How many months/years at a small firm is enough for a recent graduate to apply to larger firms? Forum

Anonymous User · Post by **Anonymous User** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 8:00 pm

See title^

Thanks for the inputs!

rpupkin · Post by **rpupkin** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 8:09 pm

The answer is somewhere between zero and never, depending on a ton of factors. C'mon. What do you mean by "larger firms"? Where did you go to law school? And what does your "small firm" do? Personal injury? Insurance defense? Estates and trusts? Patent prosecution? Criminal defense? Bankruptcy?

Anonymous User · Post by **Anonymous User** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 8:41 pm

I'm a 2015 T14 grad working at a 50 lawyer litigation firm in a smaller city with biglaw satelite offices. Started in September and am beginning the process of exploring a move. Unsolicited another associate offered to connect me with a recruiter and I forwarded her my resume. Often the advice is to wait a year. I wouldn't feel great leaving so soon but if a biglaw firm in town extended an offer I'd likely accept. Its your life and people's circumstances are different so do what you feel is best. Your firm may hate you if you leave but that is life.

h2go · Post by **h2go** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 9:23 pm

Anonymous User wrote:I'm a 2015 T14 grad working at a 50 lawyer litigation firm in a smaller city with biglaw satelite offices. Started in September and am beginning the process of exploring a move. Unsolicited another associate offered to connect me with a recruiter and I forwarded her my resume. Often the advice is to wait a year. I wouldn't feel great leaving so soon but if a biglaw firm in town extended an offer I'd likely accept. Its your life and people's circumstances are different so do what you feel is best. Your firm may hate you if you leave but that is life.

Why did you end up working at your current firm? If you wanted to work in biglaw, why didn't you opt for that while in law school? At this point in your career, you don't really know enough to be marketable. Biglaw firms have plenty of incoming associates that can fill their junior litigation associate needs. They don't have good reason to bring you in, especially since they're going to have to retrain you. You can certainly get an offer, but it won't be easy and luck (e.g. sudden opening) is going to play a big factor. If you chose your current firm because you couldn't land a biglaw offer due to grades, it's going to be even more difficult to lateral.

Johann · Post by **Johann** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 9:47 pm

Anonymous User wrote:I'm a 2015 T14 grad working at a 50 lawyer litigation firm in a smaller city with biglaw satelite offices. Started in September and am beginning the process of exploring a move. Unsolicited another associate offered to connect me with a recruiter and I forwarded her my resume. Often the advice is to wait a year. I wouldn't feel great leaving so soon but if a biglaw firm in town extended an offer I'd likely accept. Its your life and people's circumstances are different so do what you feel is best. Your firm may hate you if you leave but that is life.

lol at you leaving

GreenEggs · Post by **GreenEggs** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 9:49 pm

JohannDeMann wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:I'm a 2015 T14 grad working at a 50 lawyer litigation firm in a smaller city with biglaw satelite offices. Started in September and am beginning the process of exploring a move. Unsolicited another associate offered to connect me with a recruiter and I forwarded her my resume. Often the advice is to wait a year. I wouldn't feel great leaving so soon but if a biglaw firm in town extended an offer I'd likely accept. Its your life and people's circumstances are different so do what you feel is best. Your firm may hate you if you leave but that is life.
lol at you leaving

?

pancakes3 · Post by **pancakes3** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 10:16 pm

^ im assuming bc at <100 lawyer lit firms, the guy would get a ton more substantive legal experience vs the bitch work they'll face as a BL entrant.

A. Nony Mouse · Post by **A. Nony Mouse** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 10:28 pm

DCfilterDC wrote:
JohannDeMann wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:I'm a 2015 T14 grad working at a 50 lawyer litigation firm in a smaller city with biglaw satelite offices. Started in September and am beginning the process of exploring a move. Unsolicited another associate offered to connect me with a recruiter and I forwarded her my resume. Often the advice is to wait a year. I wouldn't feel great leaving so soon but if a biglaw firm in town extended an offer I'd likely accept. Its your life and people's circumstances are different so do what you feel is best. Your firm may hate you if you leave but that is life.
lol at you leaving
?

lit is supposed to have fewer exit options/not be a hot hiring market right now.

rpupkin · Post by **rpupkin** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 10:31 pm

DCfilterDC wrote:
JohannDeMann wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:I'm a 2015 T14 grad working at a 50 lawyer litigation firm in a smaller city with biglaw satelite offices. Started in September and am beginning the process of exploring a move. Unsolicited another associate offered to connect me with a recruiter and I forwarded her my resume. Often the advice is to wait a year. I wouldn't feel great leaving so soon but if a biglaw firm in town extended an offer I'd likely accept. Its your life and people's circumstances are different so do what you feel is best. Your firm may hate you if you leave but that is life.
lol at you leaving
?

My guess is that JohannDeMann meant that a litigation associate will have a better QOL, more interesting work, and more opportunities for advancement at a midlaw regional litigation firm than at a big law firm. But the pay difference between a typical small/medium sized law firm and big law can be quite substantial (often more than $100K/yr), so I understand why someone might want to move to big law.

GreenEggs · Post by **GreenEggs** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 10:33 pm

rpupkin wrote:
DCfilterDC wrote:
JohannDeMann wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:I'm a 2015 T14 grad working at a 50 lawyer litigation firm in a smaller city with biglaw satelite offices. Started in September and am beginning the process of exploring a move. Unsolicited another associate offered to connect me with a recruiter and I forwarded her my resume. Often the advice is to wait a year. I wouldn't feel great leaving so soon but if a biglaw firm in town extended an offer I'd likely accept. Its your life and people's circumstances are different so do what you feel is best. Your firm may hate you if you leave but that is life.
lol at you leaving
?
My guess is that JohannDeMann meant that a litigation associate will have a better QOL, more interesting work, and more opportunities for advancement at a midlaw regional litigation firm than at a satellite office of a big law firm. But the pay difference between a typical small/medium sized law firm and big law can be quite substantial (often more than $100K/yr), so I understand why someone might want to move to big law.

Yeah this is what I was wondering, whether he meant this or Nony's take on it

rpupkin · Post by **rpupkin** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 10:37 pm

DCfilterDC wrote:
rpupkin wrote: My guess is that JohannDeMann meant that a litigation associate will have a better QOL, more interesting work, and more opportunities for advancement at a midlaw regional litigation firm than at a satellite office of a big law firm. But the pay difference between a typical small/medium sized law firm and big law can be quite substantial (often more than $100K/yr), so I understand why someone might want to move to big law.
Yeah this is what I was wondering, whether he meant this or Nony's take on it

The two takes aren't unrelated. Many junior associates in big law lit hate it and wish they could exit to a smaller lit firm, but those exit opportunities can be hard to come by. If the poster already has that situation in hand, it might not make sense to give it up.

kellyfrost · Post by **kellyfrost** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 10:40 pm

OP:
You should go in house.

rpupkin · Post by **rpupkin** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 10:50 pm

kellyfrost wrote:OP:
You should go in house.

Given the types of clients that many small firms have, going "in house" for OP might mean literally moving into some guy's home.

kellyfrost · Post by **kellyfrost** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 11:02 pm

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