Help Me Pick My Firm Forum

[5ky]

Also looking for some advice. I'm looking to do transaction/corporate work (not M&A or PE or Cap Markets). Trying to balance between going to a firm that has a great work/life balance and some relative prestige.

I have four outstanding offers at the moment and I'm going to eliminate Cahill tomorrow I think because their work is too specialized---I'm not sure I want to be pigeon-holed in banking/finance.

The other three are Paul Hastings, Ropes & Gray and Latham (all NYC).

what exactly are you looking to do in corporate if you don't want to do M&A, PE or cap markets

[landshoes]

Milbank (NY) v. WilmerHale (NY)

More interested in litigation, no dead set however. Milbanks professional development seems great (milbank@harvard, rotations in first year) but really liked the people at both. Thanks!

In this situation, it would be a waste to go to WilmerHale for corp or go to Milbank for lit.

You should decide what practice area you want. If you can't decide, IDK. If I were you, I'd probably go for Milbank because I hate WilmerHale's clients (so many police departments, ugh). But that's just me.

[Anonymous User]

Cadwalader or Milbank for transactional? NYC. Looking for a firm with strong exit options

[Anonymous User]

Cadwalader or Milbank for transactional? NYC. Looking for a firm with strong exit options

go to Milbank and do project finance

[Anonymous User]

Cadwalader or Milbank for transactional? NYC. Looking for a firm with strong exit options

go to Milbank and do project finance

different Anon, but going to Milbank this summer. planning on pursuing Project Finance. what are some of the typical exit options? whats so great about them? Thanks!

[Anonymous User]

Cadwalader or Milbank for transactional? NYC. Looking for a firm with strong exit options

Milbank 100%. Cadwalader is a terrible place to work. Not even close.

[Anonymous User]

I'll take a shot, thanks in advance. All NYC except as noted.

Weil v. White & Case v. Milbank v. [a capital markets group in London]

Interests are fairly broad. Primary focus is lit (maybe antitrust?) but at this point, I have no idea if I'd like corporate work more. Yes, I realize this doesn't really coincide with the cap markets opportunity. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I know "international law" isn't a thing, but would love to work on cross-border stuff with opportunities to work overseas.

[5ky]

international work in the US just means you have to wake up for calls at 6am

[Anonymous User]

.

[Anonymous User]

Also seeking opinion for corporate transactional work (please take into consideration a high chance of ending up in Asia in the long-term):

A&O v. Shearman v. Cahill v. Goodwin v. Dechert

All NY.

Many thanks in advance.

Shearman.

[Anonymous User]

LeClairRyan v Reed Smith? Anyone have any thoughts on either?

Which offices? What practice area are you interested in?

[Anonymous User]

Generally interested in corporate. I'm leaning toward leclair because I really liked the people there and feel like I would be a good fit but don't know much about the firm reputation etc. do you have any insight?

[Anonymous User]

Generally interested in corporate. I'm leaning toward leclair because I really liked the people there and feel like I would be a good fit but don't know much about the firm reputation etc. do you have any insight?

Reed Smith has a large salary compression after you hit year 3. Reed Smith also had layoffs in January and there are rumors that there may be more layoffs coming before next January, when their delayed raises take effect.

Honestly don't know enough about LeClair to give any real insight into the firm, other than I have a friend who works there and really enjoys it.

[Anonymous User]

Do you know how much the 1st year associate salary is at LeClair from your friend? I have been trying to find out but haven't so far. thanks!

[Anonymous User]

Cadwalader or Milbank for transactional? NYC. Looking for a firm with strong exit options

Milbank 100%. Cadwalader is a terrible place to work. Not even close.

I just posted something like this in another thread a moment ago, and saw this, so thought I might as well reiterate: I'm happy at Cadwalader, for whatever that's worth. I've seen a string of these "terrible place to work" lines today, and I'm not really sure what's animating that complaint. I find associates to be quite satisfied, as far as biglaw goes.

You might try to dig a little deeper than just "transactional" to help with your thought process. If you want to do project finance or bankruptcy, Milbank makes a lot of sense. If you like capital markets (particularly securitization work, or building some structured financial products), then Cadwalader is definitely the spot to be. Cad also has a popular Wall Street-driven group called Financial Services that is basically the work billed as an Investment Management at a lot of other firms. As far as I know, the general corporate groups are pretty comparable between the two firms.

[Anonymous User]

Jumping in. Thanks in advance.

Market: NY
Firms: Paul Hastings, Hunton & Williams
Practice area - Transactional: Corporate (M&A) for PH; Privacy & Data Security if at HW.

[Glasseyes]

Jumping in. Thanks in advance.

Market: NY
Firms: Paul Hastings, Hunton & Williams
Practice area - Transactional: Corporate (M&A) for PH; Privacy & Data Security if at HW.

I'd pick based on practice area. Privacy is a beast all its own, but I'd personally find that much more interesting than M&A and there's no shortage of exit options in the near future. Hunton has a reasonably strong privacy group, from what I hear.

[Anonymous User]

practice area: lit, banking/finance - TBD). dechert v. reed smith v. mayer brown. all ny.

[oblig.lawl.ref]

practice area: lit, banking/finance - TBD). dechert v. reed smith v. mayer brown. all ny.

Idk about their reputations in those fields but I've heard not great things about the financial health of reed smith, bad things about that Dechert office and the guy I know who went to Mayer Brown NYC was a nice guy and seemed to like it there and it has a better national reputation than the other two so I would say Mayer Brown, subject to the things I don't know mentioned above.

[Anonymous User]

practice area: lit, banking/finance - TBD). dechert v. reed smith v. mayer brown. all ny.

Idk about their reputations in those fields but I've heard not great things about the financial health of reed smith, bad things about that Dechert office and the guy I know who went to Mayer Brown NYC was a nice guy and seemed to like it there and it has a better national reputation than the other two so I would say Mayer Brown, subject to the things I don't know mentioned above.

The choice should be between Dechert and Mayer Brown. Both firms have lock-step salaries and it would not make sense to choose Reed Smith which does not have lock step after year 3. No reason to pick a firm that will not pay you market salary when you have two options that will.

[Anonymous User]

Not really related so much to anyone else in this thread but I'm looking at firms in TX. Want to do commercial lit. Choosing between:

-Dallas office of V10.
-Couple of Boutique lit firms in Houston. Band 2/3 ranked on Chambers.

Leaning more towards splitting at the boutiques but worried about 1. Double no offer and 2. Potential exit option limitations.

Any advice would be appreciated

[Anonymous User]

What is the reputation of Foley Lardner? Specifically the non-Milwaukee offices?

[Anonymous User]

Practice area: General corporate/tax

Firms: Cleary (NYC), McDermott (Chi), Skadden (Chi)

Fire away please.

[5ky]

Would you rather live in NYC or Chicago? You'll either be down to two choices or one once you've made that decision.

[Anonymous User]

Practice area: General corporate/tax

Firms: Cleary (NYC), McDermott (Chi), Skadden (Chi)

Fire away please.

Skadden Chicago is full of really awesome people, and has none of the sweatshoppy feel of its' New York counterpart. Also, Chicago is a superior city; if you get to choose between NY and Chicago, unless you're a NY person, I should think that ought to be nearly decisive all on its' own. It looks like the far and away clear win to me.

Edited to add this article RE: McDermott. http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... used-to-be