Hate Lit but Told I Cant Switch to Corp Forum

[Anonymous User]

Sounds like OP wants to be an in-house counsel, which generally involves giving forward looking advice. Corporate would generally be a better path to that goal than lit, but you'd have to actually put up with the life of corporate biglaw for at least a few years. Only you can decide if it's worth it, since corporate can be a rougher time for a junior than lit, with fire drills and drudge work, plus potentially giving up a year of progress to lateral into corporate.

[Anonymous User]

OP, as others have suggested, it sounds like you're actually interested in a regulatory practice (or white collar compliance-side work). If you have started to focus on a substantive area in your litigation, that could be a helpful way into a regulatory specialty.

Not OP, but could you elaborate on this? What is white collar compliance-side work and what kind of work do associates do?

[cavalier1138]

OP, as others have suggested, it sounds like you're actually interested in a regulatory practice (or white collar compliance-side work). If you have started to focus on a substantive area in your litigation, that could be a helpful way into a regulatory specialty.

Not OP, but could you elaborate on this? What is white collar compliance-side work and what kind of work do associates do?

I tend to be more on the investigations side, but compliance is basically forward-looking white collar work. For example, [Insert-Country-Here] is about to pass a rigorous anti-corruption law. Very Upstanding Corporation, Inc. does business in this country. They want to know what this law is and how it will impact VUC's very upstanding business practices.

Typical junior associate assignments might include summarizing the new law and comparing it to FCPA and/or other anti-corruption laws, performing a preliminary risk assessment of certain corporate practices under the new law, finding and comparing independent anti-corruption auditors, drafting sections of a memo making recommendations to the client for adjusting their compliance policies, etc.

[Anonymous User]

OP, as others have suggested, it sounds like you're actually interested in a regulatory practice (or white collar compliance-side work). If you have started to focus on a substantive area in your litigation, that could be a helpful way into a regulatory specialty.

Not OP, but could you elaborate on this? What is white collar compliance-side work and what kind of work do associates do?

I tend to be more on the investigations side, but compliance is basically forward-looking white collar work. For example, [Insert-Country-Here] is about to pass a rigorous anti-corruption law. Very Upstanding Corporation, Inc. does business in this country. They want to know what this law is and how it will impact VUC's very upstanding business practices.

Typical junior associate assignments might include summarizing the new law and comparing it to FCPA and/or other anti-corruption laws, performing a preliminary risk assessment of certain corporate practices under the new law, finding and comparing independent anti-corruption auditors, drafting sections of a memo making recommendations to the client for adjusting their compliance policies, etc.

Thanks! Do you mind sharing what kind of tasks you’ve performed in invesitgations?

[cavalier1138]

OP, as others have suggested, it sounds like you're actually interested in a regulatory practice (or white collar compliance-side work). If you have started to focus on a substantive area in your litigation, that could be a helpful way into a regulatory specialty.

Not OP, but could you elaborate on this? What is white collar compliance-side work and what kind of work do associates do?

I tend to be more on the investigations side, but compliance is basically forward-looking white collar work. For example, [Insert-Country-Here] is about to pass a rigorous anti-corruption law. Very Upstanding Corporation, Inc. does business in this country. They want to know what this law is and how it will impact VUC's very upstanding business practices.

Typical junior associate assignments might include summarizing the new law and comparing it to FCPA and/or other anti-corruption laws, performing a preliminary risk assessment of certain corporate practices under the new law, finding and comparing independent anti-corruption auditors, drafting sections of a memo making recommendations to the client for adjusting their compliance policies, etc.

Thanks! Do you mind sharing what kind of tasks you’ve performed in invesitgations?

Doc review is a central pillar of investigations, so lots and lots of flavors of that. Drafting interview outlines and exhibit binders, preparing fact chrons/drafting summaries of key docs, second-chairing interviews (read: taking notes), preparing talking points for government/client-facing calls, etc. For government-facing investigations, juniors may be put in charge of document productions. And if you come in at the very beginning of an investigation, drafting sections of the investigation memo (big document presenting all the possible legal issues that may come up based on the facts known at the outset) may be on your plate.

Mid-levels seem to handle more of the investigation planning, running sections of meetings, and drafting presentations for the client/government.