Capital Markets NY - DPW vs LW Forum

(On Campus Interviews, Summer Associate positions, Firm Reviews, Tips, ...)
Forum rules
Anonymous Posting

Anonymous posting is only appropriate when you are revealing sensitive employment related information about a firm, job, etc. You may anonymously respond on topic to these threads. Unacceptable uses include: harassing another user, joking around, testing the feature, or other things that are more appropriate in the lounge.

Failure to follow these rules will get you outed, warned, or banned.
Anonymous User
Posts: 428117
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Capital Markets NY - DPW vs LW

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Feb 21, 2021 7:35 pm

Interested in cap markets and got offers from both. I know DPW is more prestigious and is the king of cap market in NY but I think I like the people at LW more. Also interested in moving internationally or to CA in the future. Would choosing Latham over DPW here a mistake? How big is the gap between the two?

Anonymous User
Posts: 428117
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Capital Markets NY - DPW vs LW

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Feb 21, 2021 9:25 pm

Don't think its any easier to move to an international office at LW than it is at DPW.

Anonymous User
Posts: 428117
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Capital Markets NY - DPW vs LW

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Feb 21, 2021 9:34 pm

Both firms are peers for capital markets (Band 1 in Chambers Ranking). Latham is very flexible with regards to intra-office transfers, so if going to CA is your long term goal, I'd recommend Latham as their LA office is a top 3 player vs. DPW's satellite office in California

Anonymous User
Posts: 428117
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Capital Markets NY - DPW vs LW

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Feb 21, 2021 11:46 pm

The two firms are literally peer firms, especially in capital market. Check Chambers and Partners for reference

NoLongerALurker

Bronze
Posts: 408
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2014 2:08 am

Re: Capital Markets NY - DPW vs LW

Post by NoLongerALurker » Mon Feb 22, 2021 12:54 pm

If move is wanting to end up in CA, I'd prefer Latham over DPW. Otherwise, I'd go DPW. Alternatively (hear me out here), I'd go DPW now and then just lateral to Latham when you want to move to CA. I know several people who've taken such an approach (not specifically in cap markets, but I'm sure it will especially work in cap markets) and then you also might get a signing bonus when you move + relocation costs + larger professional network. Cap markets is always hungry for midlevels, so it should be very doable if you want to do it that way in a couple of years. Fwiw i'm a cap markets midlevel and if I were in your position knowing what I know now, that's definitely what I would do.

Want to continue reading?

Register now to search topics and post comments!

Absolutely FREE!


Anonymous User
Posts: 428117
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Capital Markets NY - DPW vs LW

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Feb 22, 2021 1:36 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Sun Feb 21, 2021 11:46 pm
The two firms are literally peer firms, especially in capital market. Check Chambers and Partners for reference
I agree that the firms are peers in capital markets, but DPW is the clear capital markets king, to the extent that matters to OP.

I disagree, however, that they are peer firms in NYC (just as they are not in CA). New York attorneys do not consider Latham on the same level as DPW in NYC. Hope this helps, OP.

lawlo

New
Posts: 88
Joined: Fri Jan 31, 2020 3:35 am

Re: Capital Markets NY - DPW vs LW

Post by lawlo » Mon Feb 22, 2021 4:29 pm

NoLongerALurker wrote:
Mon Feb 22, 2021 12:54 pm
If move is wanting to end up in CA, I'd prefer Latham over DPW. Otherwise, I'd go DPW. Alternatively (hear me out here), I'd go DPW now and then just lateral to Latham when you want to move to CA. I know several people who've taken such an approach (not specifically in cap markets, but I'm sure it will especially work in cap markets) and then you also might get a signing bonus when you move + relocation costs + larger professional network. Cap markets is always hungry for midlevels, so it should be very doable if you want to do it that way in a couple of years. Fwiw i'm a cap markets midlevel and if I were in your position knowing what I know now, that's definitely what I would do.
Thanks for sharing. Do you mean lateral to Latham from dpw and do an intraoffice transfer, or just lateral from dpw to a Latham CA office?

NoLongerALurker

Bronze
Posts: 408
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2014 2:08 am

Re: Capital Markets NY - DPW vs LW

Post by NoLongerALurker » Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:03 pm

lawlo wrote:
Mon Feb 22, 2021 4:29 pm
NoLongerALurker wrote:
Mon Feb 22, 2021 12:54 pm
If move is wanting to end up in CA, I'd prefer Latham over DPW. Otherwise, I'd go DPW. Alternatively (hear me out here), I'd go DPW now and then just lateral to Latham when you want to move to CA. I know several people who've taken such an approach (not specifically in cap markets, but I'm sure it will especially work in cap markets) and then you also might get a signing bonus when you move + relocation costs + larger professional network. Cap markets is always hungry for midlevels, so it should be very doable if you want to do it that way in a couple of years. Fwiw i'm a cap markets midlevel and if I were in your position knowing what I know now, that's definitely what I would do.
Thanks for sharing. Do you mean lateral to Latham from dpw and do an intraoffice transfer, or just lateral from dpw to a Latham CA office?
I mean do DPW NY until you want to move to CA. Then, like three months before the move, just call up Latham LA and say "Hey, I am thinking of moving to California so checking in to see if you're interested in hiring me." (Or, if you have a friend at Latham LA, ask them to refer you and split the referral bonus). Absent something very catastrophic in the market overall, I'd be honestly shocked if Latham LA didn't just as a matter of course interview a DPW NY midlevel who reaches out and is curious about moving over. Well trained cap market midlevels is literally the thing that every top cap markets shop is permanently searching for at all times. If Latham won't take you (which tbh I think is probably unlikely --- in my experience everyone I've ever known trying to lateral in cap markets within the V10 has always basically ended up with open offers everywhere), then you can call up Skadden or whatever other generic top firm (though, in cap markets, everything in town will be second fiddle to Latham LA ---- in the same way that everything in NY will be second fiddle to DPW NY) and one of them will have room.

If you're very risk averse and absolutely positive you'll want to be in LA in like 3-5 years, though, can definitely just start at Latham and I'm almost sure you'll be able to do a transfer. In my experience, firms facilitate this pretty easily with cap markets mid-levels ---- in part because they know how mobile associates are in this practice group at around that seniority, so if they don't let you move then you'll just leave the firm and they'll need to bring in someone entirely new anyway.

Anonymous User
Posts: 428117
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Capital Markets NY - DPW vs LW

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Feb 24, 2021 7:57 pm

They are similar enough that you should just go with fit. Any choice within the vault 10ish rank should be based on your goals and fit (except for maybe, Wachtell, if you are 100% M&A). This statement only applies to corporate of course, if you are into litigation, vault is trash.

Want to continue reading?

Register for access!

Did I mention it was FREE ?


Anonymous User
Posts: 428117
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Capital Markets NY - DPW vs LW

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Mar 12, 2021 1:10 am

Is Davis Poke that good...?

Anonymous User
Posts: 428117
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Capital Markets NY - DPW vs LW

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Mar 12, 2021 2:34 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Mar 12, 2021 1:10 am
Is Davis Poke that good...?
Top corporate firms are all pretty similar, when it comes to hair splitting differences like this, people should just go with fit. If you have offers from these amazing firms, you are going to do amazing at either firm if you put in good faith. Lit, regulatory work, or other niche areas however, are different enough that you really need to think about their practice strength and specialty.

Register now!

Resources to assist law school applicants, students & graduates.

It's still FREE!


Post Reply Post Anonymous Reply  

Return to “Legal Employment”