Success of people targeting Florida BigLaw? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Any news on how the South Florida market is for new hires?

It's a crapshoot. That's really the best way to put it. If you're looking at Miami biglaw, there are only like 15-20 true SA spots you can shoot for. The big firms in Miami seem set on building with laterals and keeping their entry-level associate ranks relatively small.

I'll be at one of those Miami biglaw firms this summer. Hiring was extremely selective. As others have mentioned in different threads on the subject, cracking into such a small, insular market can be tougher than landing many V30s in NY. That said, my impression is that they're much more concerned about fit than they are about grades (if you're coming from a t-10). But if you want GT, HK, WC and the like, median or higher at a T-10 will put you in a really good position, provided that you have close ties to the market. If you're somewhere like UM/UF/FSU, you still need to be top 5%ish to have a shot

Attending MVP in the fall. Is there any other ways to stand out for Miami firms? Maybe by trying to specialize like, say, in real estate?

Knowing Spanish is huge, though that's not really something you can change from here to OCI unless you commit yourself. The benefit of gunning RE would be so small that it wouldn't be worth pegging yourself to a practice you don't care for. Miami is so small that even the big firms will only have openings for say one litigation associate or one corporate associate. RE is a big part of most Miami biglaw practices, but playing the numbers game that way probably won't do much good.

[0heL]

Any news on how the South Florida market is for new hires?

It's a crapshoot. That's really the best way to put it. If you're looking at Miami biglaw, there are only like 15-20 true SA spots you can shoot for. The big firms in Miami seem set on building with laterals and keeping their entry-level associate ranks relatively small.

I'll be at one of those Miami biglaw firms this summer. Hiring was extremely selective. As others have mentioned in different threads on the subject, cracking into such a small, insular market can be tougher than landing many V30s in NY. That said, my impression is that they're much more concerned about fit than they are about grades (if you're coming from a t-10). But if you want GT, HK, WC and the like, median or higher at a T-10 will put you in a really good position, provided that you have close ties to the market. If you're somewhere like UM/UF/FSU, you still need to be top 5%ish to have a shot

Attending MVP in the fall. Is there any other ways to stand out for Miami firms? Maybe by trying to specialize like, say, in real estate?

Knowing Spanish is huge, though that's not really something you can change from here to OCI unless you commit yourself. The benefit of gunning RE would be so small that it wouldn't be worth pegging yourself to a practice you don't care for. Miami is so small that even the big firms will only have openings for say one litigation associate or one corporate associate. RE is a big part of most Miami biglaw practices, but playing the numbers game that way probably won't do much good.

Interesting. What you're saying makes total sense. I was hoping to get a rosier view of Miami BigLaw because the local economy is on the rebound, but I guess that's not quite in the cards yet.


Anon - would you mind sending me a PM so we could continue this chat in private?

[Anonymous User]

PM on the way.

Haha sorry, didn't mean to be too dour. I remember hated reading through these a couple years ago. The market is definitely on the rebound; some of the firms are very healthy financially. I think you'll see SA classes add 2-4 spots over the next 2-3 years as Miami continues to be flooded with money.