Most competitive Gibson offices? Forum

[Anonymous User]

How would you rank most competitive Gibson offices? Would DC > LA > Dallas= SF=NY be fair?

[Anonymous User]

Please stop

[Anonymous User]

Lol what a dumb thread. FWIW, it's probably DC = Dallas = LA > SF and Denver > NYC. DC is DC, LA is where the firm is from, and the Dallas office has positioned itself as a top-end lit boutique in Texas. Go to each office's webpage, filter for litigation associates, and you'll get a good sense of credentials and clerkships.

This is for lit, no idea for corp.

[Anonymous User]

Lol what a dumb thread. FWIW, it's probably DC = Dallas = LA > SF and Denver > NYC. DC is DC, LA is where the firm is from, and the Dallas office has positioned itself as a top-end lit boutique in Texas. Go to each office's webpage, filter for litigation associates, and you'll get a good sense of credentials and clerkships.

This is for lit, no idea for corp.

No need to even bother with corp as for the most part GDC is a not a destination of choice for top corp candidates

[Anonymous User]

Lol what a dumb thread. FWIW, it's probably DC = Dallas = LA > SF and Denver > NYC. DC is DC, LA is where the firm is from, and the Dallas office has positioned itself as a top-end lit boutique in Texas. Go to each office's webpage, filter for litigation associates, and you'll get a good sense of credentials and clerkships.

This is for lit, no idea for corp.

No need to even bother with corp as for the most part GDC is a not a destination of choice for top corp candidates

Maybe in NY, but it's band 1 corp in DC

[Anonymous User]

Lol what a dumb thread. FWIW, it's probably DC = Dallas = LA > SF and Denver > NYC. DC is DC, LA is where the firm is from, and the Dallas office has positioned itself as a top-end lit boutique in Texas. Go to each office's webpage, filter for litigation associates, and you'll get a good sense of credentials and clerkships.

This is for lit, no idea for corp.

Is Dallas really as competitive as DC for Gibson or is that more a result of Dallas being more ties-sensitive? Also where does Houston fit in on this scale.

[Anonymous User]

How would you rank most competitive Gibson offices? Would DC > LA > Dallas= SF=NY be fair?

DC is the most competitive. NY is the least competitive. The other offices are in between and more variable depending school region / ties / practices. This is true for most firms.

[Anonymous User]

Lol what a dumb thread. FWIW, it's probably DC = Dallas = LA > SF and Denver > NYC. DC is DC, LA is where the firm is from, and the Dallas office has positioned itself as a top-end lit boutique in Texas. Go to each office's webpage, filter for litigation associates, and you'll get a good sense of credentials and clerkships.

This is for lit, no idea for corp.

Is Dallas really as competitive as DC for Gibson or is that more a result of Dallas being more ties-sensitive? Also where does Houston fit in on this scale.

Take a look through the lit associate roster in Dallas. It's stacked with COA clerks. The office has materially more clerks per capita than LA. The Dallas office has a unique history and functions as a high-end lit boutique in the Texas litigation ecosystem.

Houston is a totally different operation. The office revolves almost entirely around transactions. They've been trying to kickstart a fledgling lit practice in the past year or so, but unclear how things will shape out long term. In other words, Houston is probably just a hair above NY in competitiveness.

[Anonymous User]

Lol what a dumb thread. FWIW, it's probably DC = Dallas = LA > SF and Denver > NYC. DC is DC, LA is where the firm is from, and the Dallas office has positioned itself as a top-end lit boutique in Texas. Go to each office's webpage, filter for litigation associates, and you'll get a good sense of credentials and clerkships.

This is for lit, no idea for corp.

No need to even bother with corp as for the most part GDC is a not a destination of choice for top corp candidates

eh, depends on the market. I think it’s the best corporate destination in Dallas, but certainly not in NY and probably not for Houston.

[Anonymous User]

GDC Dallas is not actually competitive. The credentials of the Dallas litigation associates largely reflect the ease with which middling (or worse) FedSoc-aligned students have scored certain kinds of clerkships in the Trump/post-Trump era. TCR here is DC on one end and NY on another, with the rest of the offices arranged at various points in between. FWIW, for a while, GDC would also let you take a post-SA offer to any office but Denver. Not sure whether that’s still the case, but it certainly suggested (again, a few years ago) that Denver was the most oversubscribed office.

[Anonymous User]

Dupe.

[Anonymous User]

GDC Dallas is not actually competitive. The credentials of the Dallas litigation associates largely reflect the ease with which middling (or worse) FedSoc-aligned students have scored certain kinds of clerkships in the Trump/post-Trump era. TCR here is DC on one end and NY on another, with the rest of the offices arranged at various points in between. FWIW, for a while, GDC would also let you take a post-SA offer to any office but Denver. Not sure whether that’s still the case, but it certainly suggested (again, a few years ago) that Denver was the most oversubscribed office.

This is a pretty interesting take to say the least

[Anonymous User]

GDC Dallas is not actually competitive. The credentials of the Dallas litigation associates largely reflect the ease with which middling (or worse) FedSoc-aligned students have scored certain kinds of clerkships in the Trump/post-Trump era. TCR here is DC on one end and NY on another, with the rest of the offices arranged at various points in between. FWIW, for a while, GDC would also let you take a post-SA offer to any office but Denver. Not sure whether that’s still the case, but it certainly suggested (again, a few years ago) that Denver was the most oversubscribed office.

This is a pretty interesting take to say the least

How difficult is it to lateral Dallas for corp. Currently at a V10 in CA. Are they actually elite in that market, had always thought it was mainly lit there

[Anonymous User]

GDC Dallas is not actually competitive. The credentials of the Dallas litigation associates largely reflect the ease with which middling (or worse) FedSoc-aligned students have scored certain kinds of clerkships in the Trump/post-Trump era. TCR here is DC on one end and NY on another, with the rest of the offices arranged at various points in between. FWIW, for a while, GDC would also let you take a post-SA offer to any office but Denver. Not sure whether that’s still the case, but it certainly suggested (again, a few years ago) that Denver was the most oversubscribed office.

This is a pretty interesting take to say the least

How difficult is it to lateral Dallas for corp. Currently at a V10 in CA. Are they actually elite in that market, had always thought it was mainly lit there

I’ll be there for Dallas corp. It’s a smaller shop vs KE but they’re definitely adding associates, especially juniors, so definitely worth a try.

The local presence is better than KE’s, and the national presence is better than V&E. So I’d say yes, it’s elite in the market. You can look back at older threads here and usually it’s up in the same band as KE/V&E/Sidley.

[Anonymous User]

Lol what a dumb thread. FWIW, it's probably DC = Dallas = LA > SF and Denver > NYC. DC is DC, LA is where the firm is from, and the Dallas office has positioned itself as a top-end lit boutique in Texas. Go to each office's webpage, filter for litigation associates, and you'll get a good sense of credentials and clerkships.

This is for lit, no idea for corp.

No need to even bother with corp as for the most part GDC is a not a destination of choice for top corp candidates

eh, depends on the market. I think it’s the best corporate destination in Dallas, but certainly not in NY and probably not for Houston.

Far, far from a “top” corporate destination in Houston. I’m sure there are great lawyers in that office, but it’s just way too small to be particularly relevant at the top of the market (56 lawyers, vs ~120 at Latham and ~250 at Kirkland and V&E). Still twice as big as Skadden’s Houston office though. And about the same size as Simpson (which has 60). Neither of those are a top corporate destination either, however.

[Anonymous User]

Lol what a dumb thread. FWIW, it's probably DC = Dallas = LA > SF and Denver > NYC. DC is DC, LA is where the firm is from, and the Dallas office has positioned itself as a top-end lit boutique in Texas. Go to each office's webpage, filter for litigation associates, and you'll get a good sense of credentials and clerkships.

This is for lit, no idea for corp.

No need to even bother with corp as for the most part GDC is a not a destination of choice for top corp candidates

eh, depends on the market. I think it’s the best corporate destination in Dallas, but certainly not in NY and probably not for Houston.

Far, far from a “top” corporate destination in Houston. I’m sure there are great lawyers in that office, but it’s just way too small to be particularly relevant at the top of the market (56 lawyers, vs ~120 at Latham and ~250 at Kirkland and V&E). Still twice as big as Skadden’s Houston office though. And about the same size as Simpson (which has 60). Neither of those are a top corporate destination either, however.

Yeah, true. The other side of the coin though is basically any t14 student with median grades and a pulse can be hired to bill for V&E/KE Houston

[Anonymous User]

Lol what a dumb thread. FWIW, it's probably DC = Dallas = LA > SF and Denver > NYC. DC is DC, LA is where the firm is from, and the Dallas office has positioned itself as a top-end lit boutique in Texas. Go to each office's webpage, filter for litigation associates, and you'll get a good sense of credentials and clerkships.

This is for lit, no idea for corp.

No need to even bother with corp as for the most part GDC is a not a destination of choice for top corp candidates

eh, depends on the market. I think it’s the best corporate destination in Dallas, but certainly not in NY and probably not for Houston.

Far, far from a “top” corporate destination in Houston. I’m sure there are great lawyers in that office, but it’s just way too small to be particularly relevant at the top of the market (56 lawyers, vs ~120 at Latham and ~250 at Kirkland and V&E). Still twice as big as Skadden’s Houston office though. And about the same size as Simpson (which has 60). Neither of those are a top corporate destination either, however.

Yeah, true. The other side of the coin though is basically any t14 student with median grades and a pulse can be hired to bill for V&E/KE Houston

And yet another thread turns into K&E bashing by people who are upset their oh so preftigious firms are getting trounced by the team from Chicago.

Also, outside of Susman and (maybe) GDC Dallas, are there any truly grade-selective Texas offices? I always thought the issue with Texas wasn't grades but rather ties.

[Anonymous User]

Lol what a dumb thread. FWIW, it's probably DC = Dallas = LA > SF and Denver > NYC. DC is DC, LA is where the firm is from, and the Dallas office has positioned itself as a top-end lit boutique in Texas. Go to each office's webpage, filter for litigation associates, and you'll get a good sense of credentials and clerkships.

This is for lit, no idea for corp.

No need to even bother with corp as for the most part GDC is a not a destination of choice for top corp candidates

eh, depends on the market. I think it’s the best corporate destination in Dallas, but certainly not in NY and probably not for Houston.

Far, far from a “top” corporate destination in Houston. I’m sure there are great lawyers in that office, but it’s just way too small to be particularly relevant at the top of the market (56 lawyers, vs ~120 at Latham and ~250 at Kirkland and V&E). Still twice as big as Skadden’s Houston office though. And about the same size as Simpson (which has 60). Neither of those are a top corporate destination either, however.

Yeah, true. The other side of the coin though is basically any t14 student with median grades and a pulse can be hired to bill for V&E/KE Houston

And yet another thread turns into K&E bashing by people who are upset their oh so preftigious firms are getting trounced by the team from Chicago.

Also, outside of Susman and (maybe) GDC Dallas, are there any truly grade-selective Texas offices? I always thought the issue with Texas wasn't grades but rather ties.

I’m the one who threw the jab at KE Houston and I worked at KE Chicago lol; I actually don’t mind KE at all, it’s just not hard to get a job there and I don’t think it’s outrageous to note it’s a churn & burn firm

Also yeah I think that’s true re ties v grades, though I think ties are becoming a little less of an issue.

[Anonymous User]

I’m a longtime GDC associate and I can say that they’re pretty flexible with moving internally to other offices once you have an offer—except for Denver. It’s tougher to move there because the office is small and and a lot of people want to live in Denver. So I’d say Denver is the most competitive office. NY/LA (downtown) are least competitive as far as I can tell.

[Anonymous User]

Delete.

[Anonymous User]

Lol what a dumb thread. FWIW, it's probably DC = Dallas = LA > SF and Denver > NYC. DC is DC, LA is where the firm is from, and the Dallas office has positioned itself as a top-end lit boutique in Texas. Go to each office's webpage, filter for litigation associates, and you'll get a good sense of credentials and clerkships.

This is for lit, no idea for corp.

No need to even bother with corp as for the most part GDC is a not a destination of choice for top corp candidates

eh, depends on the market. I think it’s the best corporate destination in Dallas, but certainly not in NY and probably not for Houston.

Far, far from a “top” corporate destination in Houston. I’m sure there are great lawyers in that office, but it’s just way too small to be particularly relevant at the top of the market (56 lawyers, vs ~120 at Latham and ~250 at Kirkland and V&E). Still twice as big as Skadden’s Houston office though. And about the same size as Simpson (which has 60). Neither of those are a top corporate destination either, however.

Yeah, true. The other side of the coin though is basically any t14 student with median grades and a pulse can be hired to bill for V&E/KE Houston

And yet another thread turns into K&E bashing by people who are upset their oh so preftigious firms are getting trounced by the team from Chicago.

Also, outside of Susman and (maybe) GDC Dallas, are there any truly grade-selective Texas offices? I always thought the issue with Texas wasn't grades but rather ties.

For lit, you’ve got Gibson for Dallas and all the elite Houston boutiques. Not just Susman but also Gibbs Bruns, Yetter, and a few others that are slightly less selective. Given the number of quality boutiques, I would probably say Houston is a better place to be a litigator, all else equal.

[Anonymous User]

Lol what a dumb thread. FWIW, it's probably DC = Dallas = LA > SF and Denver > NYC. DC is DC, LA is where the firm is from, and the Dallas office has positioned itself as a top-end lit boutique in Texas. Go to each office's webpage, filter for litigation associates, and you'll get a good sense of credentials and clerkships.

This is for lit, no idea for corp.

No need to even bother with corp as for the most part GDC is a not a destination of choice for top corp candidates

eh, depends on the market. I think it’s the best corporate destination in Dallas, but certainly not in NY and probably not for Houston.

Far, far from a “top” corporate destination in Houston. I’m sure there are great lawyers in that office, but it’s just way too small to be particularly relevant at the top of the market (56 lawyers, vs ~120 at Latham and ~250 at Kirkland and V&E). Still twice as big as Skadden’s Houston office though. And about the same size as Simpson (which has 60). Neither of those are a top corporate destination either, however.

Yeah, true. The other side of the coin though is basically any t14 student with median grades and a pulse can be hired to bill for V&E/KE Houston

And yet another thread turns into K&E bashing by people who are upset their oh so preftigious firms are getting trounced by the team from Chicago.

Also, outside of Susman and (maybe) GDC Dallas, are there any truly grade-selective Texas offices? I always thought the issue with Texas wasn't grades but rather ties.

For lit, you’ve got Gibson for Dallas and all the elite Houston boutiques. Not just Susman but also Gibbs Bruns, Yetter, and a few others that are slightly less selective. Given the number of quality boutiques, I would probably say Houston is a better place to be a litigator, all else equal.

Yeah I feel like the Texas litigation scene is far more fractured into boutiques than many other markets. BigLaw offices that focus mostly on transactional and an unusually large collection of litigation boutiques taking up a lot of the high end lit work. Many of the BigLaw lit departments are also stocked with ex-boutique people and function as their own little lit shop within the larger office.

[Anonymous User]

GDC Dallas is not actually competitive. The credentials of the Dallas litigation associates largely reflect the ease with which middling (or worse) FedSoc-aligned students have scored certain kinds of clerkships in the Trump/post-Trump era. TCR here is DC on one end and NY on another, with the rest of the offices arranged at various points in between. FWIW, for a while, GDC would also let you take a post-SA offer to any office but Denver. Not sure whether that’s still the case, but it certainly suggested (again, a few years ago) that Denver was the most oversubscribed office.

I looked through the GDC Dallas litigation associates, as this does not match my experience, and this describes literally none of them. All of the Fed Soc clerk ones graduated with Latin honors and/or Coif from T10s (except the YLS/newer SLS ones, as YLS and recently SLS do not have honors or Coif). Plus they also have a lot of clerks for liberal or nonideological judges. Anyone curious can look through them for themselves, there aren't that many. There are absolutely some Fed Soc clerks with mediocre credentials, but it appears that GDC Dallas hasn't been hiring them.

[Pneumonia]

GDC Dallas is not actually competitive. The credentials of the Dallas litigation associates largely reflect the ease with which middling (or worse) FedSoc-aligned students have scored certain kinds of clerkships in the Trump/post-Trump era.

Wrong

[Wild Card]

I thought California went its own way and isn't involved in the prestige rat race of the East Coast, or Northeast. Which makes anything Californian non-prestigious.

So I'd say DC by far. NY manages to snag a magna or two from NYU every year, akin to Latham.