Big Law Lawyer Taking Q's Forum

[biglaw11]

3rd year associate at a V100 firm in a secondary market (won't get anymore specific than that)...Fire Away

[Knock]

3rd year associate at a V100 firm in a secondary market (won't get anymore specific than that)...Fire Away

Approximate school and class rank? Practice area?

[Deuce]

Hours, QOL, regrets, LS general ranking, your rank within the LS, etc.?

[biglaw11]

3rd year associate at a V100 firm in a secondary market (won't get anymore specific than that)...Fire Away

Approximate school and class rank? Practice area?

T25 school

Graduated Top 15%

For the most part, I've been doing litigation work in employment and labor law, but I've had the opportunity to dabble in other practice areas as well.

[biglaw11]

Hours, QOL, regrets, LS general ranking, your rank within the LS, etc.?

The hours are by no means great, but from what some of my classmates tell me, working at some firms in secondary markets isn't nearly as bad as big firms in NYC or DC. I'd say on average I'm doing 65 hours per week. I never pull "all-nighters" at the office, and while I generally come into the office for Saturday mornings, I can often manage not to come in at all on Sunday.

[swc65]

3rd year associate at a V100 firm in a secondary market (won't get anymore specific than that)...Fire Away

Approximate school and class rank? Practice area?

T25 school

Graduated Top 15%

For the most part, I've been doing litigation work in employment and labor law, but I've had the opportunity to dabble in other practice areas as well.

Any advice on breaking into the labor and employment law field? Are there any particular credentials people look for. does coming from a labor and employment focused undergrad school help?

I am guessing you are management side since you're in BigLaw. What are you clients like? Big companies, small,both?


Did you plan on doing this type of work? if not, what led you to it?

Sorry for all the questions, but this is what I am thinking of focusing on.

[biglaw11]

3rd year associate at a V100 firm in a secondary market (won't get anymore specific than that)...Fire Away

Approximate school and class rank? Practice area?

T25 school

Graduated Top 15%

For the most part, I've been doing litigation work in employment and labor law, but I've had the opportunity to dabble in other practice areas as well.

Any advice on breaking into the labor and employment law field? Are there any particular credentials people look for. does coming from a labor and employment focused undergrad school help?

I am guessing you are management side since you're in BigLaw. What are you clients like? Big companies, small,both?


Did you plan on doing this type of work? if not, what led you to it?

Sorry for all the questions, but this is what I am thinking of focusing on.

As far as advice goes, do well in law school and land a summer associate position at a big firm. Then, try to make friends with partners in that practice area. Outside of that, there aren't really any credentials, and your undergrad school really doesn't matter all that much - at least this has been my experience.

Since we're in a smaller market, we get both big, international corporations and smaller more regional companies. It's nice to get a healthy mix of different kinds of clients to keep the work a bit more interesting...trust me, it gets boring real fast.

I didn't plan on doing this work, but I didn't really focus on any particular practice area in law school. The firm I worked for during my SA had a need in the employment practice area, so that's where I went.

[Alyosha]

What's the lateral market like? Do a lot of DC/NY folks migrate into your market, and if so what class years are they typically at?

[biglaw11]

What's the lateral market like? Do a lot of DC/NY folks migrate into your market, and if so what class years are they typically at?

To be honest, there isn't much lateral movement. When there is this kind of movement, they then to be at the 4th or 5th year mark. In these regional markets, you often need ties to the area to secure employment at the big firms (be it right out of law school or a lateral hire) and that certainly holds true for my market. I went to law school out of the region in which I'm working right now, but I grew up here and attended undergrad nearby.

[anonymcoffee]

Any advice for those about to go through OCI this summer? Also, advice for students with median grades

[BruceWayne]

Hours, QOL, regrets, LS general ranking, your rank within the LS, etc.?

The hours are by no means great, but from what some of my classmates tell me, working at some firms in secondary markets isn't nearly as bad as big firms in NYC or DC. I'd say on average I'm doing 65 hours per week. I never pull "all-nighters" at the office, and while I generally come into the office for Saturday mornings, I can often manage not to come in at all on Sunday.

Thanks for the reality check.

[biglaw11]

Any advice for those about to go through OCI this summer? Also, advice for students with median grades

Network your ass off.

[swc65]

Hours, QOL, regrets, LS general ranking, your rank within the LS, etc.?

The hours are by no means great, but from what some of my classmates tell me, working at some firms in secondary markets isn't nearly as bad as big firms in NYC or DC. I'd say on average I'm doing 65 hours per week. I never pull "all-nighters" at the office, and while I generally come into the office for Saturday mornings, I can often manage not to come in at all on Sunday.

Thanks for the reality check.

I hear you. It reads as though it's a treat to NOT work on Sundays! To be fair, after 1L, getting one day off a week DOES sounds like a treat.

Also, thanks for answering questions. It is awesome to have people several years out of law school answering questions rather than the complete conjecture thrown around here by 1, 2, 3 and even 0Ls

[Mr. The Plague]

I have an offer to work at a local non-profit representing plaintiffs in wage/hour disputes for my 2L fall semester. I've heard defense side employment law firms don't like to hire former plaintiff side lawyers due to conflict of interest. Any idea if taking this position would handicap me for employment defense gigs? Thanks for taking questions.

[Julio_El_Chavo]

how important are 2L/3L grades to your firm?

[biglaw11]

I have an offer to work at a local non-profit representing plaintiffs in wage/hour disputes for my 2L fall semester. I've heard defense side employment law firms don't like to hire former plaintiff side lawyers due to conflict of interest. Any idea if taking this position would handicap me for employment defense gigs? Thanks for taking questions.

I've never known this to be the case. In fact, we have a 1st year associate working with us who did the same sort of work that you're talking about while she was in law school. I think that it would give you something of a leg up since you'd at least be familiar with what goes on in that kind of litigation.

[biglaw11]

how important are 2L/3L grades to your firm?

Not incredibly important, but that being said, you can't let yourself slip from top 10% to bottom 30%. As long as you maintain a half-decent ranking, you're fine.

[Anonymous User]

What are your medium-term to long-term plans, in terms of sticking with the firm, making a lateral move, trying to go in house somewhere, etc.?

[Zabini]

Is your secondary market the one you went to school in? If not, did you have preexisting ties to the market?

Regardless of your answer to the above, how possible/impossible is it to come into a secondary market without ties from a T6 iyo? I'm vaguely interested in working in Seattle or Portland but this site has led me to believe you can't get to secondaries unless you're from there? I'm from CA fwiw.

[Anonymous User]

Is your secondary market the one you went to school in? If not, did you have preexisting ties to the market?

Regardless of your answer to the above, how possible/impossible is it to come into a secondary market without ties from a T6 iyo? I'm vaguely interested in working in Seattle or Portland but this site has led me to believe you can't get to secondaries unless you're from there? I'm from CA fwiw.

What advice can you give to a very young 1L going into a SA position in a secondary market this summer? One of the partners at the firm has a daughter in college that's my age.

My goal is to secure an offer for a 2L summer, but my head is in the clouds as to what I should do?? (very blue-collar background).

[sfxx]

can you describe every hour of your day from the minute you sit down at your office to the minute you leave

[TTH]

What sort of matters do you handle? For associates, do you do a mix of everything within L&E? At what point do you start to specialize within the field?

[zomginternets]

Is your secondary market the one you went to school in? If not, did you have preexisting ties to the market?

Regardless of your answer to the above, how possible/impossible is it to come into a secondary market without ties from a T6 iyo? I'm vaguely interested in working in Seattle or Portland but this site has led me to believe you can't get to secondaries unless you're from there? I'm from CA fwiw.

What advice can you give to a very young 1L going into a SA position in a secondary market this summer? One of the partners at the firm has a daughter in college that's my age.

My goal is to secure an offer for a 2L summer, but my head is in the clouds as to what I should do?? (very blue-collar background).

1. Don't bang partner's daughter
2. Work hard during your 1L summer so as to get a a return offer for 2L summer
3. ?????
4. Profit

[Kohinoor]

Is your secondary market the one you went to school in? If not, did you have preexisting ties to the market?

Regardless of your answer to the above, how possible/impossible is it to come into a secondary market without ties from a T6 iyo? I'm vaguely interested in working in Seattle or Portland but this site has led me to believe you can't get to secondaries unless you're from there? I'm from CA fwiw.

What advice can you give to a very young 1L going into a SA position in a secondary market this summer? One of the partners at the firm has a daughter in college that's my age.

My goal is to secure an offer for a 2L summer, but my head is in the clouds as to what I should do?? (very blue-collar background).

1. Don't bang partner's daughter unless he's into it
2. Work hard during your 1L summer so as to get a a return offer for 2L summer
3. ?????
4. Profit

Categorical exclusions aren't what we as lawyers should be doing.

[formerbiglawpartner]

As for advice for summer associate positions, this may not be as big a problem as in the past, but remember that every function is tantamount to a job interview. Not to make you too nervous, but just remember that the "parties" are not really parties. You are being watched and evaluated at all times. I can't tell you how many summer associates have been dinged for being drunk, "too festive," or otherwise displaying behavior unbecoming.... Save your inner wild child for when no partners are around.