Best Middle Market Firms in Chicago

Looking for insight more recently on top Middle Market firms in Chicago. Coming from another city and another MM firm, I am curious about the best culture, work-life balance, and everything. (RJ, Jefferies, WB, Baird, HL, Piper Sandler etc)

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Lincoln - industrials team is head and shoulders above the rest followed by business services but would avoid this place - kind’ve a joke

WB - fired a bunch of people a few years ago and a shadow of what it once was. Seems to be building back. Surprising amount of assholes in some groups here but overall a solid place. Some groups punch above their weight (tech) while most others lag

Baird - has some extremely sweaty groups (industrials) but solid place and good people

HL - has some sweaty groups (consumer and hc) but office has good people and great deal flow. Just bought Waller helms so will have a fig team joining

Jeffries - have heard the hours are good

BGL - Avoid.

Guggenheim - newer, mostly do IT services - have MDs that came over from WB

 

Piper has a small office in Chi. I have a buddy there and he says culture is very good FWIW.

 

The office is mainly HC, DCM and FIG. Looking at LinkedIn, looks like they have a very small industrials team there too but can’t tell much else.

 

RJ has a growing presence with decent WLB. Tech & services and security & safety are good groups in terms of deal volume and size but may be a bit more sweaty

 

Blair has historically run Chicago. Had a rough few years but them and Baird are still the top MM shops there, Gugg too if you want to count them as MM

 

Yeah, I don't even think it's close at this point -- Gugg getting lot more deals than Blair at this point, and Gugg bankers getting lot more bucks.

 

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