Kirkland (NY) v. Willkie Farr (NY)? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Would love to hear thoughts on choosing between these two for 1L summer...interested to hear everything, from practice group interests to culture/fit to long-term considerations

[64Fl]

long-term considerations

I have no real advice here other than don't overthink this. I don't think there are any long-term considerations to make here. This is a 1L summer.

[aliciacflorrick]

If you liked both equally, I’d go with Kirkland since it’s an objectively stronger firm in most areas and has more transportable cache - for both corporate and litigation. Don’t discredit it for being a Chicago-based firm, as the NYC office is more like a second HQ than a true satellite at this point.

Just browse on here about the fit. The free-market system at Kirkland informs the kind of (intense?) people who work there, and I’ve heard/read that Willkie is more relaxed and a so-called lifestyle firm.

[PeanutsNJam]

The distinction is so irrelevant for a 1L summer I'd honestly pick based on the location of the offices. Pick which NYC neighborhood you want to live in, and then pick the office with the best commute. They're both in midtown but I believe have slightly different subway line access. For example, if you're living in UWS, Wilkie Farr for sure.

[justanotherlurker]

Disagree that it doesn't matter just because it's 1L. You'll presumably get an offer to do a "touch back" at your 1L summer job during 2L summer, and you'll likely get a full-time job offer. So, treat it like this might be your full-time job.

They are pretty different firms with pretty different cultures, and vary a fair bit as far as practice groups too. Do your research -- Chambers Partners, Chambers Associates, Vault, Law360... see what the firms are good at, what kind of cases/deals they're working on (that are staffed out of the NY office), etc.

[PeanutsNJam]

Someone who gets a 1L summer at KE/Willkie is practically guaranteed to get a 2L summer offer if they apply again, so it really doesn't matter. If OP goes to one and hates it, OP can always go to the other, or a neither. Yes, a 1L summer job at one of these firms almost certainly leads to a full-time offer if OP actually wants it, but that doesn't mean the decision between the two at this point matters because OP can always change their mind 2L.

With respect to what you'll actually do 1L summer, since 1Ls do approximately 0 substantive work, each firm's practice group strengths and weaknesses are irrelevant, and the difference is going to be which firm has cooler summer events.

[JusticeSquee]

Someone who gets a 1L summer at KE/Willkie is practically guaranteed to get a 2L summer offer if they apply again, so it really doesn't matter. If OP goes to one and hates it, OP can always go to the other, or a neither. Yes, a 1L summer job at one of these firms almost certainly leads to a full-time offer if OP actually wants it, but that doesn't mean the decision between the two at this point matters because OP can always change their mind 2L.

With respect to what you'll actually do 1L summer, since 1Ls do approximately 0 substantive work, each firm's practice group strengths and weaknesses are irrelevant, and the difference is going to be which firm has cooler summer events.

This is terrible, horrible, no-good advice. If you turn a firm down for 1L you are not practically guaranteed to get the 2L spot. These are highly competitive spots and the firm may not look highly on someone that turned them down once. I wouldn’t approach this with the blasé attitude suggested here. Do some due diligence online at sources like Chambers.

The two firms are pretty different, there’s no harm in getting coffee with an associate at each firm and talking about their experiences. K&E definitely has a stronger brand and more folks generally know about the work they do. Some would say K&E is more “prestigious” but that’s subjective and generally meaningless. Wilkie is a great place to work from what I’ve heard with generally lower hours expectations. You have 0.01% chance at making equity partner at either firm so please don’t think about that now. Both solid firms. If you want to do transactional work, especially PE or bankruptcy, Kirkland is hands down the answer. For litigation it’s a closer call I think.

[PeanutsNJam]

Someone who gets a 1L summer at KE/Willkie is practically guaranteed to get a 2L summer offer if they apply again, so it really doesn't matter. If OP goes to one and hates it, OP can always go to the other, or a neither. Yes, a 1L summer job at one of these firms almost certainly leads to a full-time offer if OP actually wants it, but that doesn't mean the decision between the two at this point matters because OP can always change their mind 2L.

With respect to what you'll actually do 1L summer, since 1Ls do approximately 0 substantive work, each firm's practice group strengths and weaknesses are irrelevant, and the difference is going to be which firm has cooler summer events.

This is terrible, horrible, no-good advice. If you turn a firm down for 1L you are not practically guaranteed to get the 2L spot. These are highly competitive spots and the firm may not look highly on someone that turned them down once. I wouldn’t approach this with the blasé attitude suggested here. Do some due diligence online at sources like Chambers.

The two firms are pretty different, there’s no harm in getting coffee with an associate at each firm and talking about their experiences. K&E definitely has a stronger brand and more folks generally know about the work they do. Some would say K&E is more “prestigious” but that’s subjective and generally meaningless. Wilkie is a great place to work from what I’ve heard with generally lower hours expectations. You have 0.01% chance at making equity partner at either firm so please don’t think about that now. Both solid firms. If you want to do transactional work, especially PE or bankruptcy, Kirkland is hands down the answer. For litigation it’s a closer call I think.

Lmao at the idea that either of these firms would care or are petty enough to hold turning down a 1L offer against a law student. If OP has the credentials to get 1L offers from both KE and Willkie, then OP isn't going to have problems snagging multiple similar law firm offers, even if somehow 2k+ attorney KE's feelings are hurt and KE refuses to re-consider OP.

If, OTOH, OP got these offers not through academic credentials but through connections or networking, then yes, it's far from guaranteed that OP is going to get a second shot at 2L. But barring extreme circumstances, if OP has excellent grades at an excellent school, KE/Willkie will absolutely interview OP again, and assuming OP's grades don't tank or OP doesn't suddenly becomes uncontrollably racist during the interview, OP's not going to have a problem getting a job at a good law firm.

This decision is additionally moot because, assuming OP has great credentials, the decision come 2L is going to be between a much greater number of firms than just KE/Willkie.

[64Fl]

If OP has the credentials to get 1L offers from both KE and Willkie, then OP isn't going to have problems snagging multiple similar law firm offers, even if somehow 2k+ attorney KE's feelings are hurt and KE refuses to re-consider OP.

Yep, this is what I based my original comment on. Even if K&E says fuck off, OP obviously has the credentials to slum it at some other V10.