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Options in NY are Cravath, DPW, STB...
DC is Hogan or Sidley

All things equal, I'd have a slight preference to live in DC for the quality of life and the fact that the equal pay goes further in the DC market. But this is only a slight preference (and probably offset some since DC bonuses are smaller), so really all options are on the table. And I'm not sure I'd be tied to either of them long term. My biggest concern is making the choice that best sets me up for a long-term career, so I'm looking at exit opportunities and what I can expect if I don't stick with the firm past the associate level. You always hear "exit options are great at all these places" but what does that really mean? Can they really be equal across the board?

If I go into Lit, how would the exit opportunities change between these choices? Is there a clear advantage to the NY options, and if so, how? (I realize DC may open up more government jobs, though I'm sure the NY firms would do similarly in that regard. I'm looking for something a little deeper, if anyone knows.) Thanks

I'd choose sidley dc

Go with the city you prefer. Hogan is one of the best in DC and a real DC firm, Sidley is also great but it's an outpost. Based on what you've written, I'd go with Hogan - they have highly respect practices and lots of them, and since you don't seem to know what you want to do that would work well.

Exit option strength really isn't ordinal. If you want to work at a bank, you'd be an idiot to pick Hogan or Sidley over CSM/DPW/STB. If you want to work in government, obviously there are reasons starting in DC would make sense even though it would hardly be possible from NYC.

Unfortunately, it all boils down to what you want to do, and the ability to "keep options open" both diminishes and becomes less valuable over time. You will specialize and develop skills, and those will matter SUBSTANTIALLY more than the names and ampersands on your resume. To the extent exit options from the great corporate NYC firms are strong, its because there associates get great substantive experience, you know?

And corporate vs. lit is night and day in terms of your world. Lit boutiques are legion, corporate boutiques barely exist. There are substantially more litigators at large firms, but 2/3 of inhouse attorneys come from corporate backgrounds. etc.

All those firms are great, so it's probably really O.K. to just pick the city you prefer, which sounds like DC (although I'm not sure I'd put too much weight on "equal pay [going] further" - DC is also expensive, and in either city you'll make choices and tradeoffs and budgets, so you should really only go to DC if you like it more as a city and not because you think you'll wind up materially richer as a consequence or something)

Great options. I think this is splitting hairs. All of these firms would probably have great exit options for litigation. The key is which firms will give you the most experience and responsibility early on.

Are there really people who will toss your resume b/c you worked at Sidley or Hogan for someone who worked at Cravath, STB, and DPW?

Hogan. NYC biglaw is like a trail of tears.

jarofsoup wrote:Great options. I think this is splitting hairs. All of these firms would probably have great exit options for litigation. The key is which firms will give you the most experience and responsibility early on.

Are there really people who will toss your resume b/c you worked at Sidley or Hogan for someone who worked at Cravath, STB, and DPW?

Absolutely - and also vice versa. Things get very local very quickly; it's not like law school where X can be "always" better regarded than Y. Within the group of extremely well regarded employers, your experience and connections are what matters, not Vault surveys or anything dumb like that.

thesealocust wrote:

jarofsoup wrote:Great options. I think this is splitting hairs. All of these firms would probably have great exit options for litigation. The key is which firms will give you the most experience and responsibility early on.

Are there really people who will toss your resume b/c you worked at Sidley or Hogan for someone who worked at Cravath, STB, and DPW?

Absolutely - and also vice versa. Things get very local very quickly; it's not like law school where X can be "always" better regarded than Y. Within the group of extremely well regarded employers, your experience and connections are what matters, not Vault surveys or anything dumb like that.

So, basically, once you get in the big law door, you can actually make a difference by boostrapping it?

flawschoolkid wrote:So, basically, once you get in the big law door, you can actually make a difference by boostrapping it?

I'm not sure what you're asking?

If you mean "will your career be impacted by what you do, how good you are, and who you meet?" then the answer is... yes?

thesealocust wrote:

jarofsoup wrote:Great options. I think this is splitting hairs. All of these firms would probably have great exit options for litigation. The key is which firms will give you the most experience and responsibility early on.

Are there really people who will toss your resume b/c you worked at Sidley or Hogan for someone who worked at Cravath, STB, and DPW?

Absolutely - and also vice versa. Things get very local very quickly; it's not like law school where X can be "always" better regarded than Y. Within the group of extremely well regarded employers, your experience and connections are what matters, not Vault surveys or anything dumb like that.

Yep. OP: If you would prefer to be in DC then go with Sidley or Hogan. Between those two, Hogan is probably a better choice, but there's nothing wrong with choosing Sidley if you liked the people better there or if Sidley has a strong practice group in your area of interest.