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Just a quick question. If you got a number of reasonably similar offers through OCI, chose one, and are now having buyer's remorse about it and would prefer a different firm, what do you do?

The way I see it, you have three options (barring clerking and other nontraditional moves).
1. Speak with the recruiting department at the firm you didn't choose to see if a summer offer is still open; if yes, renege on the offer you accepted
2. Wait until after 2L summer to try to switch to the other firm
3. Grin and bear it until mid-level associate hiring time

The question really is, are these all legitimate options? Are firms receptive to students who didn't accept their offers, either before 2L summer or after? For what it's worth, after I rejected one firm, it told me that it hoped I would consider them next summer, but it's tough to tell whether that's boilerplate or whether they're really serious.

what prompted this change of mind? and how do you know that you're not going to like the firm you chose? i'd wait until you actually start working there before writing the firm off.

and i think 1) is a bad idea. even if the other firm had a spot, who knows how'd they'd really react to your sudden change of heart. they might think you're indecisive, which isn't really a great trait to have going into a new job..moreover, reneging is rarely a good idea.

It's my perception that it hasn't been difficult for people to change firms after 2L summer to a firm that extended an offer before. If the economy improves between then and now, I would approach the other firm after you get your offer from the firm you chose.

I think you're in the same position as a law firm who realizes a week into the summer that the hired the wrong SA: you just have to roll with it for the period of employment agreed upon.

Nothing to lose by trying now. Why bother going to a law firm you won't like working at?

Anonymous User wrote:Nothing to lose by trying now. Why bother going to a law firm you won't like working at?

I think there is something to lose. As already mentioned, the firm you reach out to might reopen the offer (although I think this is unlikely) but nevertheless maintain a skepticism about you. The firm you renege on might be quite pissed, resulting in a burned bridge that could be damaging going forward.

The accepted method of transferring firms is to wait until after your 2L summer. This works well for the firm you leave because it does not disrupt their hiring cycle. It works well for you because you can get a better picture of whether your buyer's remorse is actually justified. I have a feeling if you reached out to a firm, they would tell you to wait until after 2L summer for these reasons anyway.

How long have you been worried about it? Is it like a week or a month?

I had serious buyer's remorse for about 2 weeks (took a v30 over a v10) but now, after a little time, I am actually really glad that I picked the one I did.

Something made you decide on the one over the other, trust yourself a little bit for a change. Plus, the truth of the matter is that these firms are pretty damn similar when you get down to it. The differences are probably less significant than you think they are. I would just chill if I were you.

Also- there is a good chance that if you tried to renege, the other firm wouldn't want you anyway at this point. They were not your top choice, don't forget...

Law students are fungible. Unless this happened very recently (as in, today? Maybe yesterday?), they've already given your offer to somebody else.

Unless you know something material now that you didn't when you made the decision, you're likely just experiencing the irrational ennui which accompanies foreclosing any potential career path. It will pass.

I think 2 is your best bet. Give the firm a chance, and if you don't like it, make the switch at 3L if you can.

I can't see how it'd be a good idea to start burning bridges in the profession before you're even in the profession. Live with your choices for the present and pursue future paths according to goals that you've sat down and thought about. Good luck.

I know this thread is bit old. But I am in a similar situation and have figure my choices are the same 3 as the OP's. I don't think #1 is viable, but I am strongly considering #2 if the firm I chose does not end up being as good as I hoped.

OP (or anyone else with a similar story) - What did you ultimately end up doing? What was the result?


Has anyone ever successfully (or unsuccessfully) tried #2? What was the result?