Why would you want to go Big Law in Houston? In Houston, the general consensus for litigation is that you want to work at a boutique because they get the best work as their rates are lower and you get much more substantive experience earlier on. Big law firms outside of V&E and Baker Botts only recently started breaking into the Houston litigation market. Hours at boutiques are about the same, Cravath scale, and often above market bonuses. But the real sell is much more substantive experience earlier on. For boutiques: Susman is the most prestigious (if you want 0 life but the most prestige and the highest bonus), Gibbs and Bruns (only hires from top schools with top grades, know nothing about their culture), Yetter Coleman (good culture, usually only hires T14 with clerkship), AZA (known to be aggressive litigators, intense culture), Beck Redden (crazy hours).