Best place to split NYC/DC summer? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I'm still not sure where I want to end up after graduation, and I don't want to go to a big name NYC shop with some dinky DC satellite (or vice versa).

Not interested in litigation. Would be heavier focus on transactional while in NY and then regulatory down in DC (financial/securities reg or maybe something like antitrust).

I'm currently leaving towards Cleary, which I know allow summers to split between NY and DC. S&C also lets you split and is also a big player in the fin/sec reg space, though I don't think their DC office is that prominent. Any other thoughts? Maybe Skadden, Wilmerhale or Gibson Dunn as well?

[Anonymous User]

I did interviews/callbacks with most of the bigger DC firms and some NYC firms so I think I can provide some perspective. I didn't end up working at the firms you mention, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

Cleary DC does mostly antitrust with some litigation sprinkled in. So if you have a strong interest in antitrust I would pick them. Obviously their NY office has a very strong transactional practice. From my callback with Gibson DC, it didn't look like they had a ton of strong traditional DC regulatory practices (ie antitrust, environmental, FDA, communications) but it did seem like they have a good financial regulations practice. Their calling card in DC is primarily litigation.

No idea about S&C DC -- didn't interview with them.

Skadden has strong regulatory practices (antitrust, communications, environmental, etc.) almost across the board and their NYC office also has what you're looking for. Wilmer has really strong regulatory practices but I don't think their NYC office does a ton of high level transactional work. Wilmer probably has the most cache in DC amongst the firms you're looking at and the least cache in NYC.

Given your criteria, amongst the firms you mentioned, I think Cleary and Skadden are your best bets.

I'd also take a look at Covington (strong DC and NYC offices), Latham (along with Gibson, one of the strongest DC corporate practices and plenty of regulatory work), Kirkland, Jones Day, Akin Gump, and Ropes & Grey.

[dixiecupdrinking]

I did interviews/callbacks with most of the bigger DC firms and some NYC firms so I think I can provide some perspective. I didn't end up working at the firms you mention, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

Cleary DC does mostly antitrust with some litigation sprinkled in. So if you have a strong interest in antitrust I would pick them. Obviously their NY office has a very strong transactional practice. From my callback with Gibson DC, it didn't look like they had a ton of strong traditional DC regulatory practices (ie antitrust, environmental, FDA, communications) but it did seem like they have a good financial regulations practice. Their calling card in DC is primarily litigation.

No idea about S&C DC -- didn't interview with them.

Skadden has strong regulatory practices (antitrust, communications, environmental, etc.) almost across the board and their NYC office also has what you're looking for. Wilmer has really strong regulatory practices but I don't think their NYC office does a ton of high level transactional work. Wilmer probably has the most cache in DC amongst the firms you're looking at and the least cache in NYC.

Given your criteria, amongst the firms you mentioned, I think Cleary and Skadden are your best bets.

I'd also take a look at Covington (strong DC and NYC offices), Latham (along with Gibson, one of the strongest DC corporate practices and plenty of regulatory work), Kirkland, Jones Day, Akin Gump, and Ropes & Grey.

This seems right.

Honestly, I would just interview with every firm you can find with a sizable NYC and DC office. There aren't all that many. But the above captures most of the best candidates.

[Anonymous User]

I did interviews/callbacks with most of the bigger DC firms and some NYC firms so I think I can provide some perspective. I didn't end up working at the firms you mention, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

Cleary DC does mostly antitrust with some litigation sprinkled in. So if you have a strong interest in antitrust I would pick them. Obviously their NY office has a very strong transactional practice. From my callback with Gibson DC, it didn't look like they had a ton of strong traditional DC regulatory practices (ie antitrust, environmental, FDA, communications) but it did seem like they have a good financial regulations practice. Their calling card in DC is primarily litigation.

No idea about S&C DC -- didn't interview with them.

Skadden has strong regulatory practices (antitrust, communications, environmental, etc.) almost across the board and their NYC office also has what you're looking for. Wilmer has really strong regulatory practices but I don't think their NYC office does a ton of high level transactional work. Wilmer probably has the most cache in DC amongst the firms you're looking at and the least cache in NYC.

Given your criteria, amongst the firms you mentioned, I think Cleary and Skadden are your best bets.

I'd also take a look at Covington (strong DC and NYC offices), Latham (along with Gibson, one of the strongest DC corporate practices and plenty of regulatory work), Kirkland, Jones Day, Akin Gump, and Ropes & Grey.

Thanks, this is very helpful and exactly what I was looking for. If anyone else has experience or knowledge about whether the firms will let you split the summer and the process (offer at one then ask to split or interview separately at both), that would be helpful! I guess it's a tad late anyway to change my call back situation but I'd like to know.

[Anonymous User]

Skadden makes you do callbacks at both and the decisions are independent of one another.

[Nelson]

Why would you do this? I don't understand the benefit.

[tyabouzeid]

Shearman & Sterling allows people to split. They have approx. 50 attorneys in DC office. Decent amount of securities/financial services work as well as influential antitrust group in DC. Tax is huge in DC, too, if that interests you (more tax attorneys in DC than anywhere else firm-wide).

[Anonymous User]

Why would you do this? I don't understand the benefit.

OP here. There really is no career benefit, I know. It's more that my personal circumstances in 2 years may require me to be in either DC or NYC, so I'm trying to keep some sort of flexibility and punt the decision back a year.

Perhaps maybe its best to just pick one and hope that if I need to they'll let me start full time in the other office?

[Anonymous User]

I did interviews/callbacks with most of the bigger DC firms and some NYC firms so I think I can provide some perspective. I didn't end up working at the firms you mention, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

Cleary DC does mostly antitrust with some litigation sprinkled in. So if you have a strong interest in antitrust I would pick them. Obviously their NY office has a very strong transactional practice. From my callback with Gibson DC, it didn't look like they had a ton of strong traditional DC regulatory practices (ie antitrust, environmental, FDA, communications) but it did seem like they have a good financial regulations practice. Their calling card in DC is primarily litigation.

No idea about S&C DC -- didn't interview with them.

Skadden has strong regulatory practices (antitrust, communications, environmental, etc.) almost across the board and their NYC office also has what you're looking for. Wilmer has really strong regulatory practices but I don't think their NYC office does a ton of high level transactional work. Wilmer probably has the most cache in DC amongst the firms you're looking at and the least cache in NYC.

Given your criteria, amongst the firms you mentioned, I think Cleary and Skadden are your best bets.

I'd also take a look at Covington (strong DC and NYC offices), Latham (along with Gibson, one of the strongest DC corporate practices and plenty of regulatory work), Kirkland, Jones Day, Akin Gump, and Ropes & Grey.

Thanks, this is very helpful and exactly what I was looking for. If anyone else has experience or knowledge about whether the firms will let you split the summer and the process (offer at one then ask to split or interview separately at both), that would be helpful! I guess it's a tad late anyway to change my call back situation but I'd like to know.

If you have an offer in the D.C. office, Covington will usually let you do 7 weeks in D.C. + 5 in NYC. Only second-hand, but I'm pretty sure S&C is the same, but reversed, for people with NYC offers.

[Anonymous User]

Covington did quite a bit of splitting this year of folks in the DC office - I think at least a few went to NY for the second half.

[Anonymous User]

This may not be precisely on point, but I was extremely impressed with Wilmer in both NY and DC. I definitely think it's somewhat underrated. Then again, I might feel differently if I was a transactional attorney: the appellate litigation groups draw the greatest talent there.

[bdubs]

Not interested in litigation. Would be heavier focus on transactional while in NY and then regulatory down in DC (financial/securities reg or maybe something like antitrust).

Do you know what regulatory work is like? It has a lot of similarities with litigation and a lot less in common with corporate (at least what I've seen).

DC is also not a great place for corporate work either. If you might need to be in DC in a few years you're better off starting in NYC with a firm that has a decent DC office corporate practice and then transferring later.

Firms that are strong in both NYC and the limited corporate work that DC has are: Latham, Skadden, and Kirkland. Cleary and Covington are good second choices.