68 Comments
 

UBS used to I'd say. Office is decreasing in size, but still a good place.

I'd say as far as execution, deal flow, prestige:

MS, Moelis, CS

From LA, go to school in LA, so PM me if you have specific q's on banks.

-- "Those who say don't know, and those who know don't say."
 
Best Response
jjc1122Somewhat off topic. What are the best buyside firms in L.A.? Probably PIMCO, canyon ranch, oaktree capital. And for SF it's farallon, dodge and cox, watershed, clarium.

Assuming traditional PE/HF type funds (not money manager), my opinion below:

LA: Top Tier: Apollo Canyon Capital Leonard Green Oaktree TCW/Crescent Mezzanine Tennenbaum Ares Beachpoint Carlyle Strategic Partners Carlyle Mezzanine

Mid-tier: Newstone Platinum Gores Aurora Cerberus California Caltius Post Ivory Levine Leichtman Freeman Spogli THL Credit Saybrook Barclays Capital Distressed Black Canyon Ice Canyon

-- Interview Guides GMAT Tutors WSO Resume Review --- Current: Senior Analyst - Hedge Fund Past: Associate - Tech Buyout Analyst - Morgan St
 
CLGCTraderF*ck...there is a ZERO exit opportunity in LA...you lose your job...you r toast... Take it from someone who has been there... This is your chance in life...to explore some place different than Little Tijuana... NYC, BOS, and Chic....at least you can find another job.

Otherwise...try to be an actor/actress since you will be waiting tables anyway!!!!

It amazes me how much you talk given how little you know. 2009 Analyst classes from GS/MS LA placed into Silver Lake, Oak Tree, Apollo, and several other top firms. Moelis LA apparently went to all the megafunds. Not sure about CS/UBS but the placement is probably strong as well.

Also, GS LA is substantially stronger than MS LA, and UBS LA has fallen since Moelis left.

Ranking: 1. HLHZ Restructuring/CS/ Moelis/GS 2. MS/UBS 3. The other BBs

 
CLGCTraderF*ck...there is a ZERO exit opportunity in LA...you lose your job...you r toast... Take it from someone who has been there... This is your chance in life...to explore some place different than Little Tijuana... NYC, BOS, and Chic....at least you can find another job.

Otherwise...try to be an actor/actress since you will be waiting tables anyway!!!!

Ok, well there's probably about 50 total analysts in LA, so about 25 second years. Of those 25 second years, below are where some of them are going next year...

2 to KKR 2 to TPG 1 to Silver Lake 2 to Ares 1 to Carlyle 2 to LGP

Sounds like pretty good exit opps to me. I'm sure there are more that I'm not aware of as well.

 

There are quite a few strong PE firms there and in SF (LGP, Carlyle, Apollo, Silverlake, H&F, half of KKR, TPG, dozens of strong mm pe firms) and very few analysts graduating from west coast 2 year programs per year, so I would argue that exit ops are very strong.

(Unless you get fired, in which case you would be having problems regardless of your location.)

For LA: Moelis has strong name and dealflow UBS and CS have the most bankers; UBS has gone downhill a bit but still places better than CS I believe GS and MS are very similar in terms of # of bankers and deal flow; both place well bc of name recognition (similar to CS LA I believe). Would be reluctant to take HLHZ restructuring above any of these; though they have strong deal flow do not believe the name carries --> worse placement

SF/menlo tends to place a bit better for GS and MS because they do tech there and a lot of the mega PE funds focus on tech.

 

I agree with cashcow since my boutique is very small and other BB's have only a handful of analysts so buyside recruiting is probably easier, and SF is probably better than LA for pe firms. The best thing about the west coast is also all the great venture capital firms out here.

 

I'm a little surprised that MS M&A in LA has been fairly downplayed in this thread. I'd say that shop, along with CS/UBS, is one of the strongest in LA. Moelis, of course, has been in a league of its own, but 2009 analyst placement was skewed, so 2010 might determine how good Moelis exits really are

 

What do you guys think between CS LA and UBS LA? I'm a junior looking at internships at both and am not sure which to choose. It looks like CS has the generalist program (which could be a plus depending on how you look at it), but UBS has product/coverage groups and better connected senior bankers. Other than that, the offices are pretty similar -- does anyone have any insight?

 

The list is all Moelis, UBS, CS, GS and MS (only 1). All but one person from each of Moelis and UBS placed to $1bn+ PE. The bank with the most from that list is Moelis.

I would say for exit opps coming from LA...

  1. Moelis
  2. UBS
  3. CS
  4. GS
  5. MS
 

I honestly think too much weight is put on which bank in LA is THE best. Just looking at size and numbers, it is no wonder why CS and UBS have had the best history of analyst placement in terms of exit ops, they have the largest analyst classes. I'm sure the analysts working at LAZ and GHL have the exact same exit opportunities, yet we don't hear many stories because there are far fewer analysts, some of who decide on doing something other than PE. My point is...if you are lucky enough to land a gig at any of the strong LA banks, pick the one where you like the culture, people, industry group, etc.

 

So UBS and Moelis seem the most legit?

Are the people actually posting from CA or just what you are hearing out of NYC?

 

i really dont think you know your shit...nutsaboutWS.

HL should be the top of the list with moelis

i heard there are a lot deals going on in greenhill given its smaller size.

Not too sure about UBS and CS, but they are both sweatshops

barcap..i spoke with people there about 1 month or 2 ago and they said the deals havent been coming in for a while...

 

Not to be a dick but:

Does UBS still have an LA office? They didnt do OCR at UCLA this year....not sure if they were downsizing or literally just shut down.

I don't throw darts at a board. I bet on sure things. Read Sun-tzu, The Art of War. Every battle is won before it is ever fought- GG
 

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