Top of street comp. Strong deal flow. After chewing nails at Moelis, nobody on Wall Street will question your ability to do this job.

The firm has an uneven distribution of talent. MD’s are generally highly productive and talented (otherwise, they wouldn’t have ended up here). Analysts and Associate recruiting is very strong, as exit opportunities and comp are both at / near top of street. The middle is choppy. VPs are a mix of high performers who lateraled from bulge brackets and grizzled vets who have somehow survived the junior banker years but weren’t good enough to leave for the buy-side. EDs are the most perplexing: generally this group is made up of bankers who started their careers at firms like Cowen and RBC and joined Moelis in its early years when the firm wasn’t able to compete with places with Goldman / JP / MS etc as it does today. It’s less noticeable in analytical tasks and more noticeable in managerial and interpersonal situations. Regardless, it’s a common point of frustration at the mid level, as associates and VPs are often frustrated, and analysts often simply dismissive.

While certain verticals can be great to work in, the firm is well-known for having a tough culture overall. It’s a very old school Wall Street mentality, that comes from the top down. It’s not uncommon for senior management and general counsel to surprisingly show up at an ED’s office and scream at the top of his lungs (which I assume is not normal elsewhere?). More so than any other bank, the tail of legal and compliance truly wags the dog of front office bankers at Moelis, which is a frequent complaint amongst senior bankers, and generally results in a lot of MD stress, which gets pushed down and results in mid-level stress. As a result, the firm has a very hard time retaining talent, with performing VPs constantly leaving to fill roles at places like Evercore, where culture is more of a focal point.

Great firm to build your reputation in the industry and get paid. For a long-term career, make sure your vertical is one that you consider a good fit.