M&A- Deciding between V&E, Kirkland, and Sidley all Houston. Leaning V&E because largest firm in Houston. Advice/thoughts?

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No good choices here. Retake.

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What type of M&A do you practice/want to practice? All great options; a few thoughts (sorry for the long post):

- V&E has traditionally been the corporate king of Houston (HQed here, has deep relationships with Texas companies). You will see a mix of public, private and PE M&A. Their M&A practice is part of their MACM group, so my understanding is that you will also see some capital markets work (though this could depend on how junior you are… if you’re a midlevel/senior with no CM experience I doubt they’d have you do CM). Great partners, though there have been quite a few defections in recent years to K&E and LW. As others have mentioned, the atmosphere is fairly “fratty” and “old boys club”. Most of their partners are homegrown or lateraled over as juniors, so just keep that in mind (again, depending on how junior you are/what your plans are). Given their deep relationships with Texas companies, there are a lot of V&E alumni in house around town. If you want to stay in Texas, it’s at the top of name brand firms.

- K&E is just a powerhouse. They’ve grown exponentially and have taken a commanding market share in Houston that more than rivals V&E. Like V&E, you will see a mix of public, private and PE M&A, though I think K&E wins on sheer volume of work. K&E model is what it is, so you have to deal with a lot of NSPs and don’t have a ton of direct interaction with SPs. Have heard mixed things generally about the partnership, though honestly not sure if people are talking about the NSPs, SPs or both. They’ve been bringing in massive classes the last few years, and given their volume of work it SEEMS (outside perspective) that their juniors have been thrown in the deep end without guidance/instruction on how to do their jobs. Culture is in line with what you’d expect from K&E, though they’ve poached great partners from V&E, LW, etc. Given numbers/turnover, there will be a K&E alumni connection in house at most places. K&E has the best national reputation, in case you want to leave Texas later in your career. K&E hired like crazy during the pandemic years, so it would be interesting to figure out what they’re going to do with their large associate classes (and incoming associates) in a slowdown - presumably some/most would be shifted to their restructuring practice, but may be worth asking.

- Sidley is interesting. Less of a major player in the M&A space notwithstanding that they topped the league tables last quarter (was a surprise to us all I think). That being said, it’s still a great firm. I think they’re more private company and (middle market) PE M&A focused than public company deals. They’ve also been active in the renewables and infra spaces recently. I’ve heard one of their Houston co-managing partners is intense to work for, but that generally everyone is as pleasant as you can find in big law. Great name recognition/reputation, though unsure about their alumni connections in house in Texas.

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^all of this

Definitely KE. If you ever want to switch firms/ go in house/ leave, that’s the best one to have on your resume.

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I’ve heard (as a summer) that V&E culture is horrible. 🤷🏼‍♀️

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Come to Fulbright. Unless you want to hate your life

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Relevant questions include which group, how many years out you are, and whether you’re a female. V&E has a huge bro culture so would avoid if you’re a woman.

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I’m a junior associate male M&A v15 in NYC

V&E isn't the largest or most successful office in Houston.

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KE is largest by headcount and deal count.

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Go to sidley or ke so that when you inevitably lateral out of the meat grinder people will recognize what firm you're from

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A1 - which one is then? I’m sure v&e has the largest office unless this has changed recently? They are headquartered in Houston

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Feel free to DM if any questions about V&E.

Same as A6, current corporate Houston V&E associate. Generally am glad I’m here as compared to other firms. Happy to answer more in DMs

I know someone really smart that graduated from HYS and quit after 6 months — apparently the culture sucks

I’m more surprised it’s not someone from YLS

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