Dechert
London·Philadelphia
Private equity·Finance·Investigations
Roughly a quarter of Dechert's lawyers work in private equity, and its recent CEOs and chairman have all come from that practice, an unusually concentrated identity for a full-service firm.
Why this firm
Private equity runs through the entire firm
Holds 13 Band 1 Chambers USA rankings across its funds practices alone, plus four Tier 1 rankings in corporate investigations and white-collar defence (Legal 500 US)
A genuine investigations and finance practice sits alongside the private equity core, not just financing work
A six-seat structure of four months each, not the standard four six-month seats, with every trainee guaranteed at least one international secondment
What this firm looks for
Drawn from Dechert's own recruitment materials
Based on the firm's published recruitment materials, graduate recruitment commentary and stated values.
Genuine interest in business and clients
Direct quote from Dechert's own recruitment page: "We are looking for candidates who have a genuine interest in business and our clients, are ambitious and who have a keen sense of building community, both within the workplace and with our clients."
"A keen sense of building community"
The same official statement specifically calls out community-building (both internally and with clients) as a distinct trait the firm screens for, not just generic teamwork.
Reasoning process over the "right" answer
Recruiters assess how candidates reason an argument and analyse the scenario during interviews and the vacation scheme group exercise, rather than whether they reach a specific correct conclusion.
Past applications
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