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<p>Illinois isn’t California. Saying Illinois’s economy is in the tank, and then giving reasons for why California’s economy is in the tank, doesn’t prove that Illinois’s economy is in the tank.</p>
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<p>That’s very nice. I actually know V&E’s hiring preferences, and UTexas is below the T14 in terms of how deep in each class they’re willing to go. They’ll still go deep for UT, but not as much as they would for a student from a T14. </p>
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<p>This may be true for NYC firms, but it isn’t the case for K&E (which is HQ’d in Chicago, a city with a notoriously low cost of living). Moreover, PPP isn’t just a function of CoL, it’s a function of the rates partners can command. </p>
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<p>Not really. V&E got some work, and so did Andrews Kurth. But really, those firms are just secondary to the big players. Let’s face it: when it comes to the important stuff, the TX firms will always play second fiddle to the best firms. I’m sorry if it hurts your self-esteem to realize that.</p>
<p>Now it isn’t exactly news that Texas has a lower cost of living than NYC (and other markets). At the same time, it isn’t exactly financial paradise there, either. I know many associates at the Big 3 Houston firms. Through them, I’ve learned that summer offer rates were horrendously low, that they’ve been stiffed on bonuses, that the salary structure is a little more condensed than NYC market, and that there have been significant layoffs (contrary to your claims). And Texas isn’t that big a legal market, either. Houston is big, but how many big firms are there? V&E, Baker Botts, and F&J. After that? I mean there are corporate firms (Haynes & Boone, Andrews Kurth, LLB&L, etc.), but they’re not exactly hiring machines (nor are they doing that well in this economy). Austin? Austin is a horrendously small legal market, and it’s also terrible for law firms. The cyclical nature of the work in Austin always takes out firms in a down turn (didn’t Weil have an Austin office not too long ago?). Because of its size, it’s also just as competitive as DC. Dallas? Dallas’s market is virtually nonexistent. </p>
<p>When you compare TX to LA, Chicago, NYC, DC, and the Bay Area you’ll realize (a) why it’s called a “secondary market” and (b) why placing students primarily in Texas doesn’t really make a school more prestigious. Texas simply doesn’t have top of the line firms, the most sophisticated work, etc. that other markets have. They’re all fine firms at the end of the day, but when you look at the league tables, the litigation rankings, the awards, etc. TX firms are nowhere to be found. Deal with it.</p>