raymundo:
BTbanker:

I'm curious if you would take William Blair over Lazard M&A NYC.

No way, Blair is extremely overrated and they're middle market. I wouldn't take it over any BB (unless I knew I would be put in a terrible group)

Could you expand on why it's "overrated" ? It obviously isn't on the same level as most BB's, but for MM banks I thought it was pretty solid in terms of PE exit ops and etc.

 
AsianMonky:
raymundo:
BTbanker:

I'm curious if you would take William Blair over Lazard M&A NYC.

No way, Blair is extremely overrated and they're middle market. I wouldn't take it over any BB (unless I knew I would be put in a terrible group)

Could you expand on why it's "overrated" ? It obviously isn't on the same level as most BB's, but for MM banks I thought it was pretty solid in terms of PE exit ops and etc.

It's solid, but I just feel like on this board, a lot of people think Blair is much better than it actually is. I.E. debating Lazard vs Blair is kind of a joke IMO. It's still a good place to be.

 
Best Response

I was looking for associate postitions and to stay in IB long-term, so PE exit ops were not on the radar for me. For experience at the associate level, there seemed to be much more opportunity to have contact with both senior bankers and senior members of the client companies much earlier on. I would take them over Larard M&A in an instant as well as any bulge bracket, but that is just me looking at what is the best personal fit for myself.

 
FormerHornetDriver:

I interviewed at Blair and Baird. I received 4 BB FT offers, plus some MM offers but did not get one from William Blair. If they had, I would have taken it over everything else. I was extremely impressed with their overall culture as well as the diverse backgounds of the folks working there.

Why would you have taken Blair over BB's? Aren't the BB's still ahead of WB in terms of the experience and exit ops?

 

Echoing the post above, William Blair is a helluva company. It's one of the largest old-school partnerships remaining in investment banking, they do great work, they value their people.. I don't mean to speak negatively of the other firms you've mentioned, but in my understanding, William Blair is a clear stand-out.

"There are three ways to make a living in this business: be first, be smarter, or cheat."
 

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