Ranking Corporate Practice Areas (Litigator's Preferences) Forum

[Wild Card]

In case I don't get litigation, I may be placed in one of the following corporate practice areas. Right now, I have to rank them from 1 to 9:

Bankruptcy
Capital Markets
Derivatives
Finance
Funds
M&A
Project Finance
Real Estate
Regulatory

I'm an aspiring litigator with no knowledge whatsoever of finance. I will not have taken Corporations. I've done terribly in courses about which IDGAF. If I'm interested in "exit options," and given my "financial illiteracy" and indifference toward matters that don't interest me, how should I rank these groups?

From reading older threads, I'm under the impression that a rough ranking should look like this:

M&A/Cap Markets
--
Derivatives/Finance/Funds
--
Project Finance
--
Bankruptcy, Real Estate, Regulatory

Granted, my firm will put me wherever it wants. But I'm freaking out about this, and I'd deeply appreciate your thoughts.

(Also, what are the dangers of expressing any interest whatsoever in foreign offices?)

[vbalenciaga]

i think your tentative list is about right, except im wondering why regulatory is so low? seems like itd be a better fit for someone who likes litigation and exit options than some of these groups

[Anonymous User]

Maybe bankruptcy higher on your list? Bankruptcy has a decent amount of overlap with elements of litigation. Most people I know have found bankruptcy to be an extremely polarizing practice though, they’ll either love it or absolutely hate it.

[deepseapartners]

As an aspiring litigator whose primary goal is to lateral into another firm’s litigation group within 18 months, I would rank those practice groups as follows:

1. Bankruptcy (basically a litigation practice that requires some skills from a credit/finance practice)
>>>>>
2. Regulatory
>>>
3-4. M&A/Cap Markets
5. Finance
>>>
6-7. Derivatives/Funds
8. Real Estate
9. Project Finance