How Soon Can I Lateral? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I joined a firm last fall following a clerkship. I’ve been staffed on a case that consists almost exclusively of doc review, takes up the vast majority of my time, and isn’t going away anytime soon. I definitely plan on trying to get reassigned to other matters, but -- for convoluted reasons -- I’m skeptical that will work out. I’m starting to think I may need to lateral to get away from this situation. Does anyone have a sense of when I will be able to move? I’ve heard that recruiters prefer to work with people who have been at a firm for a couple of years, but I’m not developing marketable skills right now, and I'd rather not keep doing this much longer if I have other options. My credentials going into this job were strong: very high grades from a top law school, federal appellate clerkship.

Please don't quote. Thanks.

[BarbellDreams]

I know people who have lateralled 1 month in. It doesn't matter. You certainly have a better chance when you can show a couple of years of experience at a firm, but the jobs that are available today won't be available by the time you hit that so applying can't really hurt.

[barkschool]

Won't it make sense that eventually you won't be doing that?

[PMan99]

I know people who have lateraled in under a year, but to be honest being tired of doc review after a few months seems like an awful reason to lateral.

[Anonymous User]

OP here. Based on what other associates are doing in this case, I would expect to be doing almost exclusively doc review for about two more years. After that it might change.

[Anonymous User]

I think you are smart to lateral asap. It's not about being tired of doc review. After a clerkship you probably came in as a second year right? Another couple years of this, and your rate will be too high for people to want to teach you the skills you should be learning now. I saw exactly this happen to a friend (good grades, federal appellate clerkship, v20 firm, all doc review), and he was ultimately asked to leave, around his fourth year or so.

[los blancos]

OP here. Based on what other associates are doing in this case, I would expect to be doing almost exclusively doc review for about two more years. After that it might change.

It must be a major relief to biglaw partners that there are still clients stupid enough to pay for this sort of thing.

OP, I don't see any reason not to be looking around. You always run the risk of falling into the same trap again, though, so the best approach is to also keep trying to hustle your way into other work within your current firm.

[DELG]

You can lateral as soon as you get a job offer.

[Anonymous User]

i think recruiters are open to people with less than two years experience. i just got an email from a recruiting company called palmer kent, and i'm only a first year who's been working since fall and i do not have a clerkship or clerkship-level credentials

[Anonymous User]

I lateraled after 1.5 years and didn't have a problem at all. I was looking to shift from general litigation to a more specific subarea. So waiting too long would have actually hurt me, since the substantive gap would have continued to grow.

[h2go]

i think recruiters are open to people with less than two years experience. i just got an email from a recruiting company called palmer kent, and i'm only a first year who's been working since fall and i do not have a clerkship or clerkship-level credentials

That's not really indicative of anything. Recruiters send out emails to anyone with a firm bio.

[WhiteCollarBlueShirt]

i think recruiters are open to people with less than two years experience. i just got an email from a recruiting company called palmer kent, and i'm only a first year who's been working since fall and i do not have a clerkship or clerkship-level credentials

That's not really indicative of anything. Recruiters send out emails to anyone with a firm bio.

If a personal anecdote is more indicative, I lateraled with significantly less than two years experience using a recruiter who sent blast emails (and it is not at all uncommon at my old firm, especially among those looking to trade up vault--I was not and did not).