Networking with IB Analysts while in the BO

Here's my situation:

I've accepted a role as a summer analyst in the Compliance division at a BB and have no desire to move to FO. I want to be a lawyer and think that compliance fits in nicely with my plan and will be great WE before going to law school if I get a return offer. I do, however, want to be a transactional attorney so I would like to network with people in IBD as much as possible considering a lot of the top law firms have BB's as their clients and having working relationships with the guys I may be working with 5-10 years down the road could prove useful.

My question is this: How do I network with IBD guys and not come off like a naive gunner trying to move from the BO to the FO?

P.S I know my place in the firm hierarchy,(i.e IBD >> Compliance on the prestige factor) and am not insecure enough to make compliance sound like a bigger deal than it is.

13 Comments
 

Your best bet is to try and become friendly enough with one person, so that he/she brings you along when the ib analysts are going out for happy hour and other drinking shenanigans.

Just email them saying you're trying to get to know people (probably messaging someone in IB that is from your school will be the smartest approach), get their number after one lunch meet-up, and hopefully you can get included when the ib friend goes out. Do not get offended if you're not invited, as ib people might just stick with ib people over the course of the program to network and maximize their potential for a "ft role".

 

You are not supposed to email people you do not know. That is inappropriate use of the company's online directory for that purpose.

But since some did reply, I guess it's OK to keep a dialogue with them.

 

Its fine to network with FO people if you do it with the right way.

You should never e-mail anyone that you have not conducting business with (unless you have asked their permission in person and/or they have asked you to do so).

You should have instead e-mailed HR and told them your situation; usually they can give you an informational interview with some of the analyst or associates that are working there now.

Also, why are you e-mailing bakers? Are you hungry or something?

avireddy So, I had been emailing bakers explaining them my story
 

Sorry to revive this, but is that really frowned upon?

I usually just strike up conversation with the IB people I see, but not e-mail. I've also IM'd IBD SAs that I've met through intern events as well.

 
Best Response

Are bankers ever asked for their opinion as to which law firm to hire on a transaction? It's the client, not the bankers that hires a law firm. If a BB hires an external law firm for a proprietary transaction, it's again the business, not IBD that hires the law firm. You'd have much better luck networking with the bank's internal legal team.

 

Et fuga itaque laboriosam. Nostrum temporibus voluptatem maxime vel incidunt laboriosam fuga. Labore ullam ducimus cupiditate consequatur eligendi qui ut laborum. Recusandae asperiores nam qui. Totam voluptas fugit odio neque odio enim quisquam non. Dolores minima id veniam.

Voluptatem ipsa dolorum fugit reprehenderit pariatur beatae. Ut aut necessitatibus omnis alias aut.

Asperiores consequatur consectetur in. Nobis facere omnis fuga voluptatem. Quos et voluptatem sit nulla velit ut rerum asperiores. Aut totam omnis sit eius voluptas. Saepe totam asperiores ipsam inventore. Neque et deserunt pariatur ut sint velit aut alias. Quia voluptatem accusantium ad quis deserunt.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”