Not all US firms will be competitors just because W&C is a US firm. Its London office equally competes with the Magic Circle for work as it does with the US firms because of its size and areas of expertise.
My friend had Simmons allocated to them by 10K last year - and got back in March.
Skadden and LathamDoes anyone have any advice as to who W&C's competitors are? Thank you
Thank you for that. Honestly you are truly a positive light in this forum and I just wanted to let you know that your kindness and supportive comments every now and then really don't go unappreciated!
With respect I wasn't suggesting that. All I was saying was that there's a world of difference between the likes of W&C + Latham vs. Orrick, Goodwin for example
Not all US law firms will be a competitor of W&C- a US law firm?
Yes, all US law firms provide legal services but not all US law firms target the same practice areas, sectors and clients. For example, on the whole Goodwin (VC, life sciences, tech etc.) is marketing its legal services to a very different section of the market than White & Case (broad client base but includes clients that would never instruct Goodwin e.g. oil companies)
When a Partner at an interview asks you what their competitors are. They’re speaking of direct competitors. If you want to be literal, then yes, by definition most US firms would be competitors of White & Case by virtue of merely being an international law firm.
Agree with this and to add to this. Cooley and Covington have a life sciences and tech focus whereas Orrick has an energy focus and then there are the big PE players that are known for their excellent culture and excellent work-life balance (Its a joke btw).
But by this logic every firm is competing with every other firm. Of course there is some truth to that because law firms are a business with similar services but if Samsung launches a mid range phone they aren’t trying to compete with the flagship offering of Apple. Each firm has their own USP that makes them competent in certain specific sectors. Therefore when asked what competitors a firm has it’s a more rudimentary answer to say every other US law firm, but shows nuance if you can draw on specific practice areas that W&C specialise in and in turn, other firms also excel at.
Ok but once again, I think you are getting confused between HOW businesses compete and WHO the competitors actually are. Those are just ways that law firms compete against each other and try to stand out.
Sort of agree, sort of disagree. My partner (romantic) is the right hand of a partner (business) at a Big 4 who dropped out part way through a degree at what was then a poly but obviously now is making silly money. These days that would be nigh impossible because the partner wouldn't even have got their foot in the door. It was possible maybe 20/30 years ago to enter these sorts of professional services without strong academics but I think these days competition is so tough and the recruitment processes so rigorous that whilst it may be possible if you keep going and look for roundabout ways of entry, it requires so much mental fortitude and time and the sort of dogged determination I don't think too many people have.
I hate to be negative, but I agree! There is a much higher number of people attending university these days, which makes for stiffer competition. Also, the legal industry has changed a lot (for the better) in terms of it historically enabling things like nepotism, which may have mitigated a lower academic grade back then. Obviously, you are not doomed if you hold a 2:2 degree, but there is no doubt that it will be significantly harder than if you were in the same position 25 years ago!
laughing at (romantic) and (business) 🤣
I saw someone have to make the distinction in this thread earlier this month so I though for the avoidance of doubt it was best to specify!
Being in the same broad industry ≠ competitors. Competitors fight for the same market share. That might be at a particular price point, in a particular region or otherwise. For example, The Commercial Law Academy (am I allowed to mention them here LOL) is fighting for the same market share as TLCA (people looking to go into corporate law). By contrast, a business helping people get into investment banking is still in the industry of getting people into professional careers but is not threatening TCLA's/The CLA's market share
