Quick questions on BigLaw Forum

[crazi4law]

Hey guys, I have 3 quick questions about BigLaw:

1. Do BigLaw firms (except Wachtell-Lipton) pay more or less the same in terms of salary and in terms of exit opportunities?
2. How much does the law school that you went to matter after you get your first job?
3. How hard is it to get a BigLaw job coming from a T14 (excluding T6) school compared to a T6 school?

Thanks!

[thesealocust]

(1) In major markets, large firms tend to have the same salary and benefits. There are a few exceptions. Exit options vary dramatically - especially because going inhouse with clients from corporate practice is so common. One of the few 'real' benefits of going to a 'better' firm are the exit options (since, as you seem to have alluded, pay and benefits are often identical).

(2) Somewhere between very little and not at all.

(3) Not any harder at all for people who finish comfortably above median. The T6 advantage really comes into play for students who finish around median or worse - it's much easier to sneak into a bigfrim job from the middle of the pack at Harvard or Columbia than it is from Cornell or Georgetown. The people who do well in the T14 have very similar prospects across schools though.

[chasgoose]

(1) In major markets, large firms tend to have the same salary and benefits. There are a few exceptions. Exit options vary dramatically - especially because going inhouse with clients from corporate practice is so common. One of the few 'real' benefits of going to a 'better' firm are the exit options (since, as you seem to have alluded, pay and benefits are often identical).

(2) Somewhere between very little and not at all.

(3) Not any harder at all for people who finish comfortably above median. The T6 advantage really comes into play for students who finish around median or worse - it's much easier to sneak into a bigfrim job from the middle of the pack at Harvard or Columbia than it is from Cornell or Georgetown. The people who do well in the T14 have very similar prospects across schools though.

I would say as a caveat to 3 that "doing well" enough to get like the big V10 firms (like DPW/STB/Cleary) is slightly easier at T6 schools too. Top 25%ile seems to put you very much in play, whereas at some lower T14's, they want to see better performance. S&C seems to treat most non-HYS T14's equally though.