32 Comments
 
"SevroII" PJT - probably the top shop on the street

Lazard / Evercore / HL - All very good and have solid deal flow and exits. Heard really good things about work life balance at HL

Millstein - heard really good things (comp was apparently top notch)/was up and coming but idk how the gugg acquisition changes things

I've heard of people being wheeled out of HL London by paramedics after collapsing. Former colleague who worked there had 2 free weekends in 3 years.

 
Controversial

As mentioned. Best analysts roles for Rx with top pay, prestige, and exits are PJT and EVR. Most well-known analyst programs that specialize in Rx are PJT/EVR/HL. HL also very good. Lazard's group is also great but the analyst role is M&A/Rx. Exits from all these groups are fantastic.

 

This is inaccurate regarding Lazard's program. They split their Industry (usually M&A) and Rx practices into separate groups, though sometimes a deal works through more than one group (e.g. I think the Toys bankruptcy was worked on by both the consumer and Rx groups). So the Rx analyst program is actually separate from M&A.

 

Clearly you work for EVR. No one lumps their rx practice with other top rx practices. Also, recently analyst placement has not been too great. Their bread and butter is m&a

 

Doesn't get as much love on this site because the analyst program isn't dedicated restructuring, which makes sense given the audience of WSO, but Moelis has killed restructuring in 2018. I'm positive they're first place in the bankruptcy league table by value, and maybe second by the number of engagements.

All the above listed are great shops. Some like Lazard are more debtor focussed vs HL which does more creditor work. As a rule of thumb, every firm does both, but different firms focus their practices differently. Debtor engagements tend to pay higher fees but in a restructuring, there's one debtor and often many creditors, so obviously fewer opportunities for debtor-side work.

The NYC bankruptcy world is very small. You see the same bankers and lawyers over and over again.

 

They don't do the same work as investment banks from a restructuring perspective. The consulting firms you see on the list typically focus on operational restructuring whereas the banks focus on financial restructuring. As a company, it is very common to hire both an operational advisor (an Alix/A&M/FTI/Zolfo) and a financial advisor (Laz/Moelis/HL/PJT).

We get the world we deserve.
 

HL RX has placed well in LA from my understanding. Given their specialty in creditor side advisory, their analysts are exposed to numerous credit funds which bodes well for them. Furthermore, creditor side roles are less intense compared to debtor side roles. You will often times see Analysts balancing 4 or more creditor rx deals (more facetime with creditors) while debtor advisory may require an analysts full attention. I have always found debtor side advisory roles to be more fulfilling.

-XSX

 

I would disagree with your last given the following: 1.) Given the rising rate environment and brexit warnings since 2016, a lot of the refinancings and maturity extensions have already been executed in 2017 / 2018 2.) The vast majority (i'm talking like 85%+) of leveraged loans have been issued as covenant-lite or some sort of "covenant-loose" with a ridiculous headroom (think of like 40%+ assuming full RCF is drawn) so I would expect covenant breaches will be a lot lesser than you normally expect, even assuming we've reached the peak of the credit cycle and things head south starting next year

I do agree with your RX bank list - usually some combination of PJT / LAZ / HLHZ / EVR / Moelis when it comes to straight up dealflow. On a side note, some of the smartest kids I've ever met worked at PJT RX and Ducera RX, and they both absolutely loved their experiences for what it's worth.

Array
 

Facilis aliquid tempora beatae a accusamus maxime. Non quidem eum et voluptas expedita suscipit. Dolore tempora et repudiandae saepe quasi aut provident. Consequatur voluptatibus dignissimos illo repudiandae dolorem.

Tempora in asperiores voluptatem quidem. Dolorem ut molestiae incidunt. Velit repellendus earum aut. Omnis voluptatem quos est tempore.

Et molestiae voluptas perferendis deserunt. Repellat laborum in voluptatibus harum voluptas cumque. Doloremque eaque architecto harum libero enim minima eos.

 

Ipsum non aut delectus et sit dolore. Deleniti dolorem ab vel quas voluptates ut ex quis. Consequatur assumenda aliquid officia sequi. Quaerat necessitatibus qui ut accusantium suscipit odit.

Rem pariatur minima sunt. Veniam aperiam itaque vel. Non officiis atque minima sit qui excepturi. Eos temporibus voluptatem nihil. Harum ipsam aut voluptatem maiores mollitia esse.

Eveniet voluptatibus iste soluta aut vitae repudiandae sunt. Quod nihil explicabo qui quis. Molestias ducimus sed sed voluptatum doloribus. Enim in ab quis ut dolor debitis magnam. Nobis aliquid unde accusantium. Id dolorum consequuntur qui nihil accusamus. Nam omnis porro numquam provident perspiciatis et.

Tempora ut aliquid voluptate labore. Et debitis placeat eaque impedit quo ratione quia. Alias ea error quidem laudantium tempora officiis libero.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
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...”