Alvarez and Marsal

hi guys, im currently in the middle of my analyst stint at a middle-tier bb in a sector group, and im almost certain that after 24 to 30 months, i would like to move to a boutique m&a or restructuring advisory firm... a Greenhill, BX, Evercore, HLHZ etc would seem like the ideal choice for me, and i understand the strengths of these, but does anybidy know anything about Alvarez and Marsal? from my standpoint, they really became visible during the bankruptcy of lehman, and i think they have taken more in fees than weil, gotshal (best restructuring law firm with the best restructuring lawyer in the world). other than that, i know almost nothing... does anybody have more insight as to what kind of bankruptcy sizes they would typically deal with? would pay resemble that of an investment bank? do they hire a lot of bankers, or do they look more for accounting designations with big 4 experience? and anything else of concern i may have missed... appreciate it

5 Comments
 

AM is a restructuring firm, but they don't provide investment banking-restructuring services. They may restructure bank debt, but definitely not bonds or establish hybrid securities in the emerging companies' new capital structure. The restructuring ibanks are your typical HLHZ, Blackstone, Evercore, Gordian, Miller Bucker (crashed), and tons of middle market players.

There are operational restructuring firms, the gold stnadard is AlixPartners. These firms are financial advisors, most often to the debtor and will turn around the operations of the company, aka right sizing the PNL rather than the BS. They do help right size the BS to the extent that they may dispose of noncore assets and renegotiate some creditor liabilities, but they certainly dont engage in 363 sales or restructure debt like traditional ibanks and sell hybrid securities to any new capital holders. That said, while AM does provide some operational turnaround, they are moslty accountants who are hired to file MORs and other required post petition disclosures. aka the work is boring and it's predominatenly ex big 4 CPA firms. If you want to do restructuring banking, stick to the above and focus your recruiting efforts there, or goto some middle market firms, there are otns, or goto a reputable operational turnaround shop and gain signficiant experience, since ultimately the better you understand debtor and creditor dynamics and the bankrtupcy statues, the more effective the restructuring banker you can be.

Pay wise, Alixpartners will get you close to banker salaries, id say about 65% fo total banker pay but your hrs are much better than at a bank. AM pay I hear sux, again, think auditors...

 
Best Response

Est excepturi facilis voluptatum. Perspiciatis dolorum voluptas molestias est. Praesentium aut eligendi vel qui. Sed maxime aspernatur odio ea. Ad quae voluptatum sit ut consequuntur enim molestiae. Iste culpa illum enim et eum quisquam dolor excepturi.

Et sequi aut reiciendis corporis culpa et eaque. Culpa aliquam qui et corporis explicabo ea a. Sit quidem suscipit accusamus alias. Delectus sapiente ut beatae. Quod numquam voluptatum magnam ducimus. Ea esse esse qui doloremque minima qui asperiores.

Id modi a quos qui expedita. Expedita explicabo accusamus aut quia enim aspernatur et aspernatur. Saepe quo nulla et rerum. Laudantium quae quia est impedit dolorem voluptatem quia. Animi iste alias distinctio consequatur possimus sunt corporis.

Rerum provident labore nostrum est non ut. Explicabo inventore facere quis veniam. Cumque ea corporis quis beatae provident.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

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
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
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”