Compass Lexecon vs. NERA

Hi guys! I am evaluating two offers in Antitrust and Competition practice from Compass Lexecon and NERA.

  1. Business school placement: I know NERA has a very good placement rate (50% in Top 5; 90% in Top 10). How about Compass Lexecon?
  2. I know NERA is very prestigious and also Marsh & McLennan. How about Compass Lexecon and FTI Consulting?

Thank you so much for your inputs.

8 Comments
 

I didn't get a great feel about Compass during my interview process. Only great at antitrust work. Prestige with econ consulting is nil, but I usually think of NERA/AG/Cornerstone when the most "prestigious" firm is mentioned.

 

Thanks for your reply. Which Compass office did you interview with? NERA is said to be prestigious by many people, but I don't feel their pay is competitive. Do you happen to know how much bonus can a first year Research Associate get at NERA? My another concern is that NERA's team is too small.

 

Interviewed with the DC antitrust office. In terms of bonus, starting should be around 10k.. I don't know anything about a performance reward, however.

 

Compass is the best antitrust firm out there and they tend to work on almost all of the large M&A cases that come up for review. Beyond antitrust it's hit or miss, and in non-antitrust areas NERA is definitely more highly regarded.

 

Rem debitis reiciendis neque recusandae. Est libero quia sapiente aut alias laborum impedit nisi. Quos aperiam sed ipsum numquam aliquid mollitia eum. Optio repellat aperiam quaerat accusamus eos expedita vel.

Officia possimus impedit sed placeat nobis consequatur. Porro facere omnis quidem modi adipisci ducimus excepturi voluptatem. Error velit officia nobis.

Temporibus ea est inventore labore. Ducimus et assumenda sit voluptas nam vel voluptatibus. Quidem modi et quae. Vero dolorum in qui aliquam ad. Voluptatem voluptatem repudiandae vitae soluta velit illum quisquam dolore. Alias hic rerum tempora deserunt. Nostrum sit asperiores ab cum consequatur veritatis quo ullam.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Consulting

  • Boston Consulting Group 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 98.9%
  • McKinsey & Company 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Consulting

  • Cornerstone Research 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.4%
  • McKinsey & Company 97.9%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.5%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.9%
  • McKinsey & Company 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $361
  • Principal (30) $294
  • Director/MD (59) $274
  • Vice President (53) $245
  • Engagement Manager (114) $233
  • Manager (171) $173
  • 2nd Year Associate (185) $142
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (116) $137
  • Senior Consultant (355) $132
  • Consultant (643) $122
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (164) $121
  • 1st Year Associate (578) $121
  • NA (16) $114
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (394) $105
  • Associate Consultant (176) $101
  • 1st Year Analyst (1172) $90
  • Intern/Summer Associate (208) $83
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (642) $68
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”