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Well the first question is NYC or Chicago? Assuming NYC, obviously take off Kirkland and then look at the rest (and vice versa). I would personally go Latham because I had great experience with them/their associates seem happiest but you can’t really go wrong in terms of prestige, training or exit ops.
OP said they are interested in corp thoughAnonymous User wrote: ↑Fri Aug 27, 2021 11:16 pmObviously depends on particular interests but I think S&C has a better lit group than the others in terms of volume of work coming thru the shop and generalist model is appealing considering the avg stint is a few years.
Because ppl see s&c and dpw as more prestigious than skadden.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Aug 28, 2021 6:13 amCan someone explain why Skadden isn’t competitive here? I thought corporate was their bread and butter (and V3?).
Interesting. What about KE v Skadden v Latham?Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Aug 28, 2021 9:34 amBecause ppl see s&c and dpw as more prestigious than skadden.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Aug 28, 2021 6:13 amCan someone explain why Skadden isn’t competitive here? I thought corporate was their bread and butter (and V3?).
This is Chicago v NYC. K&E is the undisputed corporate king in Chi-Town. DPW=S&C>Skadden>Latham may be the rough tiers in NYC.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Aug 28, 2021 10:17 amInteresting. What about KE v Skadden v Latham?Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Aug 28, 2021 9:34 amBecause ppl see s&c and dpw as more prestigious than skadden.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Aug 28, 2021 6:13 amCan someone explain why Skadden isn’t competitive here? I thought corporate was their bread and butter (and V3?).
Skadden is def competitive. They're just a little less grade-selective than S&C and DPW and so law students just get in a huff. If you want to do M&A, Skadden has an edge. Cap Markets, DPW has a slight edge. I think Skadden's lit group may have a slight edge on S&C's, and def an edge on DPW's. Can't go wrong with any of these choices.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Aug 28, 2021 6:13 amCan someone explain why Skadden isn’t competitive here? I thought corporate was their bread and butter (and V3?).
Maybe in 2000, that was the rough tier in NY but it's incorrect to put Skadden below DPW/SullCrom now. Skadden's M&A practice is at least as good as SullCrom's (if not better) and it's clearly better than DPW's. In general corporate practice as well, at worst they're all peer firms. Don't know too much about lit but I'd wager they're all peers there as wellAnonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Aug 28, 2021 11:34 amThis is Chicago v NYC. K&E is the undisputed corporate king in Chi-Town. DPW=S&C>Skadden>Latham may be the rough tiers in NYC.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Aug 28, 2021 10:17 amInteresting. What about KE v Skadden v Latham?Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Aug 28, 2021 9:34 amBecause ppl see s&c and dpw as more prestigious than skadden.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Aug 28, 2021 6:13 amCan someone explain why Skadden isn’t competitive here? I thought corporate was their bread and butter (and V3?).
Definite "corporate". For certain transactional practices there's first-rate stuff at other Chicago offices and in SF/Boston/DC/overseas. Traditional public M&A, not so much.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Aug 28, 2021 12:58 pmIs KE Chicago the only office that's really competing with/comparable to these guys in corporate outside of NYC?
Fine. I'll ask it another way. Is there any office in NYC -- or anywhere -- with a better Private Equity/M&A practice than KE Chicago?The Lsat Airbender wrote: ↑Sat Aug 28, 2021 1:13 pmDefinite "corporate". For certain transactional practices there's first-rate stuff at other Chicago offices and in SF/Boston/DC/overseas. Traditional public M&A, not so much.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Aug 28, 2021 12:58 pmIs KE Chicago the only office that's really competing with/comparable to these guys in corporate outside of NYC?
For PE specifically, maybe STB NY? They're probs about the same. For all M&A generally I'd say Skadden/S&C/Cravath in NY (these three + Wachtell def are better regarded for public M&A) are better than Kirkland CHI.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Aug 28, 2021 1:31 pmFine. I'll ask it another way. Is there any office in NYC -- or anywhere -- with a better Private Equity/M&A practice than KE Chicago?The Lsat Airbender wrote: ↑Sat Aug 28, 2021 1:13 pmDefinite "corporate". For certain transactional practices there's first-rate stuff at other Chicago offices and in SF/Boston/DC/overseas. Traditional public M&A, not so much.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Aug 28, 2021 12:58 pmIs KE Chicago the only office that's really competing with/comparable to these guys in corporate outside of NYC?
15 v 18 votes is hardly dispositive.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Aug 28, 2021 5:13 pmHow come S&C>DPW in the poll results? I thought they were basically peers for general corporate
No, because that would suggest the rankings have meaning. Dead serious.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Aug 28, 2021 7:14 pmI've noticed that Latham comes last in almost all of these polls involving elite firms -- and behind firms with lower Vault rankings. Is the firm overrated?
Vault rankings are invoked when they support one's claim, and dismissed when they appear to contradict it.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Aug 28, 2021 8:28 pmNo, because that would suggest the rankings have meaning. Dead serious.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Aug 28, 2021 7:14 pmI've noticed that Latham comes last in almost all of these polls involving elite firms -- and behind firms with lower Vault rankings. Is the firm overrated?
I don’t know which league table you are looking at, but mergermarket league tables show DPW is still a notch below S&C/Cravath for public m&a. But the difference isn’t really material.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Aug 28, 2021 6:22 pmI don't fully understand why DPW's M&A group isn't seen as on par with S&C. When you look at the league tables, both in terms of total $ and $ per deal, the numbers are incredibly similar and they routinely handle huge deals like S&C. Is it because DPW is being more seen as fin-services M&A or because they are generally seen as better in Cap Markets? I get no one is saying that DPW is materially worse than S&C, but I don't fully understand that, outside of Wachtell, DPW/S&C/Cravath aren't seen on equal footing for M&A.
It's true that historically these are peer firms on league tables. For whatever reason, this year DPW is trailing behind significantly. The H1 volume of the other firms you mentioned was twice as much as DPW's.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Aug 28, 2021 6:22 pmI don't fully understand why DPW's M&A group isn't seen as on par with S&C. When you look at the league tables, both in terms of total $ and $ per deal, the numbers are incredibly similar and they routinely handle huge deals like S&C. Is it because DPW is being more seen as fin-services M&A or because they are generally seen as better in Cap Markets? I get no one is saying that DPW is materially worse than S&C, but I don't fully understand that, outside of Wachtell, DPW/S&C/Cravath aren't seen on equal footing for M&A.