Latham (Chicago) vs Sidley (Chicago) vs STB (NY) Forum

[woffy123]

Trying to decide between my offers and would love to hear everyone's thoughts on the firms and cities. Interested in transactional work. Preference for Chicago over NY because of COL and quality of life, but I know STB is a powerhouse in NY so that's why I'm still considering it.

Other factors I'd like to consider: Exit opps, time given to choose practice groups, benefits (like mega backdoor ROTH IRA), types of deals you get to work on, quality of firm life, culture, etc.

I'm totally neutral w/r/t my interviewers (I enjoyed talking to everyone). I don't particularly care about gunning for partnership either, but it's nice to leave that door open in case.

[Iowahawk]

Imo going to STB NY when you want to practice in Chicago and have offers from two of the very top firms there would be nuts.

[showusyourtorts]

Based on a recent TLS thread, both Simpson and Latham allow for mega back door Roth contributions, though Sidley does not.

I think the biggest questions are probably (1) which city you prefer to live in, both currently and in the future and (2) how much time each firm gives to choose between practice groups / how flexible each practice group is. Correct me if I'm wrong -- and this is something you should be asking them all about during second looks -- but I think that Latham gives you about a year and a half to float freely among all corporate groups and then basically choose your desired group (though it's not a guarantee to be chosen by them), and that STB puts you on two 8-month rotations in two of each of the four corporate practice groups, after which point you choose/are chosen. I think that Sidley has neither of these but instead has a static model where you start in a group and then stay. I'm not sure how these firms differ in terms of which groups are most narrow and which in practice allow for more flexibility within the group itself.

[Sackboy]

+1 to it being silly to even considering STB NY when you have one of Kirkland/Sidley/Latham/Skadden Chi on the table and a preference for Chicago. Don't think you can go particularly wrong here. Just choose a name out of a hate between Sidley/Latham.

[Anonymous User]

+1 to it being silly to even considering STB NY when you have one of Kirkland/Sidley/Latham/Skadden Chi on the table and a preference for Chicago. Don't think you can go particularly wrong here. Just choose a name out of a hate between Sidley/Latham.

Freudian slip?

[Hutz_and_Goodman]

Where you want to live > prestige of a particular office

IMO anything else is a recipe for unhappiness

[CapibaraBipolar]

I had a V10 offer in NYC and ended up choosing Sidley Chicago. Being in the city you like (And saving like 20K a year between rent and lower income taxes) is more important than any marginal prestige benefit.

There is no wrong choice between Latham and Sidley. You will get to work in huge deals, have a lot of exit opportunities. I can say that the culture at Sidley Chicago varies between groups but a lot of people seem to have a family life, and enjoy leaving at 6 (pre covid), and bill a couple of hours from home later.

You will get specialized fast though. After your summer you will be asked to rank groups, and you will be assigned to one. Switching after a couple of years is possible but not encouraged. Choosing the corporate group is the way to go for people who want to do a bit of everything.

[notinbiglaw]

Didn't vote because the option "Just not STB NY" wasn't available.

[moxcoal]

Why are folks bringing up “prestige hit” in the context of Sidley… it’s Chicago. The other firms are downgrades if you’re inclined to look at things that way.

[Sackboy]

Why are folks bringing up “prestige hit” in the context of Sidley… it’s Chicago. The other firms are downgrades if you’re inclined to look at things that way.

The fact that as of the time of writing 27% of folks chose STB (NYC) just shows you how hard some posters ride the cock of NYC. Sidley as or more prestigious in the Chicago market as STB is in NYC, and you'll save $20k+ as another poster pointed out. Latham is also a great firm that is highly regarded in the city as just behind Kirkland/Sidley and comparable to Skadden in the market. STB should have gotten zero votes given OP said they prefer Chicago.

[Anonymous User]

Like other posters, no bad choice between Latham and Sidley in Chicago for transactional work. Given your goals/decision metrics, I give a slight edge to Latham. It has a mega backdoor Roth option, has the great student loan refi, discounted mortgage rates, other top-notch benefits and allows you to try out a bunch of groups (it's more like 6-12 months, very few people are still floating between groups come year 2). The work is every bit as sophisticated as any transactional work being done in Chicago.

It definitely has less lay prestige than Sidley in Chicago. Some folks who love to always make people feel bad will ask you why you chose Latham over Sidley. You won't get the opposite question if you go to Sidley.