Lateral to Wachtell? Forum

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Anonymous User
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Re: Lateral to Wachtell?

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Sep 01, 2021 11:36 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Sep 01, 2021 10:27 am
Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Sep 01, 2021 10:20 am
Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Sep 01, 2021 10:05 am
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Aug 31, 2021 11:09 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Aug 31, 2021 10:53 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Aug 31, 2021 7:10 pm
Kirkland has also sent laterals to WLRK. It's insanely hard to get hired as a lateral at WLRK, maybe even harder than during OCI. That being said, because of the short partnership track, it is difficult to make partner as a lateral and laterals often move on after a few years.
I think you meant to say that WLRK has sent laterals to Kirkland. Don’t think it works the other way around. If I’m wrong, tell me who.
Didn’t want to chime in earlier in case I missed someone, but I can’t think of a single Kirkland-to-WLRK hire. It’s not something the firm would do. Maybe I’m missing one. But I definitely wouldn’t use the plural form of lateral. At least not in the last 5 years.

No need to out the person’s name on some law forum however if I (and I guess the poster I’m quoting) am missing someone.
Def know of a black Yale Law grad who lateraled from KE in DC to WLRK in lit a few years ago. So it is definitely something the firm would do, but that's the only person I can think of. I think he's an AUSA now.
But this is like not at all common tho. Search Sullivan & Cromwell (or Cravath) + Wachtell, you will see a few people who lateraled to Wachtell. This is not the case fo Kirkland.
LinkedIn suggests the hire was from 2013. So not something common (although no one in this thread has suggested as much.) or in the last few years… just very surprised by the use of plural from the original person raising K&E.
He prb was just trying to make everyone think his firm is not lagging behind the elite firms in terms of sending laterals to Wachtell. Pretty petty if you ask me.

Anonymous User
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Re: Lateral to Wachtell?

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Sep 01, 2021 8:59 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Sep 01, 2021 10:05 am
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Aug 31, 2021 11:09 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Aug 31, 2021 10:53 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Aug 31, 2021 7:10 pm
Def know of a black Yale Law grad who lateraled from KE in DC to WLRK in lit a few years ago. So it is definitely something the firm would do, but that's the only person I can think of. I think he's an AUSA now.
But this is like not at all common tho. Search Sullivan & Cromwell (or Cravath) + Wachtell, you will see a few people who lateraled to Wachtell. This is not the case fo Kirkland.
LinkedIn suggests the hire was from 2013. So not something common (although no one in this thread has suggested as much.) or in the last few years… just very surprised by the use of plural from the original person raising K&E.
He prb was just trying to make everyone think his firm is not lagging behind the elite firms in terms of sending laterals to Wachtell. Pretty petty if you ask me.
I concede I missed one! A litigation lateral in 2013 from K&E’s DC office. Looks like he was an AUSA after his Wachtell tenure, but he’s now in-house.

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Re: Lateral to Wachtell?

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Oct 12, 2021 11:54 am

What does it take to lateral to WLRK (interested in M&A/corporate)? T6 pedigree? What law school GPA do you need to end up with (e.g., 3.5+, 3.7+)? I'm guessing law firm ranking matters too? I've heard they hire from S&C and CSM. What about DPW/STB/Skadden? Also, do people just apply directly to WLRK hiring? Or do you need an "in" (e.g., a law school friend who's an associate there passing along your resume)? Would appreciate any insight, even if only anecdotal! :)

Anonymous User
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Re: Lateral to Wachtell?

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Oct 12, 2021 12:50 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Oct 12, 2021 11:54 am
What does it take to lateral to WLRK (interested in M&A/corporate)? T6 pedigree? What law school GPA do you need to end up with (e.g., 3.5+, 3.7+)? I'm guessing law firm ranking matters too? I've heard they hire from S&C and CSM. What about DPW/STB/Skadden? Also, do people just apply directly to WLRK hiring? Or do you need an "in" (e.g., a law school friend who's an associate there passing along your resume)? Would appreciate any insight, even if only anecdotal! :)
I do not have inside knowledge; but if you look at NALP, you'll see that WLRK takes 3-5 laterals per year (and a similar number of post-clerkship associates). So IMO, it's not really the type of thing to plan your career around.

To address one of your other questions, I know of at least one DPW associate who lateralled into corporate there in the last 1-2 years. (S)he was T6, top grades, etc.

The Lsat Airbender

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Re: Lateral to Wachtell?

Post by The Lsat Airbender » Tue Oct 12, 2021 8:23 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Oct 12, 2021 11:54 am
What does it take to lateral to WLRK (interested in M&A/corporate)? T6 pedigree? What law school GPA do you need to end up with (e.g., 3.5+, 3.7+)? I'm guessing law firm ranking matters too? I've heard they hire from S&C and CSM. What about DPW/STB/Skadden? Also, do people just apply directly to WLRK hiring? Or do you need an "in" (e.g., a law school friend who's an associate there passing along your resume)? Would appreciate any insight, even if only anecdotal! :)
Did you read this thread? It's not, like, ancient outdated information or anything. All of your questions have been answered. (tl;dr you probably can't do it, based on the questions you're asking).

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Sackboy

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Re: Lateral to Wachtell?

Post by Sackboy » Tue Oct 12, 2021 8:47 pm

Once you work 1 day in biglaw, you'll lose any aspirations to work at WLRK or any shop that requires you to grind yourself to death. If you don't, you probably need new aspirations. As others have said, WLRK will and has hired laterals from all of the V10 M&A shops (CSM, S&C, DPW, L&W, PW, K&E, Skadden, STB) and probably Cleary/Debevoise. As others have said, if you're asking this question, you're probably not qualified to lateral.

BEng,MBA,FRM,JD(?)

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Re: Lateral to Wachtell?

Post by BEng,MBA,FRM,JD(?) » Tue Oct 12, 2021 10:58 pm

Bio of a recent hire to Wachtell accords with what's been said here: latin honors from HYS, little Ivy undergrad.

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Re: Lateral to Wachtell?

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Oct 13, 2021 1:05 pm

BEng,MBA,FRM,JD(?) wrote:
Tue Oct 12, 2021 10:58 pm
Bio of a recent hire to Wachtell accords with what's been said here: latin honors from HYS, little Ivy undergrad.
Tbf, recent ECB lateral from Cravath went to a lower T14 and a top public undergrad. Probably just

1) had a really good deal sheet from CSM and

2) filled a need in that department (which I've heard was severe in 2019-2021)

2013

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Re: Lateral to Wachtell?

Post by 2013 » Wed Oct 13, 2021 1:42 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Oct 13, 2021 1:05 pm
BEng,MBA,FRM,JD(?) wrote:
Tue Oct 12, 2021 10:58 pm
Bio of a recent hire to Wachtell accords with what's been said here: latin honors from HYS, little Ivy undergrad.
Tbf, recent ECB lateral from Cravath went to a lower T14 and a top public undergrad. Probably just

1) had a really good deal sheet from CSM and

2) filled a need in that department (which I've heard was severe in 2019-2021)
I think they hired a lateral from Cardozo or Brooklyn Law for ECB a decade or so ago.

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Anonymous User
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Re: Lateral to Wachtell?

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Oct 15, 2021 5:38 pm

2013 wrote:
Wed Oct 13, 2021 1:42 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Oct 13, 2021 1:05 pm
BEng,MBA,FRM,JD(?) wrote:
Tue Oct 12, 2021 10:58 pm
Bio of a recent hire to Wachtell accords with what's been said here: latin honors from HYS, little Ivy undergrad.
Tbf, recent ECB lateral from Cravath went to a lower T14 and a top public undergrad. Probably just

1) had a really good deal sheet from CSM and

2) filled a need in that department (which I've heard was severe in 2019-2021)
I think they hired a lateral from Cardozo or Brooklyn Law for ECB a decade or so ago.
ECB is a different category. Many firms will accept lesser credentials for ECB.

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