Skadden v. DPW v. Kirkland Ellis Forum

[Anonymous User]

Hello everyone. Would like to hear everyones thoughts on which firm to choose for 2L summer. All NY offices.

Generally interested in Corporate/M&A

Thank you!

[Anonymous User]

How is this even a question?

[deepseapartners]

Really seems too personal to ask this forum. All these firms are well regarded, all of them will ruin whatever semblance of a personal life you wanted to try and maintain after graduation, and all of them have top notch corporate practices.

If you are legitimately M&A or bust, I would say Skadden, but how can you possibly know that as a rising 2L?

[Anonymous User]

How is this even a question?

Care to elaborate?

[Anonymous User]

Really seems too personal to ask this forum. All these firms are well regarded, all of them will ruin whatever semblance of a personal life you wanted to try and maintain after graduation, and all of them have top notch corporate practices.

If you are legitimately M&A or bust, I would say Skadden, but how can you possibly know that as a rising 2L?

You're correct. I don't. I have no idea, but if I had to pick something, it would be M&A. I want to do transactional work--again--I think. Is this really as simple as fit?

I am leaning hard towards DPW. Also, not M&A or bust, just what I think I might want to do.

[Anonymous User]

How is this even a question?

Care to elaborate?

One of these firms is not like the others.

[Anonymous User]

How is this even a question?

Care to elaborate?

One of these firms is not like the others.

K&E? Hot? Cold? Can you just explain . . . seriously, I wouldn't be asking this question if I knew what you knew...

[Anonymous User]

Do DPW. Generally nice people. You will still work every second of your life.

[Anonymous User]

Do DPW. Generally nice people. You will still work every second of your life.

Did summer at K&E NY and they generally have nice people as well. It will also depend on your specific corporate practice group. The main ones are: M&A, Debt Finance, Capital Markets, and Investment Funds. Also K&E does quite a bit of private M&A. But completely agree that you will work insane hours at any of these firms. K&E is very hard core about its free assignment system and I know this has been said so many times and it is TRUE - that only certain people thrive in this particular environment. The flip side is that it does give you more control of your career and the work you do. I think it gets a little bit of a bad rep for being intense and cutthroat, but it really isn't. You have intense people, but you'll have intense people at any of the top firms. Since you get to choose whether you pick up an assignment, to a certain degree it's as intense as you want it to be.

I think when it comes down to it, just do second looks. Talk to as many people as you can, especially in the practice areas you think you're interested in.

[deepseapartners]

Really seems too personal to ask this forum. All these firms are well regarded, all of them will ruin whatever semblance of a personal life you wanted to try and maintain after graduation, and all of them have top notch corporate practices.

If you are legitimately M&A or bust, I would say Skadden, but how can you possibly know that as a rising 2L?

You're correct. I don't. I have no idea, but if I had to pick something, it would be M&A. I want to do transactional work--again--I think. Is this really as simple as fit?

I am leaning hard towards DPW. Also, not M&A or bust, just what I think I might want to do.

I would choose DPW if I were you, based on what you have said above, but that's me, and you should really do second looks at all three firms. It may really be as simple as fit.

[Anonymous User]

How is this even a question?

Care to elaborate?

One of these firms is not like the others.

K&E? Hot? Cold? Can you just explain . . . seriously, I wouldn't be asking this question if I knew what you knew...

If you wanted answers to the question, you wouldn't be anonymous. No one can post worthy scuttlebutt on a public forum!

[Anonymous User]

Barring other information you haven't given us, this should be between Davis and Skadden. Kirkland is a great firm, and if you like its assignment system or are specifically interested in private equity, I can see a strong argument for going there. Otherwise, it's just not quite in the same category as the other two firms you listed.

Skadden and Davis are truly peer firms with top-tier groups virtually across their entire practice areas in corporate. They also have little in common other than that they both work you hard and are large firms. There's definitely a difference in culture, so you should be able to figure that out on a second look.

[ruski]

Barring other information you haven't given us, this should be between Davis and Skadden. Kirkland is a great firm, and if you like its assignment system or are specifically interested in private equity, I can see a strong argument for going there. Otherwise, it's just not quite in the same category as the other two firms you listed.

Skadden and Davis are truly peer firms with top-tier groups virtually across their entire practice areas in corporate. They also have little in common other than that they both work you hard and are large firms. There's definitely a difference in culture, so you should be able to figure that out on a second look.

what he is trying to say is that skadden is for frat bros, davis polk is for fake nice/passive aggressive people, and k&e is for people who couldn't get offers at the first two. surprised it took this long in the thread to get here.

[Anonymous User]

Barring other information you haven't given us, this should be between Davis and Skadden. Kirkland is a great firm, and if you like its assignment system or are specifically interested in private equity, I can see a strong argument for going there. Otherwise, it's just not quite in the same category as the other two firms you listed.

Skadden and Davis are truly peer firms with top-tier groups virtually across their entire practice areas in corporate. They also have little in common other than that they both work you hard and are large firms. There's definitely a difference in culture, so you should be able to figure that out on a second look.

what he is trying to say is that skadden is for frat bros, davis polk is for fake nice/passive aggressive people, and k&e is for people who couldn't get offers at the first two. surprised it took this long in the thread to get here.

lol this. Also, outside of this whole peer firm thing, K&E is truly a weird place IMO. I've interviewed there twice and was invited by a friend to a summer associate event and felt like I was in a different world. It's like they gathered this one type of kid from your law school and stuck them all in the same firm. Skadden's a bit like that too but K&E is truly a cut above.

OP, if you think you might really want M&A I would do Skadden, if not DPW. But if you were in a frat in UG, maybe Skadden.

[Anonymous User]

As someone who was a summer at one of Skadden/Davis and had an offer at the other, I think the broad generalizations are mostly correct re: culture, though with both being so big, you'll find all types at both. There are definitely nice/polite/passive aggressive people at Skadden and definitely fratty partiers at Davis Polk. You can find your niche at either firm.

[Anonymous User]

Barring other information you haven't given us, this should be between Davis and Skadden. Kirkland is a great firm, and if you like its assignment system or are specifically interested in private equity, I can see a strong argument for going there. Otherwise, it's just not quite in the same category as the other two firms you listed.

Skadden and Davis are truly peer firms with top-tier groups virtually across their entire practice areas in corporate. They also have little in common other than that they both work you hard and are large firms. There's definitely a difference in culture, so you should be able to figure that out on a second look.

what he is trying to say is that skadden is for frat bros, davis polk is for fake nice/passive aggressive people, and k&e is for people who couldn't get offers at the first two. surprised it took this long in the thread to get here.

lol this. Also, outside of this whole peer firm thing, K&E is truly a weird place IMO. I've interviewed there twice and was invited by a friend to a summer associate event and felt like I was in a different world. It's like they gathered this one type of kid from your law school and stuck them all in the same firm. Skadden's a bit like that too but K&E is truly a cut above.

OP, if you think you might really want M&A I would do Skadden, if not DPW. But if you were in a frat in UG, maybe Skadden.

[Kirkland summer here] Not true. It's pretty diverse at K&E, and like I said before, it varies by practice groups even in Corp. Some may have slightly more "fratty" people, but other groups are completely different. Regardless you'll have the outgoing types, but there are also the introverts in each. What is the same is everyone is hard working. And it may be that K&E is for people who couldn't get offers at the first two, but no one can really say we make any less than Skadden or DPW or that we have inferior exit options.

[Anonymous User]

Barring other information you haven't given us, this should be between Davis and Skadden. Kirkland is a great firm, and if you like its assignment system or are specifically interested in private equity, I can see a strong argument for going there. Otherwise, it's just not quite in the same category as the other two firms you listed.

Skadden and Davis are truly peer firms with top-tier groups virtually across their entire practice areas in corporate. They also have little in common other than that they both work you hard and are large firms. There's definitely a difference in culture, so you should be able to figure that out on a second look.

what he is trying to say is that skadden is for frat bros, davis polk is for fake nice/passive aggressive people, and k&e is for people who couldn't get offers at the first two. surprised it took this long in the thread to get here.

lol this. Also, outside of this whole peer firm thing, K&E is truly a weird place IMO. I've interviewed there twice and was invited by a friend to a summer associate event and felt like I was in a different world. It's like they gathered this one type of kid from your law school and stuck them all in the same firm. Skadden's a bit like that too but K&E is truly a cut above.

OP, if you think you might really want M&A I would do Skadden, if not DPW. But if you were in a frat in UG, maybe Skadden.

[Kirkland summer here] Not true. It's pretty diverse at K&E, and like I said before, it varies by practice groups even in Corp. Some may have slightly more "fratty" people, but other groups are completely different. Regardless you'll have the outgoing types, but there are also the introverts in each. What is the same is everyone is hard working. And it may be that K&E is for people who couldn't get offers at the first two, but no one can really say we make any less than Skadden or DPW or that we have inferior exit options.

We can tell you are a Kirkland summer.

[Anonymous User]

Barring other information you haven't given us, this should be between Davis and Skadden. Kirkland is a great firm, and if you like its assignment system or are specifically interested in private equity, I can see a strong argument for going there. Otherwise, it's just not quite in the same category as the other two firms you listed.

Skadden and Davis are truly peer firms with top-tier groups virtually across their entire practice areas in corporate. They also have little in common other than that they both work you hard and are large firms. There's definitely a difference in culture, so you should be able to figure that out on a second look.

what he is trying to say is that skadden is for frat bros, davis polk is for fake nice/passive aggressive people, and k&e is for people who couldn't get offers at the first two. surprised it took this long in the thread to get here.

I've been at Skadden for a couple years and I don't think it's "fratty" but it's definitely a law firm where socializing is encouraged. I've made friends in my class and I like that people generally go to the events/hang out outside of the office/have a good time. I can't speak to the other firms, but I've really liked how people generally aren't obsessed with separating their personal and professional lives at Skadden. Makes people very authentic.

If you aren't sure what you want to do, Skadden has a ton of elite practices and a wide open summer program (I think I took work in 7 or 8 different groups and wound up starting in a group that I knew nothing about before the summer, not uncommon).

The other firms are great firms - congratulations on the options, really don't think you can go wrong.

[Anonymous User]

Sorry to hijack - but I'm deciding something pretty similar w/DPW (see you at the offerees event OP!) v. Simpson. Generally pretty interested in real estate (have some exp in the field) but want to keep the door open to corporate writ large....

Sorry to hijack

[Anonymous User]

Sorry to hijack - but I'm deciding something pretty similar w/DPW (see you at the offerees event OP!) v. Simpson. Generally pretty interested in real estate (have some exp in the field) but want to keep the door open to corporate writ large....

Sorry to hijack

Real Estate is one of the few groups where STB and DPW are meaningfully different. STBs is generally better, bigger and does more standalone deals while DPWs is very much a specialist/secondary group to the bigger corporate groups. Would think your interest in RE probably cuts toward STB unless you click better with those you meet at DPW because fit matters.

[lawlorbust]

Barring other information you haven't given us, this should be between Davis and Skadden. Kirkland is a great firm, and if you like its assignment system or are specifically interested in private equity, I can see a strong argument for going there. Otherwise, it's just not quite in the same category as the other two firms you listed.

Skadden and Davis are truly peer firms with top-tier groups virtually across their entire practice areas in corporate. They also have little in common other than that they both work you hard and are large firms. There's definitely a difference in culture, so you should be able to figure that out on a second look.

what he is trying to say is that skadden is for frat bros, davis polk is for fake nice/passive aggressive people, and k&e is for people who couldn't get offers at the first two. surprised it took this long in the thread to get here.

If you're the sort of person who makes gradations between Skadden and K&E, then no, Skadden and DPW are not peer firms. DPW is a cut above.

[Anonymous User]

Barring other information you haven't given us, this should be between Davis and Skadden. Kirkland is a great firm, and if you like its assignment system or are specifically interested in private equity, I can see a strong argument for going there. Otherwise, it's just not quite in the same category as the other two firms you listed.

Skadden and Davis are truly peer firms with top-tier groups virtually across their entire practice areas in corporate. They also have little in common other than that they both work you hard and are large firms. There's definitely a difference in culture, so you should be able to figure that out on a second look.

what he is trying to say is that skadden is for frat bros, davis polk is for fake nice/passive aggressive people, and k&e is for people who couldn't get offers at the first two. surprised it took this long in the thread to get here.

Skadden is for law students who suddenly want to be frat bros, which, trust me, is 10x worse.

[ruski]

Barring other information you haven't given us, this should be between Davis and Skadden. Kirkland is a great firm, and if you like its assignment system or are specifically interested in private equity, I can see a strong argument for going there. Otherwise, it's just not quite in the same category as the other two firms you listed.

Skadden and Davis are truly peer firms with top-tier groups virtually across their entire practice areas in corporate. They also have little in common other than that they both work you hard and are large firms. There's definitely a difference in culture, so you should be able to figure that out on a second look.

what he is trying to say is that skadden is for frat bros, davis polk is for fake nice/passive aggressive people, and k&e is for people who couldn't get offers at the first two. surprised it took this long in the thread to get here.

If you're the sort of person who makes gradations between Skadden and K&E, then no, Skadden and DPW are not peer firms. DPW is a cut above.

eh maybe in the 90s this was more true. skadden is not technically a white shoe firm, but I think today the difference (if any) is negligible. only people age 50 and over would really draw a line between skadden and DPW

[Anonymous User]

I think this is true and it also seems like something that Skadden is proud off and builds its culture off of. I mean Joe Flom came to Skadden because he was a Jew and no white shoe firm would hire him. DPW, on the other hand, has the whole "defending the losing side of the biggest United States civil rights case of all time." (Not that all firms don't have stuff like this).