received job offers, and other information that might identify them to future employers. The anonymous feature is not meant to be used as a shield for voicing unpopular opinions, demeaning others, sock puppetry, or otherwise being a jerk.
Thank you, and carry on!
Re: Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 11:09 pm
by Yukos
To me all these firms just seem exactly the same (for lit) with varying level of prestige. It would be nice if some anons could distinguish them a little, but I understand that we're all asking for something impossible (recreating Chambers) or incredibly vague.
Re: Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2014 12:09 am
by Georgia Avenue
Yukos wrote:To me all these firms just seem exactly the same (for lit) with varying level of prestige. It would be nice if some anons could distinguish them a little, but I understand that we're all asking for something impossible (recreating Chambers) or incredibly vague.
a lot of DC firms specialize
some do general commercial lit (K&E, skadden, baker botts are some)
many specialize in things like securities lit (wilmer does a lot), FCPA (cadwalader), financial services (i think CGSH), mortgages and lending (buckley sandler, k&l gates)
it's hard to lay down a general rule since different firms might be really good in a specific area but not be much overall in general litigation in DC.
Re: Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2014 11:33 am
by bdubs
Georgia Avenue wrote:Yukos wrote:To me all these firms just seem exactly the same (for lit) with varying level of prestige. It would be nice if some anons could distinguish them a little, but I understand that we're all asking for something impossible (recreating Chambers) or incredibly vague.
a lot of DC firms specialize
some do general commercial lit (K&E, skadden, baker botts are some)
many specialize in things like securities lit (wilmer does a lot), FCPA (cadwalader), financial services (i think CGSH), mortgages and lending (buckley sandler, k&l gates)
it's hard to lay down a general rule since different firms might be really good in a specific area but not be much overall in general litigation in DC.
Agree with this. DC is a town that invites specialization more than say Chicago. There aren't as many generic F500 companies to be institutional clients, so the work is more focused.
If you are unsure of what you want to do, but sure you want to do it in DC, I would suggest trying to find a position in the largest offices (i.e. Wilmer, Covington, Skadden, Hogan, Sidley, A&P, Jones Day, Latham, etc.) since they will have the largest number of litigation specialities to choose from.
Re: Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2014 12:57 pm
by mt2165
0LS CAN'T POST HERE
Re: Insights on DC Firms?
Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2014 2:19 pm
by bdubs
mt2165 wrote:I apologize for my 0L-ness, but any idea of the selectivity of some of the lower ranked firmed in DC like Venable, Steptoe, etc, (I know that rankings mean less and less a you diverge from NYC and corporate) like will you still need absolutely stellar grades from a t-14?
Any firm with a small summer class will have some degree of selectivity even if they are lower ranked. I think DC also tends to be more grade selective in the same "range" of firm in other markets. So don't count too much on rankings in thinking it'll be easier to get a callback from median. But all that being said you have a much better shot at getting those firms to dip lower into the grade pool than you do to get a spot at one of the bigger, more highly selective firms.