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I am a junior-to-mid level associate in NYC. I have experience in a broad swath of litigation, having worked at a litigation boutique that does a lot of high-end work. I've worked/lived pretty much most of my adult life in NYC.

But my firm is pretty slow and does not seem like it will recover any time soon. I've come across Young Conaway often, usually in shareholder derivative lawsuits, and I like that work. I am thinking about applying as a lateral. Can anyone speak to what it's like to be a mid-level associate there? In particular:

- The compensation. I gather it's below market. How much below? And what's the bonus structure?

- The colleagues. How do the partners treat the associates? Often, SH derivative suits are fast-paced and involve demanding clients. Is the work relatively more stressful, being a specialist in this area?

- The locale. What's it like to live in Delaware? Are there things for a young person to do? What's the diversity like?

- The work. Do we anticipate it will be very busy given all the incoming bankruptcy work?

Obviously I'll do research on my own as well. But I'd love to hear the experience of people who have worked, are working, or have insight into Young Conaway and the life of a young-ish litigator in DE more generally.

Thanks!

I interviewed with a DE firm for an SA some years ago. I don't have answers to most of your questions, save the one about what it's like in DE. My callback was the first time I went to Wilmington, and it has to be one of the worst cities I have ever visited.

That said, I understand some folks live in Philly and commute in (something like 30-40 mins), so if you want a city life, you could still get that. Just don't count on Wilmington offering very much.

Of course, I could have missed something since I was only there for a day, but I saw enough to eliminate DE firms from consideration.

Thanks, this is helpful. I'm at a point in my career where I can move away from being a litigation generalist and commit to a few specialty areas like SH derivative suits, but I wouldn't want to do that if the cost is moving to a city that's that much worse than NYC. Maybe a place like Boston or DC would be ok, but Wilmington seems a true step down based on some things I'm hearing.

I work at a Delaware firm that litigates against and alongside Young Conaway. For what it's worth, there are a lot of nice people who work in the Chancery group there. I imagine they would be easy to work with and fun in a social setting. You could live in Philadelphia rather than Wilmington if you wanted. The quality of associate work is higher than in New York.

I clerked in Wilmington for a year, and I really don't think it's that bad. It's just small. But there are a handful of fun restaurants / bars/ beer gardens with live music in the summers. Some good parks and trails nearby. The rent is cheap. Beaches in southern DE. I don't like long commutes, so I lived in Wilmington, but I would go into Philly on weekends often. It's only about a 35 minute drive.

To be fair, it's not where I plan on settling down. It's definitely not the same as living in a big city. But I was worried I would hate it, and I really felt like it was fine for the year.

I can't speak to Young Conaway specifically, although I would see their name on filings a lot.