Weil verse Debevoise (NY) Forum

[Anonymous User]

Interested in corporate work (not bankruptcy). Is one form more prestigious than the other? Is one better for exit opportunities? Thanks

[Anonymous User]

For general corporate work I would definitely take Weil, but bankruptcy seems to seep into almost all of their practice groups, so it's hard to say whether you would avoid it altogether.

[Anonymous User]

For general corporate work (and lit) Debevoise is far superior. If you’re not interested in bankruptcy, Debevoise > Weil

[Anonymous User]

Both great. Debevoise packs a bigger punch for corporate and litigation work whereas Weil’s strength is more in restructuring.

In terms of prestige, I think Debevoise has the edge both inside the industry and outside of it (it was one of the firms that even my dad heard about who is a non-lawyer business person).

[Anonymous User]

I don't necessarily disagree with the Deb > Weil comments here re: prestige, but I think it's a close call (and definitely not "far superior"). To take a counterpoint, Chambers has Weil as Band 2 for "Corporate/M&A: The Elite" in NY, whereas Deb is Band 3 in the same category.

[Anonymous User]

Debevoise stans on this forum are unreal. Band for band, Weil is equal or better, with some far superior practices. Nonsense prestige arguments belied year after year by PPP and vault rankings

[Anonymous User]

I think it really comes down to practice group here. As others have pointed out, Debevoise probably has more "strong" corporate practice groups, but it's really splitting hairs between these two firms. Weil has a very strong restructuring group, but you mentioned you weren't interested in that. If you're sold on corporate work, I'd go with culture/fit here (unless you know the specific practice group you want--then explore chambers and compare). If litigation is a possibility, go with Debevoise.

Prestige wise, Debevoise probably has the edge if you care about that sort of thing.

[Anonymous User]

Debevoise stans on this forum are unreal. Band for band, Weil is equal or better, with some far superior practices. Nonsense prestige arguments belied year after year by PPP and vault rankings

The Cleary stans are out of control too.

[2013]

Debevoise stans on this forum are unreal. Band for band, Weil is equal or better, with some far superior practices. Nonsense prestige arguments belied year after year by PPP and vault rankings

Isn’t Deb ranked in more practices nationally than Weil? I don’t think there’s a huge gap between the firms, but it isn’t so far fetched for people on here to think that Deb is better. More nationally ranked practices, higher RPL, and relatively close PPP when Deb only has one tier of partnership.

[CapibaraBipolar]

Deveboise is moving to the Spiral while Weil is in the GM building. Choose the prettier building

[Sackboy]

Deb, Cleary, Weil, etc. are all peer firms. To say any are considerably better, on a whole, than the others is pretty foolish. Obviously, they're all good at different things to some degree.

[Anonymous User]

I don’t get the Deb hype on this sub. Weil and Debevoise are peer firms — just choose one based on culture / partner prospects

[Anonymous User]

People need to realize comparing firms within this top tier is largely futile as they are all the same. Some may be “better” in certain groups, but the average associate isn’t going to tell the difference either way.

Between Weil and Deb, Deb has more “strong” practice groups and more “prestige”, so go with them if you think that stuffs important. However, you’re not gonna go wrong with either of them. Go have a beer and play CoD or something

Edit: I just googled the prior posters Spiral building comment and change my sentiment. Go with Deb 100% lol

[Anonymous User]

Agree Weil and Deb are peer firms and comparing them is largely futile. The GM building is iconic for a reason though. Go with Weil 100%

Also, counting nationally ranked practice groups is kind of silly IMO. No one cares about "Transportation: Aviation: Finance."

[Anonymous User]

Lol why would you want to work in NY’s Dubai, Hudson Yards? It’s the only place in NYC more devoid of character than midtown. Weil is directly next to Central Park.

[Anonymous User]

My building is nicer and more prestigious than your building!!

You people need to find a hobby

OP: Go wherever you liked the people more--that's really all that matters between these two...

[Anonymous User]

I actually think office / office location is a not a bad tiebreaker IF you are completely deadlocked on all the other things that matter. It’s at least more tangible than general “prestige” dick measuring contests.

And no, it’s not the “niceness” or prestige of the building, it’s the actual address and the distance to/from where you want to live (and can see yourself living ~5 years down the line).

Then again, if you haven’t lived in NYC before, you probably can’t make an informed call on where you want to live and work.

[Anonymous User]

Lol why would you want to work in NY’s Dubai, Hudson Yards? It’s the only place in NYC more devoid of character than midtown. Weil is directly next to Central Park.

Weil just re-did its office building in midtown and it looks fantastic; it also overlooks Central Park. Hudson Yards will soon be crowded with Milbank, Cravath, Deb, etc. I'm not sure why the spiral is a more compelling place to work than the Chrysler Building.

[Anonymous User]

Lol why would you want to work in NY’s Dubai, Hudson Yards? It’s the only place in NYC more devoid of character than midtown. Weil is directly next to Central Park.

Weil just re-did its office building in midtown and it looks fantastic; it also overlooks Central Park. Hudson Yards will soon be crowded with Milbank, Cravath, Deb, etc. I'm not sure why the spiral is a more compelling place to work than the Chrysler Building.

I was agreeing with you. Hudson yards sucks. There’s hardly anything there, it’s ugly, and it’s hard to get to.

[Anonymous User]

I actually think office / office location is a not a bad tiebreaker IF you are completely deadlocked on all the other things that matter. It’s at least more tangible than general “prestige” dick measuring contests.

And no, it’s not the “niceness” or prestige of the building, it’s the actual address and the distance to/from where you want to live (and can see yourself living ~5 years down the line).

Then again, if you haven’t lived in NYC before, you probably can’t make an informed call on where you want to live and work.

My comment ended up generating more drama than I expected. I agree with your point overall, Deb and Weil are peers, and OP will be doing similar work with similar people in slightly different locations. I do not think using location (or even niceness of the building) is a bad tiebreaker. You will be working in those offices for 12 hours a day for 5-6 days a week for 3-30 years. Having a nice view, a better commute or checking the restaurant options nearby seems like a perfectly good way to break the tie.

[Anonymous User]

Lol why would you want to work in NY’s Dubai, Hudson Yards? It’s the only place in NYC more devoid of character than midtown. Weil is directly next to Central Park.

Weil just re-did its office building in midtown and it looks fantastic; it also overlooks Central Park. Hudson Yards will soon be crowded with Milbank, Cravath, Deb, etc. I'm not sure why the spiral is a more compelling place to work than the Chrysler Building.

I was agreeing with you. Hudson yards sucks. There’s hardly anything there, it’s ugly, and it’s hard to get to.

I literally live in Hudson Yard.

Hudson Yard sucks.

The lunch options are shit.