gdc (dc) / wh (dc) / mto (la) / khhtef Forum

[Anonymous User]

Strong preference for appellate work - would like to work at place where it is plentiful and not difficult to get, but also where I can get trial work experience alongside. Weak preference for smaller firms. Geographically neutral. Unlike the other three, Khhtef does not give offers at the end of its summer although it helps with full-time. Not sure how much to weigh that as I will be clerking for two years after law school. I'll be splitting so its a Panera Bread you pick two situation. What do you think would be the best pairing?

[Anonymous User]

I'm just a 2L, but during my interview with Wilmerhale (Not DC) the interviewer talked a lot about doing a lot of appellate work with the DC office. He said they have a ton of appellate work in DC. Vault says they rank #5 in appellate litigation, so that supports his assertions.

[Anonymous User]

I doubt summer work at khh helps with full time offers much if at all, but you will get interesting work as a summer. i might suggest mto & khh, but khh is the only firm i have any personal experience with (former summer).

one thing i do know is that khh is the firm you want to be at post-clerkship. summering there might be a good way to confirm that (it was for me).

[Anonymous User]

Summered at one of these last year. Also split. Had friends at two others.

I think the pairings are GDC/WH on one side and MTO/Kellogg on the other - just in the sense of bigger/smaller feel. I would pick one from each group. GDC imo has the strongest culture that you might react positively/negatively to. I would also probably include MTO in either pairing just to experience living in two different places over the summer - it's easy to say "geographically neutral" now and mean it, but can be different after spending some months in each place. I was neutral before the summer and now am not. If you've lived in both places or whatever, or are clerking in one/both, maybe not as important.

I wouldn't be comfortable with the MTO/KHH pairing just in terms of neither place being 100%, but you'll land on your feet either way given what you've got lined up now.

Honestly I don't think there's enough external/tangible differences that you can really make a super-duper clear decision toward or against any of them based on what you've expressed as interests. Go with your gut w/r/t culture, work, etc and see how the summer goes.

[First Offense]

Split, get a feel, clerk, then make a decision, and if you regret, go clerk again and then take a third bite at the apple.

That being said, if you're not doing a CoA clerkship, you won't be doing appellate at Gibson. Can't speak for the other firms though, but I have that on pretty solid authority.

[Anonymous User]

You can set up a GDC/MTO or Wilmer/MTO split (I've seen both of these, and many splits with other top DC and NY firms). I'd go for that, or if you are confident you want a smaller firm (which it doesn't seem you are), Kellogg/MTO.

Can you split Kellogg Huber and another DC firm? Usually firms do not permit splits within their own market, except for 1L SA touchbacks. I'm skeptical that the larger firms would go for a split with DC. So if you want to experience more than one firm, it'll be MTO/a DC firm.

As someone else alluded to, it won't really matter wrt appellate at this point because you wouldn't work in that group until after your COA clerkship anyway at the large firms.

[Anonymous User]

Above anon who summered at one - a friend in this year's class did the GDC/Kellogg split, so it is definitely possible. You're right on the general rule but that's an exception.