Lazard has been around since 1848, which makes it older than most of the bulge brackets. It's best known for M&A and restructuring advice, and it also has a large asset management business, Lazard Asset Management. Those are two different employers for your purposes, with different applications.
Financial Advisory or Asset Management?
Be clear which one you're applying for.
- Financial Advisory is the investment banking side: M&A, restructuring, capital structure advice, sovereign advisory. This is the elite boutique that people mean when they talk about Lazard.
- Asset Management is fund management. Different skills, different interviews.
Mixing them up in a cover letter is an easy way to look like you haven't done your research.
What makes Lazard different
- Restructuring and sovereign work. Lazard has a strong name advising governments and distressed companies. If you've followed a sovereign debt restructuring or a big corporate insolvency, that's a better "why Lazard" than "it's prestigious".
- A long history and a slightly more traditional culture than some newer boutiques [this is a general impression, so ask people there].
- Small teams. The London analyst class is small, so as at any boutique, they need people who can do real work early.
What the CV needs
- Technical evidence: a valuation or modelling bullet you can walk through.
- Something that shows judgement as well as hours, because advisory work is about the client conversation as much as the model. A leadership role where you had to persuade people works well.
- If you have languages, list them. Lazard's European business works across France, Germany, Italy and Spain, and it does notice.
Before: Researched companies in the energy sector
After: Profiled 22 European utilities' debt maturities for a restructuring pitch, flagging 4 with refinancing needs inside 18 months