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Anyone have general opinions or information on this market? It seems like taking $90k and a job that doesn't require 70 hrs/week and a coke habit might not be a bad idea. I've heard that they strongly favor local connections. Thoughts?

Upstater here. I've been contemplating this for some time now. The prospect of being close to family in a less saturated/competitive market is appealing. I've heard great things about Nixon Peabody in Rochester, and they seem to take a liking to those who have connections to the area. Same with Wilson Elser in Albany. The Buffalo, Rochester, and Albany markets have tons of grads from places like UB, Albany Law, and Cuse so competition is a little less stringent. While some may be hesitant to take a biglaw job at below 100k, that money goes along way in Upstate where property is cheap. Still have to deal with NY taxes, but there could be worse things.

upstate firms are paranoid about associates taking off after three years to work in NYC. Strong local connections seem to be prefered, but these jobs are still competitive so just growing up in the area may not be enough; especially if you didnt go to school there. I know a girl who grew up in upstate, stayed home for undergrad and law school and got into one of the big firms with less than stellar grades. It's all about who you know in upstate. Also worth noting that while not NYC biglaw hours, most associates are still expected to bill a reasonable amount, but as mentioned above, the pay v. billable hours req seems pretty damn good.