Biglaw to big fed? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Hi all.

Anon because I’m contemplating changing my role. I’ve been unhappy at my firm for a bit, and I don’t think I’m cut out for biglaw in the long run.

Could those of you who have switched from biglaw to big fed discuss how your life has changed? I’m interested in thoughts on money, work/life balance, client demands, benefits, etc. Do you regret it? Are you glad?

Extra interested in for FTC/SEC/CFTC/FCC thoughts because I’m a transactional associate in a related field.

[Anonymous User]

Hi all.

Anon because I’m contemplating changing my role. I’ve been unhappy at my firm for a bit, and I don’t think I’m cut out for biglaw in the long run.

Could those of you who have switched from biglaw to big fed discuss how your life has changed? I’m interested in thoughts on money, work/life balance, client demands, benefits, etc. Do you regret it? Are you glad?

Extra interested in for FTC/SEC/CFTC/FCC thoughts because I’m a transactional associate in a related field.

I'm an AUSA at the DOJ, not main justice but at a USAO. I came from private practice. Looking back on that chapter of my career, it would have killed me or killed my long-term life happiness if I had not escaped it. I would not be in a happy marriage. My kid would hate my guts. My physical health would be atrocious and I'd be on track to croak dead of one thing or another at the age of 60. I would not have spent time with my aging and elderly parents and then I would have felt guilt and shame after they passed away. Nor would I be pursuing any of the hobby passions that I currently now do. When I retire--which will be with a nice fat pension mind you, plus my spouse's income/pension which they are happy to share with me since they're not married to a miserable biglaw partner--I will have plenty of life to live should I choose to quit the law altogether.

I am also a true lover of the law, so one cannot even say of me that I hated the practice areas while in private. I was engaged in sophisticated civil litigation involving moderately important cases that mattered to large corporations. If I didn't like the practice areas, I don't know how I would have even lasted as many years as I did in private. But I liked the stuff. I just hated... billable hours, asshole partners, the insatiable need to satisfy and be nice to clients instead of practicing law for the sake of achieving a just result, and more.

What is my life like now? Being an AUSA does not mean I don't work my ass off. When I'm preparing for trial, I'm easily burning 15-20 hour days and 7-day weeks for a few weeks. By the way, I do plenty of trials and have gotten good at it, so I smoke biglaw opponents on a regular basis, which is fun. I orally argue appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the ___ Circuit too, and have worked on a couple of SCOTUS briefs too. But trials are maybe once a year. When not in trial, I often go home at 5pm, though 530 is more common. The concept of vacation is completely foreign to what you are living in biglaw. If you aren't allotted vacation time like you are in government, you basically never go on real vacations. Being a busy and experienced AUSA, I rarely find enough time with all going on in my cases to break away for two-week vacations. If I try really hard I can do it, and have a few times. But more frequent are my full one-week vacations, which are still fantastic.

The cases and practice areas: There's just no comparison. The stuff you hear about in the news, debated on those stupid talk show radio programs or by ideological youtubers et al., that's the stuff you're in charge of handling in real life court. Important stuff that truly impacts American society, American democracy, and the lives of ordinary human beings in your community. Nor is anyone pressuring me to handle cases in a particular way, because of pressure to maintain that client adoration or keep up billable hour requirements.

I absolutely, positively, unequivocally love being a government attorney. Do your 3 years minimum at biglaw and then make the switch. FTC/SEC/CFTC/FCC, with a transactional background? Sure, go for it. Very doable coming from biglaw.

[Anonymous User]

Hi all.

Anon because I’m contemplating changing my role. I’ve been unhappy at my firm for a bit, and I don’t think I’m cut out for biglaw in the long run.

Could those of you who have switched from biglaw to big fed discuss how your life has changed? I’m interested in thoughts on money, work/life balance, client demands, benefits, etc. Do you regret it? Are you glad?

Extra interested in for FTC/SEC/CFTC/FCC thoughts because I’m a transactional associate in a related field.

I'm an AUSA at the DOJ, not main justice but at a USAO. I came from private practice. Looking back on that chapter of my career, it would have killed me or killed my long-term life happiness if I had not escaped it. I would not be in a happy marriage. My kid would hate my guts. My physical health would be atrocious and I'd be on track to croak dead of one thing or another at the age of 60. I would not have spent time with my aging and elderly parents and then I would have felt guilt and shame after they passed away. Nor would I be pursuing any of the hobby passions that I currently now do. When I retire--which will be with a nice fat pension mind you, plus my spouse's income/pension which they are happy to share with me since they're not married to a miserable biglaw partner--I will have plenty of life to live should I choose to quit the law altogether.

I am also a true lover of the law, so one cannot even say of me that I hated the practice areas while in private. I was engaged in sophisticated civil litigation involving moderately important cases that mattered to large corporations. If I didn't like the practice areas, I don't know how I would have even lasted as many years as I did in private. But I liked the stuff. I just hated... billable hours, asshole partners, the insatiable need to satisfy and be nice to clients instead of practicing law for the sake of achieving a just result, and more.

What is my life like now? Being an AUSA does not mean I don't work my ass off. When I'm preparing for trial, I'm easily burning 15-20 hour days and 7-day weeks for a few weeks. By the way, I do plenty of trials and have gotten good at it, so I smoke biglaw opponents on a regular basis, which is fun. I orally argue appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the ___ Circuit too, and have worked on a couple of SCOTUS briefs too. But trials are maybe once a year. When not in trial, I often go home at 5pm, though 530 is more common. The concept of vacation is completely foreign to what you are living in biglaw. If you aren't allotted vacation time like you are in government, you basically never go on real vacations. Being a busy and experienced AUSA, I rarely find enough time with all going on in my cases to break away for two-week vacations. If I try really hard I can do it, and have a few times. But more frequent are my full one-week vacations, which are still fantastic.

The cases and practice areas: There's just no comparison. The stuff you hear about in the news, debated on those stupid talk show radio programs or by ideological youtubers et al., that's the stuff you're in charge of handling in real life court. Important stuff that truly impacts American society, American democracy, and the lives of ordinary human beings in your community. Nor is anyone pressuring me to handle cases in a particular way, because of pressure to maintain that client adoration or keep up billable hour requirements.

I absolutely, positively, unequivocally love being a government attorney. Do your 3 years minimum at biglaw and then make the switch. FTC/SEC/CFTC/FCC, with a transactional background? Sure, go for it. Very doable coming from biglaw.

Is it like actually obtainable out of a corporate practice area? Maybe corp fin at SEC if you are a CapM person but they don't hire like enforcement does. I have to imagine FTC skews to antitrust specialists. Are there real options out there?

[crazywafflez]

Went from regional BL to big fed. I was a litigator

A)money, work/life balance: Money is good, but not great? Stable 6 figure salary. My hours are shorter, for sure. I work 9-5, unless in trial or big hearing coming up.

B)client demands: Ummmm, depends and varies tremendously from case to case, person to person.

C) benefits, etc.: Good pension, good benefits like healthcare etc. - but I had thought they'd be 100% better but in reality my firm's were not lightyears behind.

D)Do you regret it? Nope. Quite happy with the change. This work is significantly more fulfilling, doesn't result in burnout and I have a lot more of a life outside of work.

[Anonymous User]

Made the switch recently and I'm very happy. I still work hard -- including some on nights and weekends -- but there's little pressure to do so, and I don't have to fret over hours when things are slow. I miss the money but not enough to go back to biglaw.

[JusticeChuckleNutz]

Hi all.

Anon because I’m contemplating changing my role. I’ve been unhappy at my firm for a bit, and I don’t think I’m cut out for biglaw in the long run.

Could those of you who have switched from biglaw to big fed discuss how your life has changed? I’m interested in thoughts on money, work/life balance, client demands, benefits, etc. Do you regret it? Are you glad?

Extra interested in for FTC/SEC/CFTC/FCC thoughts because I’m a transactional associate in a related field.

I'm an AUSA at the DOJ, not main justice but at a USAO. I came from private practice. Looking back on that chapter of my career, it would have killed me or killed my long-term life happiness if I had not escaped it. I would not be in a happy marriage. My kid would hate my guts. My physical health would be atrocious and I'd be on track to croak dead of one thing or another at the age of 60. I would not have spent time with my aging and elderly parents and then I would have felt guilt and shame after they passed away. Nor would I be pursuing any of the hobby passions that I currently now do. When I retire--which will be with a nice fat pension mind you, plus my spouse's income/pension which they are happy to share with me since they're not married to a miserable biglaw partner--I will have plenty of life to live should I choose to quit the law altogether.

Succinctly sums up all of my fears concerning the life I am currently living

[Anonymous User]

OP here—thank you, all of you, for your input here. It’s great to hear that there really aren’t many regrets. This helps my decision to actively apply.

[Elston Gunn]

If you’re transactional, is there a reason you’re not thinking in house? Not that it’s necessarily better than BigFed — on balance, I would say it is more money but somewhat less interesting than BigFed, but both types of jobs vary a lot. But there are a lot more in house jobs for transactional lawyers than fed jobs.

[Anonymous User]

Hi all.

Anon because I’m contemplating changing my role. I’ve been unhappy at my firm for a bit, and I don’t think I’m cut out for biglaw in the long run.

Could those of you who have switched from biglaw to big fed discuss how your life has changed? I’m interested in thoughts on money, work/life balance, client demands, benefits, etc. Do you regret it? Are you glad?

Extra interested in for FTC/SEC/CFTC/FCC thoughts because I’m a transactional associate in a related field.

I'm an AUSA at the DOJ, not main justice but at a USAO. I came from private practice. Looking back on that chapter of my career, it would have killed me or killed my long-term life happiness if I had not escaped it. I would not be in a happy marriage. My kid would hate my guts. My physical health would be atrocious and I'd be on track to croak dead of one thing or another at the age of 60. I would not have spent time with my aging and elderly parents and then I would have felt guilt and shame after they passed away. Nor would I be pursuing any of the hobby passions that I currently now do. When I retire--which will be with a nice fat pension mind you, plus my spouse's income/pension which they are happy to share with me since they're not married to a miserable biglaw partner--I will have plenty of life to live should I choose to quit the law altogether.

Succinctly sums up all of my fears concerning the life I am currently living

Me too man. I screamed at my wife and kid this weekend for no good reason related to them. I was pissed because I got three weekend assignments between 4 and 6 on Friday. That's not their fault, and I've spent the last week feeling like biglaw has turned me into a shitty person.

[Anonymous User]

Hi all.

Anon because I’m contemplating changing my role. I’ve been unhappy at my firm for a bit, and I don’t think I’m cut out for biglaw in the long run.

Could those of you who have switched from biglaw to big fed discuss how your life has changed? I’m interested in thoughts on money, work/life balance, client demands, benefits, etc. Do you regret it? Are you glad?

Extra interested in for FTC/SEC/CFTC/FCC thoughts because I’m a transactional associate in a related field.

I'm an AUSA at the DOJ, not main justice but at a USAO. I came from private practice. Looking back on that chapter of my career, it would have killed me or killed my long-term life happiness if I had not escaped it. I would not be in a happy marriage. My kid would hate my guts. My physical health would be atrocious and I'd be on track to croak dead of one thing or another at the age of 60. I would not have spent time with my aging and elderly parents and then I would have felt guilt and shame after they passed away. Nor would I be pursuing any of the hobby passions that I currently now do. When I retire--which will be with a nice fat pension mind you, plus my spouse's income/pension which they are happy to share with me since they're not married to a miserable biglaw partner--I will have plenty of life to live should I choose to quit the law altogether.

I am also a true lover of the law, so one cannot even say of me that I hated the practice areas while in private. I was engaged in sophisticated civil litigation involving moderately important cases that mattered to large corporations. If I didn't like the practice areas, I don't know how I would have even lasted as many years as I did in private. But I liked the stuff. I just hated... billable hours, asshole partners, the insatiable need to satisfy and be nice to clients instead of practicing law for the sake of achieving a just result, and more.

What is my life like now? Being an AUSA does not mean I don't work my ass off. When I'm preparing for trial, I'm easily burning 15-20 hour days and 7-day weeks for a few weeks. By the way, I do plenty of trials and have gotten good at it, so I smoke biglaw opponents on a regular basis, which is fun. I orally argue appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the ___ Circuit too, and have worked on a couple of SCOTUS briefs too. But trials are maybe once a year. When not in trial, I often go home at 5pm, though 530 is more common. The concept of vacation is completely foreign to what you are living in biglaw. If you aren't allotted vacation time like you are in government, you basically never go on real vacations. Being a busy and experienced AUSA, I rarely find enough time with all going on in my cases to break away for two-week vacations. If I try really hard I can do it, and have a few times. But more frequent are my full one-week vacations, which are still fantastic.

The cases and practice areas: There's just no comparison. The stuff you hear about in the news, debated on those stupid talk show radio programs or by ideological youtubers et al., that's the stuff you're in charge of handling in real life court. Important stuff that truly impacts American society, American democracy, and the lives of ordinary human beings in your community. Nor is anyone pressuring me to handle cases in a particular way, because of pressure to maintain that client adoration or keep up billable hour requirements.

I absolutely, positively, unequivocally love being a government attorney. Do your 3 years minimum at biglaw and then make the switch. FTC/SEC/CFTC/FCC, with a transactional background? Sure, go for it. Very doable coming from biglaw.

Curious which USAO this is - I only know people in SDNY/EDNY and they seem to work all the damn time.

[Anonymous User]

I'm a different AUSA, and have worked in two different offices, neither of which is SDNY/EDNY. Criminal AUSAs do work a lot, but you can go through pretty decent stretches of going home at 5-5:30 (personally I tend to stay till 6-6:30, but I'm not a morning person so never get in on time). I also only work on weekends if I'm preparing for/in trial, or have a big pleading due. TBF, I've always had colleagues who do work on weekends, but they're usually a bit more workaholic than I am and seem to like to handle their work that way - I'd rather stay late during the week if I can swing it.

It definitely varies by location and office priorities - I'm currently in a low population state so don't tend to see the kind of volume and complexity that you get in an SDNY/EDNY, and volume is also very USA-specific (or administration-specific - border districts suffer a lot under "no tolerance" immigration policies, for instance).

Because you're right, I've never really worked with EDNY but when I've worked with SDNY people, they seem to work all the damn time. I'm sure the fact that they're basically all out of biglaw makes a difference, because there's a more universal culture/shared experience than in an office like mine, which has a lot of (and is mostly run by) former local prosecutors or else federal lifers.

(I've never worked biglaw so can't really compare the two. I personally find the salary more than enough, but I also 1) have relatively cheap COL, 2) don't have kids, and 3) am making the most I ever have in my life. Voluntarily cutting your pay has got to be harder.)

[Anonymous User]

Biglaw to non-sexy agency -- DOL, DOT EPA, HUD, etc.
Life is GOOD. Literally illegal for me to work more than 40 hours w/o comp time. I feel very engaged with the law working through an interesting jack of all trades role - complex statutory interpretation, advising on policy, reviewing and drafting regulations and grants etc. Pay is solidly in the low-mid six figures. My peers and supervisors are very competent and largely ex-big law.
Unless you truly love the courtroom the key is to look for Attorney-Advisor positions rather than Trial Attorney. There are certainly tons of attorney jobs in the fed where a transactional skill set is needed, you may just have to dig around in the "lesser" agencies. I wish I made the switch sooner.

[Anonymous User]

Hi all.

Anon because I’m contemplating changing my role. I’ve been unhappy at my firm for a bit, and I don’t think I’m cut out for biglaw in the long run.

Could those of you who have switched from biglaw to big fed discuss how your life has changed? I’m interested in thoughts on money, work/life balance, client demands, benefits, etc. Do you regret it? Are you glad?

Extra interested in for FTC/SEC/CFTC/FCC thoughts because I’m a transactional associate in a related field.

I'm an AUSA at the DOJ, not main justice but at a USAO. I came from private practice. Looking back on that chapter of my career, it would have killed me or killed my long-term life happiness if I had not escaped it. I would not be in a happy marriage. My kid would hate my guts. My physical health would be atrocious and I'd be on track to croak dead of one thing or another at the age of 60. I would not have spent time with my aging and elderly parents and then I would have felt guilt and shame after they passed away. Nor would I be pursuing any of the hobby passions that I currently now do. When I retire--which will be with a nice fat pension mind you, plus my spouse's income/pension which they are happy to share with me since they're not married to a miserable biglaw partner--I will have plenty of life to live should I choose to quit the law altogether.

I am also a true lover of the law, so one cannot even say of me that I hated the practice areas while in private. I was engaged in sophisticated civil litigation involving moderately important cases that mattered to large corporations. If I didn't like the practice areas, I don't know how I would have even lasted as many years as I did in private. But I liked the stuff. I just hated... billable hours, asshole partners, the insatiable need to satisfy and be nice to clients instead of practicing law for the sake of achieving a just result, and more.

What is my life like now? Being an AUSA does not mean I don't work my ass off. When I'm preparing for trial, I'm easily burning 15-20 hour days and 7-day weeks for a few weeks. By the way, I do plenty of trials and have gotten good at it, so I smoke biglaw opponents on a regular basis, which is fun. I orally argue appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the ___ Circuit too, and have worked on a couple of SCOTUS briefs too. But trials are maybe once a year. When not in trial, I often go home at 5pm, though 530 is more common. The concept of vacation is completely foreign to what you are living in biglaw. If you aren't allotted vacation time like you are in government, you basically never go on real vacations. Being a busy and experienced AUSA, I rarely find enough time with all going on in my cases to break away for two-week vacations. If I try really hard I can do it, and have a few times. But more frequent are my full one-week vacations, which are still fantastic.

The cases and practice areas: There's just no comparison. The stuff you hear about in the news, debated on those stupid talk show radio programs or by ideological youtubers et al., that's the stuff you're in charge of handling in real life court. Important stuff that truly impacts American society, American democracy, and the lives of ordinary human beings in your community. Nor is anyone pressuring me to handle cases in a particular way, because of pressure to maintain that client adoration or keep up billable hour requirements.

I absolutely, positively, unequivocally love being a government attorney. Do your 3 years minimum at biglaw and then make the switch. FTC/SEC/CFTC/FCC, with a transactional background? Sure, go for it. Very doable coming from biglaw.

Curious which USAO this is - I only know people in SDNY/EDNY and they seem to work all the damn time.

I'm the AUSA you asked this question to. The answer is: Not SDNY/EDNY. Your assessment is correct.

I think one day I could possibly see myself taking up a job in Washington if it was super super interesting and had a "your country is calling you" kind of appeal to it. Unlikely because I'm pretty happy here in my home state, but possible long term. As for SDNY or EDNY? I would not consider them and would decline any offers to transfer there. They have unique cultural problems that probably stem from just being in NYC. I'm sure they have great lawyers and some people love it there, but burning long ridiculous hours seems like their SOP which is no bueno.

[Anonymous User]

I'm an AUSA at the DOJ, not main justice but at a USAO. I came from private practice. Looking back on that chapter of my career, it would have killed me or killed my long-term life happiness if I had not escaped it. I would not be in a happy marriage. My kid would hate my guts. My physical health would be atrocious and I'd be on track to croak dead of one thing or another at the age of 60. I would not have spent time with my aging and elderly parents and then I would have felt guilt and shame after they passed away. Nor would I be pursuing any of the hobby passions that I currently now do. When I retire--which will be with a nice fat pension mind you, plus my spouse's income/pension which they are happy to share with me since they're not married to a miserable biglaw partner--I will have plenty of life to live should I choose to quit the law altogether.

I am also a true lover of the law, so one cannot even say of me that I hated the practice areas while in private. I was engaged in sophisticated civil litigation involving moderately important cases that mattered to large corporations. If I didn't like the practice areas, I don't know how I would have even lasted as many years as I did in private. But I liked the stuff. I just hated... billable hours, asshole partners, the insatiable need to satisfy and be nice to clients instead of practicing law for the sake of achieving a just result, and more.

What is my life like now? Being an AUSA does not mean I don't work my ass off. When I'm preparing for trial, I'm easily burning 15-20 hour days and 7-day weeks for a few weeks. By the way, I do plenty of trials and have gotten good at it, so I smoke biglaw opponents on a regular basis, which is fun. I orally argue appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the ___ Circuit too, and have worked on a couple of SCOTUS briefs too. But trials are maybe once a year. When not in trial, I often go home at 5pm, though 530 is more common. The concept of vacation is completely foreign to what you are living in biglaw. If you aren't allotted vacation time like you are in government, you basically never go on real vacations. Being a busy and experienced AUSA, I rarely find enough time with all going on in my cases to break away for two-week vacations. If I try really hard I can do it, and have a few times. But more frequent are my full one-week vacations, which are still fantastic.

The cases and practice areas: There's just no comparison. The stuff you hear about in the news, debated on those stupid talk show radio programs or by ideological youtubers et al., that's the stuff you're in charge of handling in real life court. Important stuff that truly impacts American society, American democracy, and the lives of ordinary human beings in your community. Nor is anyone pressuring me to handle cases in a particular way, because of pressure to maintain that client adoration or keep up billable hour requirements.

I absolutely, positively, unequivocally love being a government attorney. Do your 3 years minimum at biglaw and then make the switch. FTC/SEC/CFTC/FCC, with a transactional background? Sure, go for it. Very doable coming from biglaw.

Is it like actually obtainable out of a corporate practice area? Maybe corp fin at SEC if you are a CapM person but they don't hire like enforcement does. I have to imagine FTC skews to antitrust specialists. Are there real options out there?

AUSA here. I would say yes, based on a pretty good stint I've done elsewhere in government. Government practice is extremely niche-dependent, which means that it's not always possible to find lawyers who have solid years of experience in the government agency's practice area. Very often, the agency decides to just make do with lawyers who seem really smart and can adapt to the agency's weird niche practice.

If you're good with people, can work on teams well, and regularly engage that lawyer brain of yours for complex and difficult problems, there are tons of state or federal agencies that would be interested. If you're transactional, don't go for litigation-oriented agencies like the DOJ of course, but there are so many others.

[person237]

Hi all.

Anon because I’m contemplating changing my role. I’ve been unhappy at my firm for a bit, and I don’t think I’m cut out for biglaw in the long run.

Could those of you who have switched from biglaw to big fed discuss how your life has changed? I’m interested in thoughts on money, work/life balance, client demands, benefits, etc. Do you regret it? Are you glad?

Extra interested in for FTC/SEC/CFTC/FCC thoughts because I’m a transactional associate in a related field.

I'm an AUSA at the DOJ, not main justice but at a USAO. I came from private practice. Looking back on that chapter of my career, it would have killed me or killed my long-term life happiness if I had not escaped it. I would not be in a happy marriage. My kid would hate my guts. My physical health would be atrocious and I'd be on track to croak dead of one thing or another at the age of 60. I would not have spent time with my aging and elderly parents and then I would have felt guilt and shame after they passed away. Nor would I be pursuing any of the hobby passions that I currently now do. When I retire--which will be with a nice fat pension mind you, plus my spouse's income/pension which they are happy to share with me since they're not married to a miserable biglaw partner--I will have plenty of life to live should I choose to quit the law altogether.

I am also a true lover of the law, so one cannot even say of me that I hated the practice areas while in private. I was engaged in sophisticated civil litigation involving moderately important cases that mattered to large corporations. If I didn't like the practice areas, I don't know how I would have even lasted as many years as I did in private. But I liked the stuff. I just hated... billable hours, asshole partners, the insatiable need to satisfy and be nice to clients instead of practicing law for the sake of achieving a just result, and more.

What is my life like now? Being an AUSA does not mean I don't work my ass off. When I'm preparing for trial, I'm easily burning 15-20 hour days and 7-day weeks for a few weeks. By the way, I do plenty of trials and have gotten good at it, so I smoke biglaw opponents on a regular basis, which is fun. I orally argue appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the ___ Circuit too, and have worked on a couple of SCOTUS briefs too. But trials are maybe once a year. When not in trial, I often go home at 5pm, though 530 is more common. The concept of vacation is completely foreign to what you are living in biglaw. If you aren't allotted vacation time like you are in government, you basically never go on real vacations. Being a busy and experienced AUSA, I rarely find enough time with all going on in my cases to break away for two-week vacations. If I try really hard I can do it, and have a few times. But more frequent are my full one-week vacations, which are still fantastic.

The cases and practice areas: There's just no comparison. The stuff you hear about in the news, debated on those stupid talk show radio programs or by ideological youtubers et al., that's the stuff you're in charge of handling in real life court. Important stuff that truly impacts American society, American democracy, and the lives of ordinary human beings in your community. Nor is anyone pressuring me to handle cases in a particular way, because of pressure to maintain that client adoration or keep up billable hour requirements.

I absolutely, positively, unequivocally love being a government attorney. Do your 3 years minimum at biglaw and then make the switch. FTC/SEC/CFTC/FCC, with a transactional background? Sure, go for it. Very doable coming from biglaw.

I love this response!! So glad you made the jump. I went from big law to state gov and I feel similar. I’m very proud/happy. I didn’t stick it out long enough in big law to cut it for the Feds, but I’m fine with state for now.

[Anonymous User]

Hi all.

Anon because I’m contemplating changing my role. I’ve been unhappy at my firm for a bit, and I don’t think I’m cut out for biglaw in the long run.

Could those of you who have switched from biglaw to big fed discuss how your life has changed? I’m interested in thoughts on money, work/life balance, client demands, benefits, etc. Do you regret it? Are you glad?

Extra interested in for FTC/SEC/CFTC/FCC thoughts because I’m a transactional associate in a related field.

I'm an AUSA at the DOJ, not main justice but at a USAO. I came from private practice. Looking back on that chapter of my career, it would have killed me or killed my long-term life happiness if I had not escaped it. I would not be in a happy marriage. My kid would hate my guts. My physical health would be atrocious and I'd be on track to croak dead of one thing or another at the age of 60. I would not have spent time with my aging and elderly parents and then I would have felt guilt and shame after they passed away. Nor would I be pursuing any of the hobby passions that I currently now do. When I retire--which will be with a nice fat pension mind you, plus my spouse's income/pension which they are happy to share with me since they're not married to a miserable biglaw partner--I will have plenty of life to live should I choose to quit the law altogether.

I am also a true lover of the law, so one cannot even say of me that I hated the practice areas while in private. I was engaged in sophisticated civil litigation involving moderately important cases that mattered to large corporations. If I didn't like the practice areas, I don't know how I would have even lasted as many years as I did in private. But I liked the stuff. I just hated... billable hours, asshole partners, the insatiable need to satisfy and be nice to clients instead of practicing law for the sake of achieving a just result, and more.

What is my life like now? Being an AUSA does not mean I don't work my ass off. When I'm preparing for trial, I'm easily burning 15-20 hour days and 7-day weeks for a few weeks. By the way, I do plenty of trials and have gotten good at it, so I smoke biglaw opponents on a regular basis, which is fun. I orally argue appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the ___ Circuit too, and have worked on a couple of SCOTUS briefs too. But trials are maybe once a year. When not in trial, I often go home at 5pm, though 530 is more common. The concept of vacation is completely foreign to what you are living in biglaw. If you aren't allotted vacation time like you are in government, you basically never go on real vacations. Being a busy and experienced AUSA, I rarely find enough time with all going on in my cases to break away for two-week vacations. If I try really hard I can do it, and have a few times. But more frequent are my full one-week vacations, which are still fantastic.

The cases and practice areas: There's just no comparison. The stuff you hear about in the news, debated on those stupid talk show radio programs or by ideological youtubers et al., that's the stuff you're in charge of handling in real life court. Important stuff that truly impacts American society, American democracy, and the lives of ordinary human beings in your community. Nor is anyone pressuring me to handle cases in a particular way, because of pressure to maintain that client adoration or keep up billable hour requirements.

I absolutely, positively, unequivocally love being a government attorney. Do your 3 years minimum at biglaw and then make the switch. FTC/SEC/CFTC/FCC, with a transactional background? Sure, go for it. Very doable coming from biglaw.

I love this response!! So glad you made the jump. I went from big law to state gov and I feel similar. I’m very proud/happy. I didn’t stick it out long enough in big law to cut it for the Feds, but I’m fine with state for now.

Just plug away at state for a while and you'll make it to feds too if you want to. The feds in my state poach from state agencies all the time. It annoys the hell out of the State, lol. All that said, state government work is a lot of fun too, and you don't have to deal with the monstrous federal bureaucracy. In my state their vacation benefits are superior to federal.

[Anonymous User]

I went from biglaw to SEC. I actually liked what I was doing before - partners and clients were good/humane, the work was interesting and high-stakes. But I left because a) I was told I couldn't make partner without having government experience, and the other options of staying at the firm (i.e., making counsel, how much more time I had as a senior associate before getting pushed out) were too much of a black box that I didn't feel comfortable about my long-term prospects. I also considered in-house but I didn't like the idea of being tied to just one company.

I'm still new to the govt and 100% of it has been remote but here are the pros/cons:

Pros:
A lot more freedom to drive your own cases and investigations. Many of the cases are leanly staffed so there's no hierarchy/multi-layered process. If you want to draft a doc request, you just do it. My supervisors have been open to ideas and generous with how many questions I ask. That's not to say there isn't a complex process involved for the big-ticket steps, like actually filing a case in district court or getting a settlement, but on the whole, I appreciate how I don't need to ask 10-15 people for permission before I do something for the day-to-day management of a case.

Lifestyle is a whole lot better. Unless there's a trial coming up, weekends and evenings are mine. I want to have kids soon and, since my SO also has a demanding job, I just don't see how I could have handled it working a biglaw senior associate gig. Other people's mileage of course may vary.

Cons:
The SEC pay scale is quite generous compared to other fed agencies but let's be blunt - I took an enormous pay-cut. I think of myself as pretty frugal and I wasn't going balls to the wall on a biglaw salary either, but things like mortgage payments and car repairs do weigh on me more heavily now. For the money alone, I'm not writing off going back to a firm or looking at in-house options.

The performance review process here seems ... not as detailed as in a law firm, so I really have no idea how I'm doing, other than the fact that I'm not sucking and haven't made any major fuck-ups. I also wish they offered more substantive training - part of the issue might be we're still very much in a remote posture.

Happy to answer any questions/PMs.

[Anonymous User]

I went from biglaw to SEC. I actually liked what I was doing before - partners and clients were good/humane, the work was interesting and high-stakes. But I left because a) I was told I couldn't make partner without having government experience, and the other options of staying at the firm (i.e., making counsel, how much more time I had as a senior associate before getting pushed out) were too much of a black box that I didn't feel comfortable about my long-term prospects. I also considered in-house but I didn't like the idea of being tied to just one company.

I'm still new to the govt and 100% of it has been remote but here are the pros/cons:

Pros:
A lot more freedom to drive your own cases and investigations. Many of the cases are leanly staffed so there's no hierarchy/multi-layered process. If you want to draft a doc request, you just do it. My supervisors have been open to ideas and generous with how many questions I ask. That's not to say there isn't a complex process involved for the big-ticket steps, like actually filing a case in district court or getting a settlement, but on the whole, I appreciate how I don't need to ask 10-15 people for permission before I do something for the day-to-day management of a case.

Lifestyle is a whole lot better. Unless there's a trial coming up, weekends and evenings are mine. I want to have kids soon and, since my SO also has a demanding job, I just don't see how I could have handled it working a biglaw senior associate gig. Other people's mileage of course may vary.

Cons:
The SEC pay scale is quite generous compared to other fed agencies but let's be blunt - I took an enormous pay-cut. I think of myself as pretty frugal and I wasn't going balls to the wall on a biglaw salary either, but things like mortgage payments and car repairs do weigh on me more heavily now. For the money alone, I'm not writing off going back to a firm or looking at in-house options.

The performance review process here seems ... not as detailed as in a law firm, so I really have no idea how I'm doing, other than the fact that I'm not sucking and haven't made any major fuck-ups. I also wish they offered more substantive training - part of the issue might be we're still very much in a remote posture.

Happy to answer any questions/PMs.

Also at the SEC but came from big 4 consulting. I have been looking at the in-house counsel salaries in NYC after the new rule requiring companies to post salaries went into effect. It didn’t seem like a ton more than the SEC pays unless you are getting a 33%+ bonus/stock. Then you consider the SEC benefits with $70+ per paycheck for health insurance, 8% TSP March, etc., and it makes in house look worst. I am also not in the NY or SF office, so I imagine any in house salary would be adjusted down to match the cost of living where I am (think DC/Miami/Chicago). My SO is big law so I recognize the salaries there are significantly higher. However, I was really shocked at how little it seemed like in house paid. Do you have any additional insight I may be missing about in house comp? Debating shooting for a higher role in compliance to see if it pays more. Or doing a detail with Chief Operating Officer and going back to consulting at a higher level or in a higher paying specialty.

[Anonymous User]

I went from biglaw to SEC. I actually liked what I was doing before - partners and clients were good/humane, the work was interesting and high-stakes. But I left because a) I was told I couldn't make partner without having government experience, and the other options of staying at the firm (i.e., making counsel, how much more time I had as a senior associate before getting pushed out) were too much of a black box that I didn't feel comfortable about my long-term prospects. I also considered in-house but I didn't like the idea of being tied to just one company.

I'm still new to the govt and 100% of it has been remote but here are the pros/cons:

Pros:
A lot more freedom to drive your own cases and investigations. Many of the cases are leanly staffed so there's no hierarchy/multi-layered process. If you want to draft a doc request, you just do it. My supervisors have been open to ideas and generous with how many questions I ask. That's not to say there isn't a complex process involved for the big-ticket steps, like actually filing a case in district court or getting a settlement, but on the whole, I appreciate how I don't need to ask 10-15 people for permission before I do something for the day-to-day management of a case.

Lifestyle is a whole lot better. Unless there's a trial coming up, weekends and evenings are mine. I want to have kids soon and, since my SO also has a demanding job, I just don't see how I could have handled it working a biglaw senior associate gig. Other people's mileage of course may vary.

Cons:
The SEC pay scale is quite generous compared to other fed agencies but let's be blunt - I took an enormous pay-cut. I think of myself as pretty frugal and I wasn't going balls to the wall on a biglaw salary either, but things like mortgage payments and car repairs do weigh on me more heavily now. For the money alone, I'm not writing off going back to a firm or looking at in-house options.

The performance review process here seems ... not as detailed as in a law firm, so I really have no idea how I'm doing, other than the fact that I'm not sucking and haven't made any major fuck-ups. I also wish they offered more substantive training - part of the issue might be we're still very much in a remote posture.

Happy to answer any questions/PMs.

Also at the SEC but came from big 4 consulting. I have been looking at the in-house counsel salaries in NYC after the new rule requiring companies to post salaries went into effect. It didn’t seem like a ton more than the SEC pays unless you are getting a 33%+ bonus/stock. Then you consider the SEC benefits with $70+ per paycheck for health insurance, 8% TSP March, etc., and it makes in house look worst. I am also not in the NY or SF office, so I imagine any in house salary would be adjusted down to match the cost of living where I am (think DC/Miami/Chicago). My SO is big law so I recognize the salaries there are significantly higher. However, I was really shocked at how little it seemed like in house paid. Do you have any additional insight I may be missing about in house comp? Debating shooting for a higher role in compliance to see if it pays more. Or doing a detail with Chief Operating Officer and going back to consulting at a higher level or in a higher paying specialty.

I left Bigfed (DOJ) to go in-house at FAANG in a DC/Miami/Chicago office. I considered SEC but ultimately went with in-house due to the compensation. Top pay at SEC is 261k (for non-senior officer level), which you don't get right away, and will have to work quite a bit for to ever make that (from open source data most SEC attorneys are around 200-230 that graduated in the last 8 years). If you made 261k, that match is great as is the health benefits. Pension is also great, however pales in comparison to the CFPB pension (0% contribution) as SEC employees hired after 2014 have to pay the FERSFRAE 4.4% rate, which at 261k is around 11k a year.

Salary at FAANG for my role ranges from 350-400k, with decent matching and mega backdoor options. Health benefits are similar as SEC, and is flexible regarding telework. I only wish I could keep contributing/building to the pension!

[Anonymous User]

I went from biglaw to SEC. I actually liked what I was doing before - partners and clients were good/humane, the work was interesting and high-stakes. But I left because a) I was told I couldn't make partner without having government experience, and the other options of staying at the firm (i.e., making counsel, how much more time I had as a senior associate before getting pushed out) were too much of a black box that I didn't feel comfortable about my long-term prospects. I also considered in-house but I didn't like the idea of being tied to just one company.

I'm still new to the govt and 100% of it has been remote but here are the pros/cons:

Pros:
A lot more freedom to drive your own cases and investigations. Many of the cases are leanly staffed so there's no hierarchy/multi-layered process. If you want to draft a doc request, you just do it. My supervisors have been open to ideas and generous with how many questions I ask. That's not to say there isn't a complex process involved for the big-ticket steps, like actually filing a case in district court or getting a settlement, but on the whole, I appreciate how I don't need to ask 10-15 people for permission before I do something for the day-to-day management of a case.

Lifestyle is a whole lot better. Unless there's a trial coming up, weekends and evenings are mine. I want to have kids soon and, since my SO also has a demanding job, I just don't see how I could have handled it working a biglaw senior associate gig. Other people's mileage of course may vary.

Cons:
The SEC pay scale is quite generous compared to other fed agencies but let's be blunt - I took an enormous pay-cut. I think of myself as pretty frugal and I wasn't going balls to the wall on a biglaw salary either, but things like mortgage payments and car repairs do weigh on me more heavily now. For the money alone, I'm not writing off going back to a firm or looking at in-house options.

The performance review process here seems ... not as detailed as in a law firm, so I really have no idea how I'm doing, other than the fact that I'm not sucking and haven't made any major fuck-ups. I also wish they offered more substantive training - part of the issue might be we're still very much in a remote posture.

Happy to answer any questions/PMs.

Also at the SEC but came from big 4 consulting. I have been looking at the in-house counsel salaries in NYC after the new rule requiring companies to post salaries went into effect. It didn’t seem like a ton more than the SEC pays unless you are getting a 33%+ bonus/stock. Then you consider the SEC benefits with $70+ per paycheck for health insurance, 8% TSP March, etc., and it makes in house look worst. I am also not in the NY or SF office, so I imagine any in house salary would be adjusted down to match the cost of living where I am (think DC/Miami/Chicago). My SO is big law so I recognize the salaries there are significantly higher. However, I was really shocked at how little it seemed like in house paid. Do you have any additional insight I may be missing about in house comp? Debating shooting for a higher role in compliance to see if it pays more. Or doing a detail with Chief Operating Officer and going back to consulting at a higher level or in a higher paying specialty.

I left Bigfed (DOJ) to go in-house at FAANG in a DC/Miami/Chicago office. I considered SEC but ultimately went with in-house due to the compensation. Top pay at SEC is 261k (for non-senior officer level), which you don't get right away, and will have to work quite a bit for to ever make that (from open source data most SEC attorneys are around 200-230 that graduated in the last 8 years). If you made 261k, that match is great as is the health benefits. Pension is also great, however pales in comparison to the CFPB pension (0% contribution) as SEC employees hired after 2014 have to pay the FERSFRAE 4.4% rate, which at 261k is around 11k a year.

Salary at FAANG for my role ranges from 350-400k, with decent matching and mega backdoor options. Health benefits are similar as SEC, and is flexible regarding telework. I only wish I could keep contributing/building to the pension!

How many YOE did you have before you went FAANG? Assuming a litigation/regulatory enforcement type role?

[Anonymous User]

I went from biglaw to SEC. I actually liked what I was doing before - partners and clients were good/humane, the work was interesting and high-stakes. But I left because a) I was told I couldn't make partner without having government experience, and the other options of staying at the firm (i.e., making counsel, how much more time I had as a senior associate before getting pushed out) were too much of a black box that I didn't feel comfortable about my long-term prospects. I also considered in-house but I didn't like the idea of being tied to just one company.

I'm still new to the govt and 100% of it has been remote but here are the pros/cons:

Pros:
A lot more freedom to drive your own cases and investigations. Many of the cases are leanly staffed so there's no hierarchy/multi-layered process. If you want to draft a doc request, you just do it. My supervisors have been open to ideas and generous with how many questions I ask. That's not to say there isn't a complex process involved for the big-ticket steps, like actually filing a case in district court or getting a settlement, but on the whole, I appreciate how I don't need to ask 10-15 people for permission before I do something for the day-to-day management of a case.

Lifestyle is a whole lot better. Unless there's a trial coming up, weekends and evenings are mine. I want to have kids soon and, since my SO also has a demanding job, I just don't see how I could have handled it working a biglaw senior associate gig. Other people's mileage of course may vary.

Cons:
The SEC pay scale is quite generous compared to other fed agencies but let's be blunt - I took an enormous pay-cut. I think of myself as pretty frugal and I wasn't going balls to the wall on a biglaw salary either, but things like mortgage payments and car repairs do weigh on me more heavily now. For the money alone, I'm not writing off going back to a firm or looking at in-house options.

The performance review process here seems ... not as detailed as in a law firm, so I really have no idea how I'm doing, other than the fact that I'm not sucking and haven't made any major fuck-ups. I also wish they offered more substantive training - part of the issue might be we're still very much in a remote posture.

Happy to answer any questions/PMs.

Also at the SEC but came from big 4 consulting. I have been looking at the in-house counsel salaries in NYC after the new rule requiring companies to post salaries went into effect. It didn’t seem like a ton more than the SEC pays unless you are getting a 33%+ bonus/stock. Then you consider the SEC benefits with $70+ per paycheck for health insurance, 8% TSP March, etc., and it makes in house look worst. I am also not in the NY or SF office, so I imagine any in house salary would be adjusted down to match the cost of living where I am (think DC/Miami/Chicago). My SO is big law so I recognize the salaries there are significantly higher. However, I was really shocked at how little it seemed like in house paid. Do you have any additional insight I may be missing about in house comp? Debating shooting for a higher role in compliance to see if it pays more. Or doing a detail with Chief Operating Officer and going back to consulting at a higher level or in a higher paying specialty.

Also agree with this. I'm at one of the financial regulators in DC, and the base salary ranges at banks for in-house positions are much lower than I thought (and in some cases, better at the financial regulators)

[JusticeChuckleNutz]

I went from biglaw to SEC. I actually liked what I was doing before - partners and clients were good/humane, the work was interesting and high-stakes. But I left because a) I was told I couldn't make partner without having government experience, and the other options of staying at the firm (i.e., making counsel, how much more time I had as a senior associate before getting pushed out) were too much of a black box that I didn't feel comfortable about my long-term prospects. I also considered in-house but I didn't like the idea of being tied to just one company.

I'm still new to the govt and 100% of it has been remote but here are the pros/cons:

Pros:
A lot more freedom to drive your own cases and investigations. Many of the cases are leanly staffed so there's no hierarchy/multi-layered process. If you want to draft a doc request, you just do it. My supervisors have been open to ideas and generous with how many questions I ask. That's not to say there isn't a complex process involved for the big-ticket steps, like actually filing a case in district court or getting a settlement, but on the whole, I appreciate how I don't need to ask 10-15 people for permission before I do something for the day-to-day management of a case.

Lifestyle is a whole lot better. Unless there's a trial coming up, weekends and evenings are mine. I want to have kids soon and, since my SO also has a demanding job, I just don't see how I could have handled it working a biglaw senior associate gig. Other people's mileage of course may vary.

Cons:
The SEC pay scale is quite generous compared to other fed agencies but let's be blunt - I took an enormous pay-cut. I think of myself as pretty frugal and I wasn't going balls to the wall on a biglaw salary either, but things like mortgage payments and car repairs do weigh on me more heavily now. For the money alone, I'm not writing off going back to a firm or looking at in-house options.

The performance review process here seems ... not as detailed as in a law firm, so I really have no idea how I'm doing, other than the fact that I'm not sucking and haven't made any major fuck-ups. I also wish they offered more substantive training - part of the issue might be we're still very much in a remote posture.

Happy to answer any questions/PMs.

What year were you when you made the jump from biglaw to SEC? Considering a similar move so just curious.

[Anonymous User]

I went from biglaw to SEC. I actually liked what I was doing before - partners and clients were good/humane, the work was interesting and high-stakes. But I left because a) I was told I couldn't make partner without having government experience, and the other options of staying at the firm (i.e., making counsel, how much more time I had as a senior associate before getting pushed out) were too much of a black box that I didn't feel comfortable about my long-term prospects. I also considered in-house but I didn't like the idea of being tied to just one company.

I'm still new to the govt and 100% of it has been remote but here are the pros/cons:

Pros:
A lot more freedom to drive your own cases and investigations. Many of the cases are leanly staffed so there's no hierarchy/multi-layered process. If you want to draft a doc request, you just do it. My supervisors have been open to ideas and generous with how many questions I ask. That's not to say there isn't a complex process involved for the big-ticket steps, like actually filing a case in district court or getting a settlement, but on the whole, I appreciate how I don't need to ask 10-15 people for permission before I do something for the day-to-day management of a case.

Lifestyle is a whole lot better. Unless there's a trial coming up, weekends and evenings are mine. I want to have kids soon and, since my SO also has a demanding job, I just don't see how I could have handled it working a biglaw senior associate gig. Other people's mileage of course may vary.

Cons:
The SEC pay scale is quite generous compared to other fed agencies but let's be blunt - I took an enormous pay-cut. I think of myself as pretty frugal and I wasn't going balls to the wall on a biglaw salary either, but things like mortgage payments and car repairs do weigh on me more heavily now. For the money alone, I'm not writing off going back to a firm or looking at in-house options.

The performance review process here seems ... not as detailed as in a law firm, so I really have no idea how I'm doing, other than the fact that I'm not sucking and haven't made any major fuck-ups. I also wish they offered more substantive training - part of the issue might be we're still very much in a remote posture.

Happy to answer any questions/PMs.

Also at the SEC but came from big 4 consulting. I have been looking at the in-house counsel salaries in NYC after the new rule requiring companies to post salaries went into effect. It didn’t seem like a ton more than the SEC pays unless you are getting a 33%+ bonus/stock. Then you consider the SEC benefits with $70+ per paycheck for health insurance, 8% TSP March, etc., and it makes in house look worst. I am also not in the NY or SF office, so I imagine any in house salary would be adjusted down to match the cost of living where I am (think DC/Miami/Chicago). My SO is big law so I recognize the salaries there are significantly higher. However, I was really shocked at how little it seemed like in house paid. Do you have any additional insight I may be missing about in house comp? Debating shooting for a higher role in compliance to see if it pays more. Or doing a detail with Chief Operating Officer and going back to consulting at a higher level or in a higher paying specialty.

I left Bigfed (DOJ) to go in-house at FAANG in a DC/Miami/Chicago office. I considered SEC but ultimately went with in-house due to the compensation. Top pay at SEC is 261k (for non-senior officer level), which you don't get right away, and will have to work quite a bit for to ever make that (from open source data most SEC attorneys are around 200-230 that graduated in the last 8 years). If you made 261k, that match is great as is the health benefits. Pension is also great, however pales in comparison to the CFPB pension (0% contribution) as SEC employees hired after 2014 have to pay the FERSFRAE 4.4% rate, which at 261k is around 11k a year.

Salary at FAANG for my role ranges from 350-400k, with decent matching and mega backdoor options. Health benefits are similar as SEC, and is flexible regarding telework. I only wish I could keep contributing/building to the pension!

How many YOE did you have before you went FAANG? Assuming a litigation/regulatory enforcement type role?

10 years-Litigation. Got PSLF (over 300k discharged) and explored.