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Am I allowed to think I'm more prestigious if I decide to work in the actual London HQ of Magic Circle which are top 5, instead of the NY outpost which are generally V50.

I'm a U.S. JD

I mean do the vault rankings even apply in this situation?

No you're not. Stop that right now.

The English basically invented prestige - ignore the poster above and live life knowing that you're better than the history-less commoners in the new world.

Anonymous User wrote:Am I allowed to think I'm more prestigious because I'm working in the actual London HQ of Magic Circle which are top 5, instead of the NY outpost which are generally V50.

I'm a U.S. JD

I mean do the vault rankings even apply in this situation?

Yes, you are allowed to think whatever you want.

Lol@ this jumped-up colonial. Just lol.

..... Deleted

What are you asking? You do know different firms have different specialties right? What are your goals? What type of law do you want to practice? What is important to you as far as firm fit? Prestige differs depending on who you ask. Your question just sounds really stupid.

I interned and got a return offer at a MC firm in London during my undergrad in England. I am now JD in US.

Generally shorter hours, but also less pay (£65k for first year associates). The culture is generally less competitive.

Not sure what the career path is for a US JD though. For English undergrad, it is undergrad law degree + half-one year legal practice course (fully sponsored by law firm) + two year paid training contract at firm (£40k first year, £45k second year) and then qualify to practice in england and become full associate.

Don't commit yourself to a Magi Circle, dude. The Templars are dicks and I guarantee you will wind up with a lyrium sword sticking outta your ass, if the blood magic doesn't get to you first.

unc0mm0n1 wrote:What are you asking? You do know different firms have different specialties right? What are your goals? What type of law do you want to practice? What is important to you as far as firm fit? Prestige differs depending on who you ask. Your question just sounds really stupid.

RANKINGs!!!!!
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Anonymous User wrote:I interned and got a return offer at a MC firm in London during my undergrad in England. I am now JD in US.

Generally shorter hours, but also less pay (£65k for first year associates). The culture is generally less competitive.

Not sure what the career path is for a US JD though. For English undergrad, it is undergrad law degree + half-one year legal practice course (fully sponsored by law firm) + two year paid training contract at firm (£40k first year, £45k second year) and then qualify to practice in england and become full associate.

I will further say that English firms are probably more international-oriented because of the limited size of English market. But from my internship experiences at two MC firms, U.S. market is NOT what they are focusing on, because of the competitive nature of U.S. market. They are more interested in Middle East, East Asia, etc for future development.

Don't US JD's in London only do Capital Markets work too? Rotating through a US' international office in London with a cost of living adjustment is probably the best way to go. Less prestige, of course, but it's not like you were going to be hanging at at Wimbledon + drinking port at the Oxford & Cambridge club anyways.

ymmv wrote:Don't commit yourself to a Magi Circle, dude. The Templars are dicks and I guarantee you will wind up with a lyrium sword sticking outta your ass, if the blood magic doesn't get to you first.

But I'm a mage bro

do magi circle firms give good gifts?

this kind of insufferable non-topic garbage should be lounged

cookiejar1 wrote:Don't US JD's in London only do Capital Markets work too? Rotating through a US' international office in London with a cost of living adjustment is probably the best way to go. Less prestige, of course, but it's not like you were going to be hanging at at Wimbledon + drinking port at the Oxford & Cambridge club anyways.

A lot of firms do capital markets but that is not the only thing US firms do. As for the guy quoting the 65K pounds salary, that is for English lawyers. US JDs make the equivalent of 160K plus a cost of living adjustment that varies by firm but is normally between 30-60K extra a year.

jbagelboy wrote:this kind of insufferable non-topic garbage should be lounged

Correct. I have no idea why I'm actually trying to answer questions for the OP, this is clearly a flame.

unc0mm0n1 wrote:

jbagelboy wrote:this kind of insufferable non-topic garbage should be lounged

Correct. I have no idea why I'm actually trying to answer questions for the OP, this is clearly a flame.

I'm actually only half flaming. I've looked around for London info on tls, but the topics don't really have to do with rankings or position of the main UK hq. Vault only ranks magic circle "us" which is fine, and name brand shouldnt matter but all being equal for the sake of resume power, exit options, low self esteem and need for external validation, etc. Id like to know how working for the "real" firm compares to their vault rankings of us branches.

This is also to make an informed decision because again, the atl reviews and vault buzz that give insight into firm culture only apply to the AmerIcan practice.

If anyone has any knowledge of how UK magic circle are ranked in comparison with each other, exit options for a JD doing capital markets in London vs from the same firms nyc office, how hard do london JDs work in capital markets compared to other London solicitors or nyc; it would be nice to know.

I would hope this can turn into a large thread of valuable info for anyone thinking magic circle London in particular, instead of big law London. The opening question is half serious to me but also meant to be tongue in cheek and get some traction on the topic.

Anonymous User wrote:

unc0mm0n1 wrote:

jbagelboy wrote:this kind of insufferable non-topic garbage should be lounged

Correct. I have no idea why I'm actually trying to answer questions for the OP, this is clearly a flame.

I'm actually only half flaming. I've looked around for London info on tls, but the topics don't really have to do with rankings or position of the main UK hq. Vault only ranks magic circle "us" which is fine, and name brand shouldnt matter but all being equal for the sake of resume power, exit options, low self esteem and need for external validation, etc. Id like to know how working for the "real" firm compares to their vault rankings of us branches.

This is also to make an informed decision because again, the atl reviews and vault buzz that give insight into firm culture only apply to the AmerIcan practice.

If anyone has any knowledge of how UK magic circle are ranked in comparison with each other, exit options for a JD doing capital markets in London vs from the same firms nyc office, how hard do london JDs work in capital markets compared to other London solicitors or nyc; it would be nice to know.

I would hope this can turn into a large thread of valuable info for anyone thinking magic circle London in particular, instead of big law London. The opening question is half serious to me but also meant to be tongue in cheek and get some traction on the topic.

yea, that's not what your OP asked, sorry.

jbagelboy wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

unc0mm0n1 wrote:

jbagelboy wrote:this kind of insufferable non-topic garbage should be lounged

Correct. I have no idea why I'm actually trying to answer questions for the OP, this is clearly a flame.

I'm actually only half flaming. I've looked around for London info on tls, but the topics don't really have to do with rankings or position of the main UK hq. Vault only ranks magic circle "us" which is fine, and name brand shouldnt matter but all being equal for the sake of resume power, exit options, low self esteem and need for external validation, etc. Id like to know how working for the "real" firm compares to their vault rankings of us branches.

This is also to make an informed decision because again, the atl reviews and vault buzz that give insight into firm culture only apply to the AmerIcan practice.

If anyone has any knowledge of how UK magic circle are ranked in comparison with each other, exit options for a JD doing capital markets in London vs from the same firms nyc office, how hard do london JDs work in capital markets compared to other London solicitors or nyc; it would be nice to know.

I would hope this can turn into a large thread of valuable info for anyone thinking magic circle London in particular, instead of big law London. The opening question is half serious to me but also meant to be tongue in cheek and get some traction on the topic.

yea, that's not what your OP asked, sorry.

No I'm sorry baby, I never wanted to disappoint you.

Anonymous User wrote: If anyone has any knowledge of how UK magic circle are ranked in comparison with each other, exit options for a JD doing capital markets in London vs from the same firms nyc office, how hard do london JDs work in capital markets compared to other London solicitors or nyc; it would be nice to know.

I suppose I can bite on this.

slaughter and may is probably the most respected firm in the UK (and the most lucrative for partners), but they don't recruit much from U.S. law schools. Freshfields is the oldest, most profitable overall, and probably the most prestigious of the MC worldwide but not necessarily in the City. Allen & Overy follows Freshfields pretty closely, with Linklaters and clifford chance bringing up the rear. While Linklaters and clifford chance are larger firms than the other three and might have more international reach, there's a perception they are somewhat bloated and less "prestigious," especially CC, which is a more recent player and expanded rapidly over the past few decades. The U.S. offices of both these last two are also less selective.

What determines if a firm is part of the "Magic Circle"? Does it fluctuate like the Vault rankings or is there a specific list of firms?

bearsfan23 wrote:What determines if a firm is part of the "Magic Circle"? Does it fluctuate like the Vault rankings or is there a specific list of firms?

there are five firms that have been in the magic circle for a while. they include the five I discussed in my previous post. its a far less fickle designation than US News or Vault

Slaughters is largely a corporate firm, and does not like huge banking clients. They also pride themselves on Not having an international strategy. Think of wachtell.

All the others are full service international firms. Linklaters and Freshfields are stronger in corporate, and A&O and CC are stronger in banking and capital markets.

do they pay MARKET SLAUGHTERING bonuses?