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Currently working at a V10 doing mix of corporate and litigation, but more corp than lit. After about 5 weeks of work, I have realized that I would rather not be in NYC (I know, I know, how can anyone not love NYC?!) and would probably prefer to do litigation full-time. As a result, I need to start looking into non-NYC firms (BOS/DC would be great).

Is 3L OCI still a viable option? If not, how can I go about applying for jobs in other cities? Should I just mass mail firms? If so, when? In September? In the spring? After graduation?

Thanks in advance for your advice!

I dunno protocol for this but if you do a good enough job is there a chance they might recommend you for a move into a satellite office?

I think the most likely and most secure way you can assure yourself of a good landing spot in DC/Boston would be to accept your firm's offer and stick it out for 2 or 3 years and then lateral. You're in a good position to reach your ultimate goal in a relatively short period of time....If you think you can stick it out a bit, that's your safest bet.

Does the firm have an office in DC or Boston? If so, how large is the summer class there? I would think that if the firm has a fairly large office in either city they may be willing to accommodate.

3L OCI is not out of the question if you had the grades to get a V10 in the first place, but unfortunately my impression is that all the firms who are interviewing for 3L OCI are NYC firms looking for people to do corporate work.

Aston2412 wrote:I dunno protocol for this but if you do a good enough job is there a chance they might recommend you for a move into a satellite office?

Anonymous User wrote:Does the firm have an office in DC or Boston? If so, how large is the summer class there? I would think that if the firm has a fairly large office in either city they may be willing to accommodate.

They have a D.C. office, but it's quite small and not all that well-regarded. I'm not sure about Boston.

blurbz wrote:I think the most likely and most secure way you can assure yourself of a good landing spot in DC/Boston would be to accept your firm's offer and stick it out for 2 or 3 years and then lateral. You're in a good position to reach your ultimate goal in a relatively short period of time....If you think you can stick it out a bit, that's your safest bet.

If I have to stick it out, I will, but the problem is more than just the city--99% of my work is coming from the corporate side and the litigation work that I've gotten is still securities/corporate-related. I would prefer to be doing non-corporate litigation, and the firm doesn't do a whole lot of it. Coming into it, I thought I would enjoy that sort of work (or at least I was open to the idea of giving it a shot), but it's been pretty uninteresting so far. Of course, a job (and a well-paying one at that!) is better than no job, so if I have to stick it out, I wont hesitate to do so.

Anonymous User wrote:3L OCI is not out of the question if you had the grades to get a V10 in the first place, but unfortunately my impression is that all the firms who are interviewing for 3L OCI are NYC firms looking for people to do corporate work.

Thanks for all your help so far.

Yeah, sounds like a really uncomfortable situation. Good luck figuring it out. I'd probably stay and try to lateral in 3 years rather than start over--I'd worry too much about how new firms in OCI will take to the "I didn't like the work" answer, no matter how well couched it is in terms of corporate v. litigation and etc. Talk to your career services and maybe start networking with grads from your school in your target markets NOW and get their take on your options.

Additionally, of course, you've only been there 5 weeks. Maybe once you get comfortable with the terminology and the pace of things and all of that you'll be able to lose yourself in the minutiae and begin to enjoy it....

Sounds like you're the ideal candidate for 3L OCI. People like you are exactly who most firms hope to hire when they sign up to interview 3Ls.

thesealocust wrote:Sounds like you're the ideal candidate for 3L OCI. People like you are exactly who most firms hope to hire when they sign up to interview 3Ls.

I trust sealocust's judgment well enough to concede that his information is likely better than mine, so weigh them accordingly.

I will definitely give 3L OCI a shot. Thanks so much for your advice and suggestions. You have all been very helpful. I appreciate it!

blurbz wrote:

thesealocust wrote:Sounds like you're the ideal candidate for 3L OCI. People like you are exactly who most firms hope to hire when they sign up to interview 3Ls.

I trust sealocust's judgment well enough to concede that his information is likely better than mine, so weigh them accordingly.

Your observations above are still sound - I'm sure saying the wrong thing about why you're looking for a new firm is a great way to wind up in hot water. But it's largely accepted that an offer from a 2L firm is the most important boost you can having when doing 3L OCI, so I think there's room to be cautiously optimistic. And talking to career services is always prudent in situations like this.

Anonymous User wrote:I will definitely give 3L OCI a shot. Thanks so much for your advice and suggestions. You have all been very helpful. I appreciate it!

Good luck!

There isn't much hiring out of 3L OCI, but people like you are by far the strongest candidates and the most likely to get hired; firms don't do 3L OCI looking to hire those who struck out as 2Ls or those who got no-offered. If your grades make an Article III clerkship a possibility, definitely go for that; you'll stand a good shot at landing a litigation gig somewhere outside of New York if you clerk.

Just as far as the city itself is concerned, have you considered moving to a different neighborhood (assuming you hate whichever Manhattan neighborhood you're currently living in) or to one of the Outer Burroughs (assuming you hate Manhattan)?