Page 1 of 1

Kirkland chi v Sidley chi

Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2015 1:53 pm
by Anonymous User
Got offers from both and am thrilled. Really liked the people at both. Kirkland's open assignment i think is attractive because i am not sure exactly what i want to do except that I want to do transactional. I know that chances of becoming partner is near 0, so i am mostly interested in exit options after 3-4 years (if I manage to stick it out that long).

Is either one of these clearly a better choice? or is it all just gut feeling at this point?

Re: Kirkland chi v Sidley chi

Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2015 7:04 pm
by Anonymous User
i summered at KE (but won't be returning so I don't have any real interest in pushing you that way). The two firms are generally topic of the market in Chicago so congrats on both offers. The two firms lean different directions in the type of work they do, which will ultimately influence your exit options after 3-4 years. I'm not as knowledgable about Sidley but my sense is that they do much more public company work than KE does. Almost everything in KE corporate is fueled by its PE practice. So exit options generally revolve around the PE firms and funds and their portfolio companies, in addition to other law firms.

i have heard that each group at Sidley has its own billing requirement for market bonus. Heard that you need to bill 2200 in Sidley corporate to make market and that there's a sharp drop if your'e below that. Dunno how true that is but that's something you should take into consideration.

Re: Kirkland chi v Sidley chi

Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2015 8:01 pm
by Anonymous User
I had your same options and picked Kirkland. I haven't started there yet but I felt like the hours were gonna be similar so I just went with my gut in terms of the quality of work and people I interacted with. I actually found Sidley to be extremely pressuring when it came to accepting their offer and ended up liking the Kirkland people a little more. Just go with your preference I don't think you can go wrong.

Re: Kirkland chi v Sidley chi

Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 9:19 pm
by Anonymous User
Bump. Also having hard time making decision. Looking at transactional. Is the Difference in hours and work environment really that big?

Re: Kirkland chi v Sidley chi

Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 9:30 pm
by Anonymous User
I'm most sure what you want people on the Internet to tell you. Talk to associates at the two firms and ask about their work. Kirkland definitely does better transactional work, but not to an extent that makes choosing Sidley a bad choice.

I think divining any hours differences between the two is a huge flame. So you choice should come down to the people and the work you enjoy more.