Willkie (NY) vs. Dechert (NY) Forum

[Anonymous User]

Can people please share their thoughts on both firms? I really enjoyed my Dechert CB. I’m not sure what practice area for Dechert but I’d be doing the transactional rotation at Willkie.

[existentialcrisis]

Willkie and it’s not close. Better at every relevant transactional area.

[Res Ipsa Loquitter]

Willkie by a mile. Dechert fired about 1/3 of its first year class around 2013 (allegedly), told them all it was performance based, and then tried to keep them all quiet with threats of blacklisting. Disclaimer: this is all alleged / reputed.

[Anonymous User]

Willkie by a mile. Dechert fired about 1/3 of its first year class around 2013 (allegedly), told them all it was performance based, and then tried to keep them all quiet with threats of blacklisting. Disclaimer: this is all alleged / reputed.

Would you still say Willkie based on the Dechert response to COVID?

[existentialcrisis]

Willkie by a mile. Dechert fired about 1/3 of its first year class around 2013 (allegedly), told them all it was performance based, and then tried to keep them all quiet with threats of blacklisting. Disclaimer: this is all alleged / reputed.

Would you still say Willkie based on the Dechert response to COVID?

Willkie is also just a more stable firm that's better in NY at every practice area I can think of and generally has a much larger NY presence.

[Moneytrees]

Willkie by a mile. Dechert fired about 1/3 of its first year class around 2013 (allegedly), told them all it was performance based, and then tried to keep them all quiet with threats of blacklisting. Disclaimer: this is all alleged / reputed.

Would you still say Willkie based on the Dechert response to COVID?

Willkie is also just a more stable firm that's better in NY at every practice area I can think of and generally has a much larger NY presence.

I don't know if Wilkie is considered better in NY at every practice area. Wilkie is probably the pick if you want to be in NY long term, but in practice the two firms are essentially peers.

[existentialcrisis]

Willkie by a mile. Dechert fired about 1/3 of its first year class around 2013 (allegedly), told them all it was performance based, and then tried to keep them all quiet with threats of blacklisting. Disclaimer: this is all alleged / reputed.

Would you still say Willkie based on the Dechert response to COVID?

Willkie is also just a more stable firm that's better in NY at every practice area I can think of and generally has a much larger NY presence.

I don't know if Wilkie is considered better in NY at every practice area. Wilkie is probably the pick if you want to be in NY long term, but in practice the two firms are essentially peers.

I'll pick 2 major transactional ones + litigation + BK:

Banking/Finance - WFG Band 4; Dechert Band 5

M&A - WFG Band 4 (the Elite); Dechert Band 1 (Highly regarded)

General Commercial Lit - WFG Band 1 (Highly Regarded); Dechert Band 3 (Highly Regarded)

BK - WFG Band 1 (the Elite); Dechert Band 5 (the Elite)

To be fair, this was a bit closer than I'd imagined, but (1) the above still illustrates my point about Willkie's clear advantage and (2) if anything, I think this undersells Willkie's reputational advantage.

Also I never worked at either of these firms and I'm only chiming in here because I think there's enough of an advantage to WFG that I genuinely don't think this is a "pick em based on fit" type scenario.

[Anonymous User]

Willkie by a mile. Dechert fired about 1/3 of its first year class around 2013 (allegedly), told them all it was performance based, and then tried to keep them all quiet with threats of blacklisting. Disclaimer: this is all alleged / reputed.

Would you still say Willkie based on the Dechert response to COVID?

Willkie is also just a more stable firm that's better in NY at every practice area I can think of and generally has a much larger NY presence.

I don't know if Wilkie is considered better in NY at every practice area. Wilkie is probably the pick if you want to be in NY long term, but in practice the two firms are essentially peers.

I'll pick 2 major transactional ones + litigation + BK:

Banking/Finance - WFG Band 4; Dechert Band 5

M&A - WFG Band 4 (the Elite); Dechert Band 1 (Highly regarded)

General Commercial Lit - WFG Band 1 (Highly Regarded); Dechert Band 3 (Highly Regarded)

BK - WFG Band 1 (the Elite); Dechert Band 5 (the Elite)

To be fair, this was a bit closer than I'd imagined, but (1) the above still illustrates my point about Willkie's clear advantage and (2) if anything, I think this undersells Willkie's reputational advantage.

Also I never worked at either of these firms and I'm only chiming in here because I think there's enough of an advantage to WFG that I genuinely don't think this is a "pick em based on fit" type scenario.

Tbf Dechert has a far superior NY white collar practice, and that’s a pretty significant area, though not one seemingly relevant to OP