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[Deleted after OCI season's over this year for privacy reasons. Thanks for all the help!]

Of your options, Davis Polk or Skadden sounds like the play for next summer. Skadden has the reputation as a bit of a mill when it comes to litigation associates, and DPW has international summer rotations (or at least historically did pre-covid), which maybe gives DPW the edge here but either is fine. Fair warning, all of these firms will have ‘gunners,’ particularly for die-hard lit folks.

If I can offer one piece of advice given the snippets I’ve gathered from your post: you should strongly consider applying as a 3L to firms in London and DC with a larger presence in international arbitration, particularly those with a significant Hong Kong presence. For example, firms like Herbert Smith, Debevoise, Hogan Lovells, Three Crowns, Freshfields, WilmerHale, and White & Case. (Shearman would have been on this list until the Gaillard departures earlier this year.). Each of these firms has a more prominent arbitration group than any of the New York offices in your OP, and they are much more likely to actually staff you on those matters, particularly if you are in an office with a lot of arbitration specialists. I would also consider something like Willkie or Kirkland’s London offices. None of your options are even ranked for arbitration (except maybe Skadden, and even then not that highly). This advice may sound unorthodox or even unfair given that your current choices might be considered the “best firms” by your classmates, but trust me, vault plays essentially no role in this space.

I’ve done arbitrations under ICC, HKIAC, LCIA, and SIAC rules (several seated in Asia), and I cannot recall ever seeing any of the firms you list as co-counsel or on the other side except L&W—and that was staffed entirely out of their London office, where they have several decent QCs. I don’t recommend Latham’s NY office for arbitration, and the same goes for Skadden, frankly. Conversely, I’ve been in arbitrations with 3C, Debevoise, Shearman / GBS, HSF, Lovells, Linklaters, and other UK and continental firms with a more limited US footprint like Fieldfisher over and over again. If you won’t / can’t clerk and truly want to pursue arbitration, you shouldn’t count on getting it from these big firms in New York. (Not that clerking helps you with arbitration per se, but it is a huge asset as a litigator.).

[Deleted after OCI season's over this year for privacy reasons. Thanks for all the help!]

Unless I was lied to by recruiting, I thought S&C was not at all free market?

At Skadden you will have to make a decision re complex lit vs arbitration after your summer. Arbitration is a very small group there, I think they take 1-2 summers every year? Most years, only 1. Had a sense it was fairly competitive as well.

[Deleted after OCI season's over this year for privacy reasons. Thanks for all the help!]

Latham NY's international arb practice basically fell apart after Claudia Salomon left. That said, if this is not a dealbreaker for you, the complex commercial lit group there is fantastic and has a great culture.

Also circulating the visa policy spreadsheet since you mentioned immigration concerns: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... edit#gid=0

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 08, 2021 12:54 am

OP again! Thx for input above.

I'm aware that Skadden assigns summers by early 3L year and that international arb is competitive b/c of its size. Tbh that's what's giving me qualms abt Skadden.

And fair pt re S&C not being free market. I was just thinking about its reputation (on tls at least) as more sharp-elbow-y than some of its peers. Did completely avoid the likes of K&E, though, not that they're going to be interested in me anyway.

This is tough. Also, why is S&C getting the most votes above (and Skadden the least)? I was kind of expecting the other way round given the rankings of their international arb practices.

I mean you said you are interested in general commercial lit, too. So which is it?

S&C is prb the best litigation shop among these and their international arbitration practice is no joke. Honestly, none of these firms has a strong arbitration practice.

[Deleted after OCI season's over this year for privacy reasons. Thanks for all the help!]

[Deleted after OCI season's over this year for privacy reasons. Thanks for all the help!]