RBC NY IB vs William Blair IB

William Blair:

• Compensation: cash, top-of-street, in Chicago

• Deal Flow: some of the largest M&A volume over the past 5 years driven by activity in middle-market; no financing--pure M&A

• Exit Opps: over half of Blair's business is with the sponsor community; impactful relationships if targeting the buy-side

RBC:

• Compensation: cash and equity blend in New York City

• Deal Flow: group dependent and potential for heightened exposure to financing deals; a rising tide lifts all boats

• Exit Opps: top-bucket analysts place well similar to most firms

In summary, it's quite difficult to compare the two firms. Blair has no intention of playing in the crowded $1.5B+ transaction space and has limited presence in New York. On the other hand, RBC has conceded the Chicago space to BMO while playing in the shadows of the larger bulge bracket banks (JPM, MS, GS, Citi, BAML, Barclays, etc.) in New York. A decision between the two firms yields vastly different experiences.