WLRK Chances? Forum

[Anonymous User]

CLS w 3.89 GPA, solid work experience, can string together sentences, but not on Law Review.

[Anonymous User]

CLS w 3.89 GPA, solid work experience, can string together sentences, but not on Law Review.

Same boat. I don't think my chances are too great because I don't have much of a business background. I think other people probably know more.

-Piston

[Anonymous User]

If your GPA is that high, you have a shot. From what I know of the previous CLS Wachtell summers, a lot of them didn't have the business work experience either, just super high GPAs.

[Anonymous User]

Not sure what lessons you can draw from this, but here's the breakdown of journal affiliation for the 29 CLS associates listed on WLRK's website: Law Review (10), CBLR (8), other journal (7), N/A (4). Other commonalities I noted while skimming profiles: pre-law school experience in finance, and a handful of Ruth Bader Ginsburg prizes.

[The Lsat Airbender]

Not sure what lessons you can draw from this, but here's the breakdown of journal affiliation for the 29 CLS associates listed on WLRK's website: Law Review (10), CBLR (8), other journal (7), N/A (4). Other commonalities I noted while skimming profiles: pre-law school experience in finance, and a handful of Ruth Bader Ginsburg prizes.

These data might be more useful if you segregated it out by lit/transactional

[Anonymous User]

There's 1 essential component and 4 interchangeable components.

The essential component is grades. 3.7+ is probably somewhere around the hard cut. It's not out-of-this-world but certainly not low.

Interchangeable components are elite UG, grades beyond 3.7+, finance-related work experience (doesn't have to be IB analyst but that certainly helps), or WLRK-related experience--namely, being a paralegal there. In my year all but one WLRK folks had one or all of these in different degrees. The one that didn't was James Ordineaux.

Law Review doesn't seem to matter all that much though (not even in lit.).

Then again, we might as well be predicting where Tesla's stock price is going next. Just apply and see what happens.

[Anonymous User]

There's 1 essential component and 4 interchangeable components.

The essential component is grades. 3.7+ is probably somewhere around the hard cut. It's not out-of-this-world but certainly not low.

Interchangeable components are elite UG, grades beyond 3.7+, finance-related work experience (doesn't have to be IB analyst but that certainly helps), or WLRK-related experience--namely, being a paralegal there. In my year all but one WLRK folks had one or all of these in different degrees. The one that didn't was James Ordineaux.

Law Review doesn't seem to matter all that much though (not even in lit.).

Then again, we might as well be predicting where Tesla's stock price is going next. Just apply and see what happens.

Different 2L anon, not OP, but figured I’d jump in with a question since you seem knowledgeable.

How is a candidate perceived during a WLRK screener if he/she expresses a strong interest in a specialty practice area (tax, restructuring, etc.)? I mean, WLRK is practically synonymous with giant public M&A (and also deal lit & securities lit). On the other hand, WLRK clearly has some strong niche practices outside of that, e.g. in the areas I mentioned. Would I be foolishly “narrowing” my appeal as a candidate by not kissing the M&A/lit ring during these interviews?

[Anonymous User]

For someone with similar stats at Cravath and other V5s, what are the chances of laterling to WLRK and what's the earliest realistic timeline?

[unlicensedpotato]

There's 1 essential component and 4 interchangeable components.

The essential component is grades. 3.7+ is probably somewhere around the hard cut. It's not out-of-this-world but certainly not low.

Interchangeable components are elite UG, grades beyond 3.7+, finance-related work experience (doesn't have to be IB analyst but that certainly helps), or WLRK-related experience--namely, being a paralegal there. In my year all but one WLRK folks had one or all of these in different degrees. The one that didn't was James Ordineaux.

Law Review doesn't seem to matter all that much though (not even in lit.).

Then again, we might as well be predicting where Tesla's stock price is going next. Just apply and see what happens.

Different 2L anon, not OP, but figured I’d jump in with a question since you seem knowledgeable.

How is a candidate perceived during a WLRK screener if he/she expresses a strong interest in a specialty practice area (tax, restructuring, etc.)? I mean, WLRK is practically synonymous with giant public M&A (and also deal lit & securities lit). On the other hand, WLRK clearly has some strong niche practices outside of that, e.g. in the areas I mentioned. Would I be foolishly “narrowing” my appeal as a candidate by not kissing the M&A/lit ring during these interviews?

No WLRK specific knowledge, but tax and restructuring wouldn't be similar in this context. Restructuring is a separate corporate group from M&A, but tax is a support group for M&A (and, to a lesser extent, restructuring). So tax is in line with its core practice but restructuring isn't.

[Anonymous User]

^Also curious about lateraling into WLRK or getting an offer after clerking (without summering in 1L or 2L/doing SEO). How common is it and what credentials would one need? At a CCN, around 3.5, so definitely below WLRK's grade cutoff, but I'm wondering if bumping up my grades in 3L year will be "worth it" for a shot later on.

[Sackboy]

^Also curious about lateraling into WLRK or getting an offer after clerking (without summering in 1L or 2L/doing SEO). How common is it and what credentials would one need? At a CCN, around 3.5, so definitely below WLRK's grade cutoff, but I'm wondering if bumping up my grades in 3L year will be "worth it" for a shot later on.

Frankly, you're not getting a job at WLRK, so I wouldn't worry about it. Enjoy 3L.

[Anonymous User]

LOL. I figured as much. Got it

[Anonymous User]

^Also curious about lateraling into WLRK or getting an offer after clerking (without summering in 1L or 2L/doing SEO). How common is it and what credentials would one need? At a CCN, around 3.5, so definitely below WLRK's grade cutoff, but I'm wondering if bumping up my grades in 3L year will be "worth it" for a shot later on.

Frankly, you're not getting a job at WLRK, so I wouldn't worry about it. Enjoy 3L.

How are you so sure? What is that based on? What about a junior associate from a similar school, but about 3.85 GPA who is already at a V5?

[dyemond]

^Also curious about lateraling into WLRK or getting an offer after clerking (without summering in 1L or 2L/doing SEO). How common is it and what credentials would one need? At a CCN, around 3.5, so definitely below WLRK's grade cutoff, but I'm wondering if bumping up my grades in 3L year will be "worth it" for a shot later on.

Frankly, you're not getting a job at WLRK, so I wouldn't worry about it. Enjoy 3L.

How are you so sure? What is that based on? What about a junior associate from a similar school, but about 3.85 GPA who is already at a V5?

Does WLRK take laterals? I didn't think they did.

[Sackboy]

Frankly, you're not getting a job at WLRK, so I wouldn't worry about it. Enjoy 3L.

How are you so sure? What is that based on? What about a junior associate from a similar school, but about 3.85 GPA who is already at a V5?

You're in a completely different situation from OP. You're at a V5 and have a 3.85. OP's GPA is considerably worse after 3 semesters and would need straight A+s to even bring it close to a 3.85. OP probably also isn't at a V5 (though OP could be with a 3.5 from CCN).

As for your situation, WLRK hires about 0-4 laterals a year, primarily in niche groups (exec comp, tax, T&E) and rarely in general corporate. All of their hires from the last few years are from Cravath/Skadden/S&C/DPW/Latham/Kirkland/Debevoise/Milbank and a couple of other top firms. So, you're fine on firm and GPA, but you better hope you're not general corporate. Even if you're a specialist, WLRK is maybe hiring 1 in your field every other year at best, so your shots are still pretty much nil.

[Anonymous User]

Frankly, you're not getting a job at WLRK, so I wouldn't worry about it. Enjoy 3L.

How are you so sure? What is that based on? What about a junior associate from a similar school, but about 3.85 GPA who is already at a V5?

You're in a completely different situation from OP. You're at a V5 and have a 3.85. OP's GPA is considerably worse after 3 semesters and would need straight A+s to even bring it close to a 3.85. OP probably also isn't at a V5 (though OP could be with a 3.5 from CCN).

As for your situation, WLRK hires about 0-4 laterals a year, primarily in niche groups (exec comp, tax, T&E) and rarely in general corporate. All of their hires from the last few years are from Cravath/Skadden/S&C/DPW/Latham/Kirkland/Debevoise/Milbank and a couple of other top firms. So, you're fine on firm and GPA, but you better hope you're not general corporate. Even if you're a specialist, WLRK is maybe hiring 1 in your field every other year at best, so your shots are still pretty much nil.

Very helpful.

[Anonymous User]

Any tips for the WLRK callback? Is it basically just a few screeners stacked on top of each other, or does the tone/strategy shift for the second round?

[Anonymous User]

Any tips for the WLRK callback? Is it basically just a few screeners stacked on top of each other, or does the tone/strategy shift for the second round?

I know WLRK has a reputation for giving more substantive interviews than other firms. Does this extend to their callbacks?

[Anonymous User]

bump for wlrk callback advice

[Anonymous User]

Does Wachtell do same day offers a la Cravath?

[Anonymous User]

Does Wachtell do same day offers a la Cravath?

Don't think so. I believe they have the hiring committee once a week. They told me I would get a response within a week or two.

[Anonymous User]

I was previously an associate at WLRK, so posting anon:

Wachtell is a M&A firm, then a corporate firm, then a lit firm. What I mean by that is the power in the firm is concentrated in those practice areas in that order. Your best chance to build relationships to have a long lasting career at WLRK is to join those practices. If you just want the name on your resume, niche practices are strong and capable, but very hard to make partner from.

Lateraling is generally for WLRK caliber associates that were missed at OCI. When I was there, I think all of the laterals graduated from Yale law and they were superstars at firms like Sullivan, Kirkland, Cravath, etc. Even so, only about two laterals joined each year.

Wachtell does not give same day offers.

I am not at the firm anymore but I can tell you that it is worth it to be there. It is a fantastic place to practice law. You will work hard, you will grow as a lawyer, and you'll be permitted to make contacts and build relationships that will propel the rest of your career whether with the firm or not. Oh, and they take very good care of their people.

[Anonymous User]

I was previously an associate at WLRK, so posting anon:

Wachtell is a M&A firm, then a corporate firm, then a lit firm. What I mean by that is the power in the firm is concentrated in those practice areas in that order. Your best chance to build relationships to have a long lasting career at WLRK is to join those practices. If you just want the name on your resume, niche practices are strong and capable, but very hard to make partner from.

Lateraling is generally for WLRK caliber associates that were missed at OCI. When I was there, I think all of the laterals graduated from Yale law and they were superstars at firms like Sullivan, Kirkland, Cravath, etc. Even so, only about two laterals joined each year.

Wachtell does not give same day offers.

I am not at the firm anymore but I can tell you that it is worth it to be there. It is a fantastic place to practice law. You will work hard, you will grow as a lawyer, and you'll be permitted to make contacts and build relationships that will propel the rest of your career whether with the firm or not. Oh, and they take very good care of their people.

Thanks for the reply. The conventional wisdom for Corp biglaw holds that exit opps (in house, etc.) are maximized around year 3-4. Is your sense that great exits from WLRK are possible earlier than that (years 2-3)? Seems like a question worth asking, because I have to imagine that the risk of associate burnout is higher at WLRK than some peer shops

[Anonymous User]

Thanks for the reply. The conventional wisdom for Corp biglaw holds that exit opps (in house, etc.) are maximized around year 3-4. Is your sense that great exits from WLRK are possible earlier than that (years 2-3)?

(Different anon, same reason.)

The reasoning behind leaving as a 3rd-5th year doesn't change because you're billing a ton of hours and have a cool name on your résumé, or else the same would be true of other V10 M&A practices. In your midlevel years, you've only just started to have a grip on what is happening around you. You're building meaningful trust with clients. Nobody wants you for their AGC role before then.

Seems like a question worth asking, because I have to imagine that the risk of associate burnout is higher at WLRK than some peer shops

Not sure this is true. As mentioned above, 1) they take really good care of their people and 2) hiring is tilted, relative to other firms, toward indicia of being able to handle the workload for long periods of time (banking/consulting experience, excellent LS grades, honors from top undergrads, etc.).

If you're worried you might want to pull the ripcord halfway through your first/second year, I'd reconsider whether this is really what you want. Sorry if that sounds paternalistic. Someone with OP's qualifications has a plethora of other options.

[Anonymous User]

I was previously an associate at WLRK, so posting anon:

Wachtell is a M&A firm, then a corporate firm, then a lit firm. What I mean by that is the power in the firm is concentrated in those practice areas in that order. Your best chance to build relationships to have a long lasting career at WLRK is to join those practices. If you just want the name on your resume, niche practices are strong and capable, but very hard to make partner from.

Lateraling is generally for WLRK caliber associates that were missed at OCI. When I was there, I think all of the laterals graduated from Yale law and they were superstars at firms like Sullivan, Kirkland, Cravath, etc. Even so, only about two laterals joined each year.

Wachtell does not give same day offers.

I am not at the firm anymore but I can tell you that it is worth it to be there. It is a fantastic place to practice law. You will work hard, you will grow as a lawyer, and you'll be permitted to make contacts and build relationships that will propel the rest of your career whether with the firm or not. Oh, and they take very good care of their people.

Can you say a bit more about Wachtell's litigation practice? You say it is behind M&A and corporate in power. How hard is it to make partner in that group?