Latham NY v. Freshfields NY v. Shearman NY Forum

[Anonymous User]

Still waiting from a few other CBs that I'd take right away, but trying to gauge position as of now. Leaning strongly transactional (cap markets, M&A, PE). Thoughts?

[Anonymous User]

Had a very different set of interests but I think I'd lean towards Freshfields among these three. (Or at least would quickly winnow it down to Latham vs. Freshfields)

[Anonymous User]

My impression is that Freshfields NYC isn't nearly as strong domestically as the other two firms but they've been making a lot of recent lateral hires in an effort to expand their American presence. Would be a good place to go if you're definitely interested in doing international work. Otherwise the Latham brand name would take you much further in terms of exit ops. Others can probably speak to this better, though.

[parkslope]

http://www.chambersandpartners.com/1280 ... torial/5/1

Latham and Shearman have big NY preferences and are probably about as equally strong. Freshfields would only be a better choice if you wanted to work internationally and wanted to do international work. Latham and Shearman have int'l offices too, of course, but their home bases are in NY. Freshfields is probably the top firm in Europe.

[itbdvorm]

Seriously? This is Latham easy. Freshfields is a big bet on whether they can fill out their middle partner ranks (they have a bunch of very senior guys who I'm sure got lured with big guarantees), and Shearman is falling off the map (I literally never see them).

[Anonymous User]

^ Can you expand more on how Shearman is falling off the map? I have an offer from them amongst others and don't know how to measure these things. Explain like I'm 5.

[Anonymous User]

When did you have your CB/receive the Shearman offer?

[Roger Sterling]

When did you have your CB/receive the Shearman offer?

I had my CB on 8/6 and my offer on 8/7

[itbdvorm]

^ Can you expand more on how Shearman is falling off the map? I have an offer from them amongst others and don't know how to measure these things. Explain like I'm 5.

I just don't think they are as good a shop as they used to be. Folks are leaving and seems like the mid-level partnership is pretty light. Just not the presence their name once implied. Could totally be wrong here but I feel like they are a shrinking, not a rising, shop.

[jbagelboy]

^ Can you expand more on how Shearman is falling off the map? I have an offer from them amongst others and don't know how to measure these things. Explain like I'm 5.

I just don't think they are as good a shop as they used to be. Folks are leaving and seems like the mid-level partnership is pretty light. Just not the presence their name once implied. Could totally be wrong here but I feel like they are a shrinking, not a rising, shop.

I agree Shearman is not Latham caliber as a global firm anymore, I think that's a strong consensus

But in new york, is L&W really on par? They have a SoCal base and a strong presence in some secondaries but I rarely see them thrown around with other new york players

I'd probably do freshfields here since I see it providing the most sophisticated opportunities and I think their domestic expansion is sincere, and Latham has a history of sucker punching its associates and summers when the going gets rough

[5ky]

^ Can you expand more on how Shearman is falling off the map? I have an offer from them amongst others and don't know how to measure these things. Explain like I'm 5.

I just don't think they are as good a shop as they used to be. Folks are leaving and seems like the mid-level partnership is pretty light. Just not the presence their name once implied. Could totally be wrong here but I feel like they are a shrinking, not a rising, shop.

I agree Shearman is not Latham caliber as a global firm anymore, I think that's a strong consensus

But in new york, is L&W really on par? They have a SoCal base and a strong presence in some secondaries but I rarely see them thrown around with other new york players

I'd probably do freshfields here since I see it providing the most sophisticated opportunities and I think their domestic expansion is sincere, and Latham has a history of sucker punching its associates and summers when the going gets rough

yes, latham ny is very good. worked with them multiple times. my impression is pretty much in line with itbdvorm's.

[First Offense]

Real question - with Latham's boom/bust model and some warning signs for long-term continued economic growth (low oil, China shit, etc.) and bubbles potentially ready to burst (lol Student Loans)...

How concerned should a Latham associate be of being Latham'd again? I know they dealt with some flak the last time, but just a few short years later it seems all but forgotten when choosing a firm.

[J9ofDiamonds]

You would have to check freshfields and shearmans policies on hookers and blow before making a decision between the three

[jbagelboy]

^ Can you expand more on how Shearman is falling off the map? I have an offer from them amongst others and don't know how to measure these things. Explain like I'm 5.

I just don't think they are as good a shop as they used to be. Folks are leaving and seems like the mid-level partnership is pretty light. Just not the presence their name once implied. Could totally be wrong here but I feel like they are a shrinking, not a rising, shop.

I agree Shearman is not Latham caliber as a global firm anymore, I think that's a strong consensus

But in new york, is L&W really on par? They have a SoCal base and a strong presence in some secondaries but I rarely see them thrown around with other new york players

I'd probably do freshfields here since I see it providing the most sophisticated opportunities and I think their domestic expansion is sincere, and Latham has a history of sucker punching its associates and summers when the going gets rough

yes, latham ny is very good. worked with them multiple times. my impression is pretty much in line with itbdvorm's.

K
Then yea latham or freshfields

[itbdvorm]

^ Can you expand more on how Shearman is falling off the map? I have an offer from them amongst others and don't know how to measure these things. Explain like I'm 5.

I just don't think they are as good a shop as they used to be. Folks are leaving and seems like the mid-level partnership is pretty light. Just not the presence their name once implied. Could totally be wrong here but I feel like they are a shrinking, not a rising, shop.

I agree Shearman is not Latham caliber as a global firm anymore, I think that's a strong consensus

But in new york, is L&W really on par? They have a SoCal base and a strong presence in some secondaries but I rarely see them thrown around with other new york players

I'd probably do freshfields here since I see it providing the most sophisticated opportunities and I think their domestic expansion is sincere, and Latham has a history of sucker punching its associates and summers when the going gets rough

Thrown around by who? Other than big-ticket, public company M&A, L&W NY is on par with anyone. Their PE, cap markets, bank finance, etc. teams are all absolutely part of the elite top group in NYC. Public company M&A I don't think they are necessarily part of the inner circle (but then again, neither are those other two). So I think a pretty easy choice on that front

In terms of sucker punching, let me absolutely assure you that the only difference between what LW did and what everyone else did was a matter of PR. I know what we did vs. the PR we got. I honestly believe Latham was (a) trying to be "nice" to their associates by making it clearly economically based and (b) fundamentally wrong about how the rest of their peers would react. Anyone who honestly thinks that everyone other than elite boutiques (and yes, I count Wachtell as that - they are tiny) didn't lop off associates left and right is nuts.

[wons]

I disagree with what's being said in this thread. In my (reasonably extensive) experience, I'd put S&S and Latham on par in NYC, and I would go with the firm you like more, rather than chase rankings.

[JenDarby]

If you want to go to Switzerland and other cool places this summer, definitely pick Freshfields. Seriously though, my friend loved it there this summer.