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Feel very fortunate to have these offers. Interested in corporate work, probably M&A or whatever practice group helps get me on the path to moving in-house (ideally in the tech/media space) sooner rather than later. Also looking for some semblance of work-life balance (if possible). CSM and S&C obviously seemed a little more intense, but I liked the people more than I thought I would. DPW and STB seem pretty indistinguishable to me in terms of culture.

Don't take this the wrong way, but this thread is pointless. You've chosen the four most well-rounded firms in NYC and expect TLS posters to somehow split hairs over your potential exit options from each of them? There will likely be no discernible difference in quality of exit options from these firms.

Literally go to the firm you liked best.

S&C alum here, now in house, not in the sector you're interested in though. Some of us who went in gunning for M&A wound up hiding from it as best we could. It wasn't work-life balance; it was work-sleep balance. I can't imagine those other choices are much better in that regard, but you're probably unwilling to go downmarket, so preftige it will be. In house exits are similar, and timing is idiosyncratic and unpredictable. Do second looks and pick your poison.

Would just point out that if you truly want to do m&a and then move in house ASAP, I would be concerned about getting stuck in a non-M&A rotation for ~18 months as your first group at CSM. The other firms tend to be more well suited to someone with a specific practice area preference who's looking to bounce quickly. Of course, you can ride the name brand of any of these firms to a good in house job without regard to your practice area (esp while you are a junior/depending on the type of job you are looking for), but something to consider.

Anonymous User wrote:S&C alum here, now in house, not in the sector you're interested in though. Some of us who went in gunning for M&A wound up hiding from it as best we could. It wasn't work-life balance; it was work-sleep balance. I can't imagine those other choices are much better in that regard, but you're probably unwilling to go downmarket, so preftige it will be. In house exits are similar, and timing is idiosyncratic and unpredictable. Do second looks and pick your poison.

In a similar situation but also considering PW because of clients in media and entertainment... Would it be stupid to pick them over S&C if the end goal is to go in-house in that industry?

I came down to these four exact choices and went for DPW because of the people. Its a very individual choice. These are all peer firms with identical exit ops and substantially similar hours. The work patterns are fairly different between CSM, DPW, S&C, and they are in different parts of town, but aside from that, unless you have an idiosyncratically sophisticated understanding of your specific field, no real way to distinguish. So go with your gut.

Also had the same choice and went with DPW. Mostly because I liked the people more, although i was more interested in cap markets than M&A which factored in.

Location might also be significant when you have options as close as these. If you work at S&S you can even live in Jersey and save some money on rent/taxes.

Do some second looks, get wined and dined by 3Ls at the respective firms, and go with the firm you like the best. Although, it really does seem like people at Cravath generally work even more hours than people at the other three. If you care about even a sliver of work life balance it light not be for you.

Rising 3L who was picking between those firms plus Skadden. In terms of M&A work, CSM/S&C are better than DPW/STB, but I don't think the difference is significant enough to base a decision on... I recommend picking based on fit (spoiler: there are noticeable cultural differences between those firms). M&A hours are very volatile and it makes a huge difference when you like the people you're working all night with/being able to hang out with your coworkers during slow times.