State of the Market-Dalla$ Forum

[Anonymous User]

I largely agree with the long overview post above, with a couple of caveats. From what I have seen/heard Sidley's corp group is doing really well. Everyone in the grohp has hit their hours for full market bonus several years in a row and they seem to have a good growth plan. Several partners and associates I know (I have a lot of friends there) have told me that the senior partners there seem hyper-focused on making as many new partners out of the Dallas office as quickly as possible, so they're making sure mid and senior associates are doing deals with all the influential players in the firm. IMO partnership outlook looks better there than at other peer firms. Can't comment on the quality of work.

BB Dallas corp looks like a sinking ship to me. They still have time to turn it around but they are losing people left and right to other firms and they don't seem to have a solid growth strategy. I know recent BB laterals at almost every major office in Dallas.

Weil is a sunken ship pretending not to be. It was dying long before the mass exodus of 2013, that was just the final straw. They are doing a good job of trying to keep a positive front, and their recruiting is killer, but there's not much a long term prognosis IMO. The NY office runs the show there and they don't give a damn about Dallas.

Author of the long post above - don't know much about Sidley but that analysis sounds pretty reasonable to me. As for BB/Weil, totally agree - BB just lost another Corp partner to Akin Gump this week.

Weil does do a great job with recruiting though

[Anonymous User]

I largely agree with the long overview post above, with a couple of caveats. From what I have seen/heard Sidley's corp group is doing really well. Everyone in the grohp has hit their hours for full market bonus several years in a row and they seem to have a good growth plan. Several partners and associates I know (I have a lot of friends there) have told me that the senior partners there seem hyper-focused on making as many new partners out of the Dallas office as quickly as possible, so they're making sure mid and senior associates are doing deals with all the influential players in the firm. IMO partnership outlook looks better there than at other peer firms. Can't comment on the quality of work.

BB Dallas corp looks like a sinking ship to me. They still have time to turn it around but they are losing people left and right to other firms and they don't seem to have a solid growth strategy. I know recent BB laterals at almost every major office in Dallas.

Weil is a sunken ship pretending not to be. It was dying long before the mass exodus of 2013, that was just the final straw. They are doing a good job of trying to keep a positive front, and their recruiting is killer, but there's not much a long term prognosis IMO. The NY office runs the show there and they don't give a damn about Dallas.

Author of the long post above - don't know much about Sidley but that analysis sounds pretty reasonable to me. As for BB/Weil, totally agree - BB just lost another Corp partner to Akin Gump this week.

Weil does do a great job with recruiting though

Weil's Dallas office is consistently one of its most profitable offices, and last year was its most profitable year in its 30 year history. Not saying I disagree with the above, but I think the "sinking ship" characterization gets floated too often without substantiation

[patrickd139]

Baker McKenzie's Dallas office is also a strong Cravath-salary firm for tax controversy, international tax planning, IP, or international corporate/franchising. Bonuses can be touch and go if you're not in the tax group.

[Anonymous User]

Baker McKenzie's Dallas office is also a strong Cravath-salary firm for tax controversy, international tax planning, IP, or international corporate/franchising. Bonuses can be touch and go if you're not in the tax group.

Baker McKenzie associate in non-Dallas office here. The firm is hit-or-miss depending which partners you work for, and Dallas has a few bad ones. I really like the firm overall, but the leadership seems addicted to promoting mediocre senior associates to partnership. Maybe it's because of the two-tier track -- "national partners" are just glorified associates -- but it means you could find yourself getting ordered around by an idiot with an inflated ego and an urgent need to build business. I'm not saying stay away, I'm just saying be careful, do your research, find the good partners as quickly as you can, and latch on for dear life.

[Anonymous User]

GDC vs. Sidley for M&A work? I generally liked the people at both and obv both firms seem to be doing well but I get the impression that GDC is somewhat slow while Sidley's corporate work skews more toward banking/finance (which I'm not very interested in). Any info around exit opps, work quality, etc. would be much appreciated.

[Anonymous User]

GDC vs. Sidley for M&A work? I generally liked the people at both and obv both firms seem to be doing well but I get the impression that GDC is somewhat slow while Sidley's corporate work skews more toward banking/finance (which I'm not very interested in). Any info around exit opps, work quality, etc. would be much appreciated.

Exit ops and work quality are probably interchangeable. And fwiw, M&A in Texas is generally down (not dead, but down) right now - obviously, there will be exceptions here and there, but I don't think any firm is having a gangbusters year in M&A in Texas.

[Anonymous User]

How is the patent lit market ib Dallas?

[Anonymous User]

Thoughts on Gibson Dunn for commercial lit?

[Anonymous User]

Best Tax firms in Dallas?

[Anonymous User]

GDC vs. Sidley for M&A work? I generally liked the people at both and obv both firms seem to be doing well but I get the impression that GDC is somewhat slow while Sidley's corporate work skews more toward banking/finance (which I'm not very interested in). Any info around exit opps, work quality, etc. would be much appreciated.

Exit ops and work quality are probably interchangeable. And fwiw, M&A in Texas is generally down (not dead, but down) right now - obviously, there will be exceptions here and there, but I don't think any firm is having a gangbusters year in M&A in Texas.

This must be referring to Dallas M&A. I am at one of BB/KE/VE in Houston and our M&A activity has been insane. Couple friends at the other two mentioned and they have also been saying it is a very busy year for M&A activity (the capital markets have slowed though).

[Anonymous User]

How is NRF Dallas doing? They don't seem to get much mention here.

[Anonymous User]

Best Dallas litigation firms/boutiques? A lot of the information in this thread seems to focus on corporate work.