Top Law Schools

Which is better? Like everyone, I'm most interested in the best balance between gaining excellent experience so I can have top exit options and firm stability/culture so that I'm not stealth-laid off in only 2 years.

Interested in corp work, with no specific preference.

I like Cahill's laid back culture and they pay above market bonuses. Looks like it will be capital markets work there.

Heard K&L is having financial difficulties. At the very least, they didn't have a 100% offer rate for their summers.

If chadborune, I'll probably do project finance since that's what they are very good at. I like the small firm feel but not sure if that, or any of these other firms, have enough of a difference on quality of life to make it worth it.

Don't know much about stroock. I haven't done CB yet, and might cancel it if no reason to pick above the others.

If you voted, please write your reasoning. I know the vault rankings.

11 votes and 200+ views, but no responses?

Had callbacks at Cahill and Strook. I think Cahill in general has a better reputation than the others (not that that's the end all be all) and it's really good at capital markets, like top few practices in the country. That said, I've heard there's isn't a ton else going on on the corporate side. There litigation practice is also pretty solid, notably their first amendment practice. If you think youd like capital markets or have no preference, I'd say Cahill. Strook seems like a good place to work but it isn't as prominent a firm and I never really got what their particular strengths were.

Anonymous User wrote:If you voted, please write your reasoning. I know the vault rankings.

Why have a poll?

If you have no idea what you want to do beyond "corporate," then I wouldn't go to K&L or Stroock. Chadbourne seems fine but would be better if you were interested in Projects. Cahill is mighty profitable but seems only strong in its markets practices (cap, equity, debt, LBOs, high yield bonds, whatever). Cahill is the strongest firm so without a practice area preference, I'd go there. I bet a fair number of Cahill associates exit to underwriters.

You have four fine firms, one of which (probably) pays more money. Not a thrilling discussion topic. This is one of the most lopsided I've ever seen on TLS during recruiting season.

Lopsided? What do you mean?

The 3 people who picked K&L, why? I know K&L is ranked higher, is it because they have a wider variety of transactional practices? I think I'm definitely not going to take it just because of their no-offers.

Was discouraged by all the people on TLS saying stuff like "I Stroock out." I get that this might just be facetiousness but if the firm is not known for doing anything particularly well, I feel like exit options won't be as good.

I voted Cahill. It seems like by corporate you mean any number of practices like cap markets, m&a, pe, etc. My understanding is that Cahill is really strong in capital markets. And their bonuses are above market. Seems like a great place to be if you think you might be interested in capital markets. I don't know if any of the other options have a "corporate" group as strong as Cahill's cap markets group. And from what I read on TLS K&L Gates no offered a fair number of people this year and in recent years. I would not go there if given the choice.

thesealocust wrote:You have four fine firms, one of which (probably) pays more money. Not a thrilling discussion topic. This is one of the most lopsided I've ever seen on TLS during recruiting season.

Do you really think K&L Gates is in good shape? All the info on ATL and TLS seems to suggest they are hemmoraging partners, no offering summers, and just in poor financial health.

I don't personally know if any of it is true, but I figured you might.

notgreat wrote:I voted Cahill. It seems like by corporate you mean any number of practices like cap markets, m&a, pe, etc. My understanding is that Cahill is really strong in capital markets. And their bonuses are above market. Seems like a great place to be if you think you might be interested in capital markets. I don't know if any of the other options have a "corporate" group as strong as Cahill's cap markets group. And from what I read on TLS K&L Gates no offered a fair number of people this year and in recent years. I would not go there if given the choice.

My understanding is that Cahill basically just does leveraged finance (as counsel to banks), both bank financings and high-yield debt, and very little else on the corp side. And they're definitely well-regarded for that niche, but they don't really have a diverse cap markets practice (they don't do IPOs, for example) or do other sorts of corporate work (M&A, bankruptcy, other kinds of financing deals, etc.). Not saying that as a positive or negative feature; just an FYI.

K&L Gates has been no-offering summers at a breakneck pace. So not them.

You would prolly regret the k and l gates for the rest of your life. For anyone who hasn't read the article about the California fault line about to San Andreas the west coast, k and l gates has a bleaker outlook.

Do some research. Cahill is the only choice you have here. Stroock and Chadbourne lack preftige. K&L? Just search K&L Gates and you will immediately read some stuff that will discourage you from choosing it.

Alright what about Chadbourne? I hear cahill is a 'prestigious sweatshop." Will QoL be better at chadbourne to make it worth it if I do project finance work?

Anonymous User wrote:Alright what about Chadbourne? I hear cahill is a 'prestigious sweatshop." Will QoL be better at chadbourne to make it worth it if I do project finance work?

If the polls were close, I'd see asking more Q's. Dude this is one of the most lopsided polls on tls. Just go to Cahill man

The odds of you finding a person on tls who has worked at both Cahill and chadbourne( particularly in the project finance section of the latter) who can speak truthfully on your Q is gonna be slim

I was an associate at Stroock for several years. For whatever reason, the firm has been hated upon in internet land, but it was a fine place to start a legal career, and my exit options were quite good. I don't know enough about the other firms to draw an informed opinion, but I think it's at least worth talking to Stroock and seeing if you like them.

Positives:
Generally positive atmosphere
Work life balance was as good as it gets in NYC big law
The work was interesting. Stroock doesn't get to headline $10 billion M&A deals, but they've worked their way into some interesting niches. Real estate and structured finance are strong points, as is insurance. In LA, entertainment is quite strong.
The firm is small enough that you get to know almost everyone
Office has phenomenal views and is in a much more quiet area than the midtown firms. Easy commute to Brooklyn (if you like brooklyn)- can save on rent.
Conservative management -firm is very unlikely to pull a Dewy

Negatives:
The firm has struggled to stand out among the crowd. It's been basically the same size for decades as other firms have grown.
Pays market, but actual percentage of associates getting market bonus is lower than at higher ranked firms (will vary from year to year)
Comparatively stingy on perks/SA stuff (though this wasn't a big deal for me)
Lower partner comp than higher profile firms (if you are really thinking about it for the long haul)
People often have not heard of the firm

THought I would update this for conclusion. Decided on Cahill. Thanks all! K&L sounds scary, and though stroock seemed like a fine place (heard everyone leaves by 7pm), decided I would have better exit options from Cahill.

You won't regret it! Congrats!