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I'm considering offers from these two firms.

Is there any reason at all not to just go straight to Dechert? I know that Dechert is the better firm by just about every metric. I was wondering if DM offers a quality of life that surpasses Dechert by enough to justify the difference in salary.

Any input?

Go to Dechert. Anecdotally I've heard not-great things about QOL at DM.

This is late to the party, but Dechert has been going through a chain of layoffs and having financial difficulties for months.

Anonymous User wrote:This is late to the party, but Dechert has been going through a chain of layoffs and having financial difficulties for months.

Source? Which offices/practice groups?

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:This is late to the party, but Dechert has been going through a chain of layoffs and having financial difficulties for months.

Source? Which offices/practice groups?

Finance Real Estate, across all firms with the practice group, is being hit due to new regulations. Outside of that, this is definitely not true.

If you want better work, better pay, and better exit opportunities, it's a no brainer. Go with Dechert.

Finance Real Estate, across all firms with the practice group, is being hit due to new regulations. Outside of that, this is definitely not true.

What are your sources/ can anyone else confirm this? Have a friend in that group who has been radio silent for a while, wondering if I should be concerned.

Anonymous User wrote:

Finance Real Estate, across all firms with the practice group, is being hit due to new regulations. Outside of that, this is definitely not true.

What are your sources/ can anyone else confirm this? Have a friend in that group who has been radio silent for a while, wondering if I should be concerned.

Anon from above. Should have been more exact. Source regarding the practice group and regs was not from within Dechert. Not sure what their situation is with that practice group, just know they have one. I have a friend in their corp group and know its busy. To answer OP's original question, as someone in the Philly market, Dechert is the better choice.

Those affected are strongly advised to sign a non-disclosure agreement. If they tell others they were laid off, they owe damages.

Any idea if/how it'll affect incoming associates?

Anonymous User wrote:Any idea if/how it'll affect incoming associates?

Juniors, including first years have been affected so this obviously can affect incoming associates. How much is up to you. if you're great right out of the gate, you will get work and survive. If you're one of those people who starts slow but later has an a-ha moment then you might be in trouble. It's better to know that now so you can take everything more seriously from day one.

Did Duane Morris ever raise salaries? I see articles from 2015 saying they were evaluating whether to match the move to $160k and then more recently that they wouldn't move to $180. Are they at $145k nationwide?

Anonymous User wrote:Did Duane Morris ever raise salaries? I see articles from 2015 saying they were evaluating whether to match the move to $160k and then more recently that they wouldn't move to $180. Are they at $145k nationwide?

DM went to 160K.

Without a doubt don't choose DM. I second the quality of life issues at the firm and just generally it has lost a lot of respect in its home market of Philly.

Anonymous User wrote:Without a doubt don't choose DM. I second the quality of life issues at the firm and just generally it has lost a lot of respect in its home market of Philly.

Thanks anon, but fairly certain this decision was made ages ago.