Anonymous User wrote:I am a second year associate at a V-5 firm in NY with school-aged children. I am enjoying the work but my long commute is starting to wear on me. Also, I am starting to get tired of feeling poor even with a biglaw salary.
I have recently been approached with some opportunities in both Dallas and Houston. A year ago I would not have even thought about Texas, but the thought of a better overall environment/lifestyle for my family is starting to look appealing. I don't have any wild dreams (or even that much interest really) about working less or having a "normal" life, but I am starting to wonder if my family would be better off elsewhere.
A couple of questions for the TLS community (particularly practicing attorneys, but for some of these questions law students may also have some insights):
1. Would I be shooting myself in the foot to leave NY so soon or is the need for NY experience just another way that we comfort ourselves while grunting it out here?
2. Could you offer some thoughts on Houston vs. Dallas? (I do realize that the fact that I have to ask this question outs me as an outsider). I would be interested in thoughts on legal work as well as thoughts on life in general.
3. Are there any firms in particular that I should avoid?
4. What kind of exit options are there from Texas if my family ends up hating it? Am I going to be stuck or is a transition to another market possible? (I do understand that eventually we just have to settle down somewhere. I'm just not sure how many wildcards one gets before he becomes a legitimate flight risk.)
5. Does anyone have any insights on how living in either Houston or Dallas with a family would compare to living in the NYC region?
That's it. I don't have any strong opinions on any of the above, so, contrary to what seems to be TLS tradition, I am not going to be making any argumentative responses to any posts. I am just looking for some additional perspective. Thanks!
1. I've only summered at a couple different TX firms, so I can't answer this from an attorney's point of view about long-term career trajectory, but there are firms in Houston doing cutting-edge corporate work that V10s would really like to have. That's why V10s have been opening up shops in Houston and poaching partners. The energy industry is also booming right now and hopefully has at least another 5-10 years of good times ahead. I think you will still have good options if you go to a firm like V&E or BB. But if you are really concerned about portability, then you might want to try for Latham, Kirkland, or STB. Latham, in particular, has been booming and is regarded as one of the top two corporate shops in Houston at the moment (along with V&E). I've also heard that transferring offices between Latham/Kirkland is pretty feasible.
2. There's a lot of Houston hate coming from people who live in Dallas, but I really like both cities. If you're a fan of Dallas, you'd probs describe it as upscale, trendy, and wealthy. People in Houston sometimes describe it as stuffy and pretentious. But it has tons of great spots and has a pretty cool nightlife. It's also cleaner than Houston. If you had to pick a spot to visit, it would definitely be Dallas. Houston, however, has a lot of cool under-the-radar locations that you pick up on after having lived there. World-class restaurants, better culture than its given credit for, good museums, shopping outlets, and the Space Center. People also tend to be a little more laid back. But if you're from Dallas, you'd likely describe it as rundown, dirty, and humid. It's definitely humid as fuck, and if you're not used to heat, summers are on the verge of unbearable.
When it comes to legal work, however, I would definitely give Houston the edge. There's just more opportunity in Houston. There's a reason that there are tons of national firms moving down to Houston and trying to gain market share. If you look at SA class sizes for the major firms that have offices in both cities, they tend to be three times as large in Houston. Total headcount is usually 2-3 times greater in Houston, too. Houston is in a crazy period right now, and there's tons of legal opportunity, so you could work for an awesome firm like LW/K&E/STB and still do the same level of high-quality legal work you would be doing in NY (only in the energy industry, of course). That said, if you have V5 credentials, I'm assuming you could break into either market, at which point the number of V10s (5) in Houston probably isn't such a huge deal. And Dallas does have GDC. (I realize you said you don't want/need to prestige whore, and I didn't summer at a Houston V10; I'm only mentioning them because of their national presence since you seemed interested in portability in case you wanted out of TX down the road.)
3. This really depends on what culture you're looking for. V&E is known to be fratty. Practice group beer pong tournaments. Annual prom where the firm rents out the Houston museum and associates from all offices (and their significant others) get flown in and put up in hotel. If that's not your scene, then you could also try for Baker Botts, which is known for being buttoned-up, nerdy, and somewhat stuffy. They have tomb-like offices with heavy, sliding wooden doors. But they would describe their culture as work hard, go home to families as opposed to V&E's work hard, play hard. Latham's culture is pretty similar to V&E's, where people are outgoing and hit up bars and stuff. STB's culture is apparently pretty similar to STB NY. When it comes to avoiding firms, I have heard people say that BB is a miserable place to work, but again, it could be your type of spot if you are family-oriented and don't value socializing that much. I've also heard that Kirkland is typical sweatshop Kirkland. Rumor has it that there are also some unpleasant personalities there, but based on my limited interaction with them (just a CB), I didn't really pick up on that. From a compensation standpoint, K&E Houston might be the best corporate job in the country once you factor in COL.
4. I think your exit options will be good from V&E or BB, which are TX firms but have solid national reputations. I think your exit options would be great from Latham/Kirkland/STB Houston or GDC Dallas. I would be more worried about trying to change markets twice within such a short timeframe.
5. As people have said, family life would be pretty awesome from a COL and QOL perspective. Houston has a bunch of really nice suburbs (like the Woodlands, Sugar Land, and Katy) that are 30-50 min away from downtown. But that's the distance without traffic, and if you're driving in between 7 and 9, you're looking at 60-90 min (although you could always pay 5 bucks to use the HOV lane, even if you're driving alone, to make the commute bearable). That said, some people hate life outside the 610 loop. Those people tend to be younger folks who are really into the bar scene. Houston is known for its massive sprawl, and public transportation blows. So a car is a must. If you're willing to give up subway life, you can buy a 3500 square foot house and drive a Lexus. There are some pretty kickass public school districts in the Woodlands, Sugar Land, and Katy, too (as well as the standard private schools, which aren't as good as their counterparts in the Northeast). I'm sure Dallas also has some really great spots for family life and is a fantastic place to raise kids.
