Guides / City guides / Los Angeles
Break into investment banking in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles mixes restructuring, media and entertainment, and middle-market deals. Teams are smaller than New York’s, which often means more responsibility early.
The Los Angeles recruiting clock.
LA offices follow the national US calendar.
- Freshman to early sophomore
Early insight programmes
US banks run early-insight and diversity programmes for first- and second-years. Los Angeles offices usually recruit through the same national process as New York.
What to do: Join your finance club, build a target list and start networking with Los Angeles bankers now.
- September–November, sophomore year
Boutiques open first
Some boutiques open junior-summer roles more than a year ahead of the internship.
What to do: Have your technicals and a one-page resume ready by the start of sophomore autumn.
- December–February
The crunch
Most applications for the following summer land in December and January, on the same clock as New York.
What to do: Apply in the first days a portal opens; many banks review on a rolling basis.
- January–April
Interviews and superdays
Online tests and video interviews lead to superdays, often within weeks of applying.
What to do: Run full mock superdays every week from December.
- Junior summer
The 10-week internship
Around ten weeks on live deals. Most full-time analyst classes are filled from summer interns.
What to do: Treat it as a ten-week interview.
Typical windows only; dates move every year.
Ways in.
Summer analyst internship
The main route into LA teams at large and mid-sized banks.
Restructuring and middle market
Restructuring and mid-market advisers often keep hiring later than bulge brackets.
Media and entertainment
Experience at studios, streaming or gaming companies can help in media coverage teams.
Who hires in Los Angeles.
Confirm which teams sit in LA on each bank’s careers site.
| Tier | Examples | Why apply |
|---|---|---|
| Bulge brackets | Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Wells Fargo | West Coast coverage, including media, consumer and real estate. |
| Restructuring and advisory | Houlihan Lokey, Moelis | Advising companies and creditors when debts can’t be met, plus M&A. |
| Middle market | Jefferies, Lincoln International, Raymond James, Piper Sandler | Smaller deals and private companies, often with PE sponsors. |
Restructuring interviews go deep on debt: know the capital structure, what happens in a default and how a debt-for-equity swap works.
Are you Los Angeles-ready?
Tick what you’ve done. Be honest: interviewers will find out.
The Los Angeles selection process.
- Online application, often reviewed on a rolling basis.
- Online assessment or recorded video interview, such as HireVue.
- First-round interview, technical and fit questions.
- Superday: several back-to-back interviews, with an offer often within days.
Visas and work rights.
US offices follow the same visa rules as New York. Most international graduates work on OPT for 12 months, plus a 24-month STEM extension if their degree is STEM-designated.
H-1B sponsorship rules are changing in 2026, so ask each bank whether it sponsors before you apply. Our New York guide covers the details.
Test yourself: Los Angeles
Questions from the Mandate app. Try each before you open it.
Which advisory bank known for restructuring and mid-market M&A is headquartered in Los Angeles?
Houlihan Lokey. It is one of the most active advisers on restructurings.
Los Angeles is known for which sector coverage?
Media and entertainment. Studios, music and gaming are major clients.
Restructuring bankers mainly advise…
Companies and creditors when debts can’t be met. Work involves debt-for-equity swaps, amendments and bankruptcy processes.
Why does restructuring work rise in economic downturns?
More companies struggle to pay their debts. It is counter-cyclical to M&A.
Get ready before applications open.
Mandate’s debt and leveraged finance unit covers the restructuring basics, with daily drills and mock interviews.