Best firms for transition to government litigation Forum

[Anonymous User]

Let's say I want to go to USAO after a few years in a firm. (I know it's very competitive, but bear with me.) How important is firm prestige? And what NYC firms are at the top of the list? I'm thinking S&C, Covington, Paul Weiss, K&E would be good options; is this accurate, and how quickly do your chances trail off if you're at say a V50 or V100 firm instead? Is a top-rated white collar practice essential?

[Anonymous User]

Let's say I want to go to USAO after a few years in a firm. (I know it's very competitive, but bear with me.) How important is firm prestige? And what NYC firms are at the top of the list? I'm thinking S&C, Covington, Paul Weiss, K&E would be good options; is this accurate, and how quickly do your chances trail off if you're at say a V50 or V100 firm instead? Is a top-rated white collar practice essential?

I would add Boies Schiller and possibly Quinn.

[Anonymous User]

Thanks, good additions.

Another wrinkle I meant to add initially: To what extent would the advantages of being in a smaller firm that is known for high quality lit work (like a Kasowitz, say, where you might get more early responsibility and/or see more cases actually go to trial) outweigh the prestige advantages of some of the bigger names?

[GertrudePerkins]

This is purely anecdotal, so take it for what it's worth: I worked at a USAO this summer and it didn't seem like very many of the AUSAs had worked at especially prestigious firms. Just good firms in the area. From what they told me, what matters more is getting real trial experience during your time at the firm -- i.e., better to come from a less prestigious firm but to have done lots of pro bono work that got you into the courtroom.

[johndhi]

In contrast, I worked for USAO over the summer as well, and ONLY ONE of the AUSAs in the office had not worked at a highly prestigious firm.

[Anonymous User]

Let's say I want to go to USAO after a few years in a firm. (I know it's very competitive, but bear with me.) How important is firm prestige? And what NYC firms are at the top of the list? I'm thinking S&C, Covington, Paul Weiss, K&E would be good options; is this accurate, and how quickly do your chances trail off if you're at say a V50 or V100 firm instead? Is a top-rated white collar practice essential?

Another wrinkle I meant to add initially: To what extent would the advantages of being in a smaller firm that is known for high quality lit work (like a Kasowitz, say, where you might get more early responsibility and/or see more cases actually go to trial) outweigh the prestige advantages of some of the bigger names?

I'd like to reopen this issue, particularly with reference to NYC. If you're looking to be an AUSA, would it be better to work at, say, Paul Weiss over a V5 firm purely for the exit option (personal fit aside)?

[anon168]

Let's say I want to go to USAO after a few years in a firm. (I know it's very competitive, but bear with me.) How important is firm prestige? And what NYC firms are at the top of the list? I'm thinking S&C, Covington, Paul Weiss, K&E would be good options; is this accurate, and how quickly do your chances trail off if you're at say a V50 or V100 firm instead? Is a top-rated white collar practice essential?

Another wrinkle I meant to add initially: To what extent would the advantages of being in a smaller firm that is known for high quality lit work (like a Kasowitz, say, where you might get more early responsibility and/or see more cases actually go to trial) outweigh the prestige advantages of some of the bigger names?

I'd like to reopen this issue, particularly with reference to NYC. If you're looking to be an AUSA, would it be better to work at, say, Paul Weiss over a V5 firm purely for the exit option (personal fit aside)?

Whether a particular USAO even cares what firm -- be it biglaw, V5, lit boutique or whatever -- will depend on the USA of that particular office. When MJW ran SDNY the office had a slant towards Debevoise, but that was only because of the MJW connections.

It's not so much which firms gets you an "in" to a particular USAO; rather, it's who have you been working with in a particular firm and whether that person (or persons) has connections with the USAO you are applying to. For example, if you wanted to get an interview at EDNY, and you've been working for the former Criminal Chief at EDNY at your particular firm, then you've got a great shot -- regardless of whether that firm is V5 or not.

If you're deciding between firms, look at their roster and try and see how many former AUSAs they have on their roster. That's the best way to get into an USAO -- work with former AUSAs who can make a phone call for you. Firm names and prestige matter little when compared to connections.

[Anonymous User]

Whether a particular USAO even cares what firm -- be it biglaw, V5, lit boutique or whatever -- will depend on the USA of that particular office. When MJW ran SDNY the office had a slant towards Debevoise, but that was only because of the MJW connections.

It's not so much which firms gets you an "in" to a particular USAO; rather, it's who have you been working with in a particular firm and whether that person (or persons) has connections with the USAO you are applying to. For example, if you wanted to get an interview at EDNY, and you've been working for the former Criminal Chief at EDNY at your particular firm, then you've got a great shot -- regardless of whether that firm is V5 or not.

If you're deciding between firms, look at their roster and try and see how many former AUSAs they have on their roster. That's the best way to get into an USAO -- work with former AUSAs who can make a phone call for you. Firm names and prestige matter little when compared to connections.

Great advice. Any idea which firms generally have AUSA-heavy rosters?

[clintonius]

Somebody in the Cravath thread mentioned that DPW is a good place to set up an exit to the USAO, presumably because of connections.

[anon168]

Whether a particular USAO even cares what firm -- be it biglaw, V5, lit boutique or whatever -- will depend on the USA of that particular office. When MJW ran SDNY the office had a slant towards Debevoise, but that was only because of the MJW connections.

It's not so much which firms gets you an "in" to a particular USAO; rather, it's who have you been working with in a particular firm and whether that person (or persons) has connections with the USAO you are applying to. For example, if you wanted to get an interview at EDNY, and you've been working for the former Criminal Chief at EDNY at your particular firm, then you've got a great shot -- regardless of whether that firm is V5 or not.

If you're deciding between firms, look at their roster and try and see how many former AUSAs they have on their roster. That's the best way to get into an USAO -- work with former AUSAs who can make a phone call for you. Firm names and prestige matter little when compared to connections.

Great advice. Any idea which firms generally have AUSA-heavy rosters?

Dude, you need to do your own research.

But if you give me your intended market (either here or via PM), I'd be happy to give you any insights that I have.

[IAFG]

In addition to firms already named ITT, I've heard Cleary has a good revolving door going.

[Anonymous User]

USAO in New York gets people from just about every major firm, but the biggest "feeders" are DPW, Paul Weiss, Debevoise, Wilmer and Cleary I would say.

[Anonymous User]

.

Never mind.

[Anonymous User]

Somebody in the Cravath thread mentioned that DPW is a good place to set up an exit to the USAO, presumably because of connections.

Of the last 8 hires at SDNY, 4 came from DPW. There definitely is a strong pipeline there.

There are also good connections with EDNY. See, e.g. --LinkRemoved--