Success of people targeting Florida BigLaw? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Duke 1L got a SA at Bilzen.

[AllDangle]

Duke 1L got a SA at Bilzen.

What was your class rank and do you have ties to FL? I'm an incoming 1L at Duke who's from FL and looking to come back eventually.

[Anonymous User]

Summer Associate at Greenspoon Marder from T4.

[Anonymous User]

Duke 1L got a SA at Bilzen.

What was your class rank and do you have ties to FL? I'm an incoming 1L at Duke who's from FL and looking to come back eventually.

This does not matter to you at this point. As an incoming 1L, just chill out for now. FL biglaw is random. You'll stand just as good a shot as anyone at fl biglaw if you perform repsectably at duke and have ties. After that, just apply 1L, if you don't get an SA do something else in the area, apply 2L, if you don't get an SA get the best gig you can elsewhere (preferably biglaw) and try to lateral. With the small SA classes, made smaller by every firm taking at least one local student, you will have to get lucky on some level. The only special advice I can think of is to make sure you work in fl, particularly the actual target city, 1L summer. Despite having iron clad ties, I was asked if I was sure about florida in every callback.

-rising T14 3L working in miami biglaw this summer

[Anonymous User]

Duke 1L got a SA at Bilzen.

What was your class rank and do you have ties to FL? I'm an incoming 1L at Duke who's from FL and looking to come back eventually.

We have a Duke student in my SA class at Greenberg. I really think the individual and their credentials matter more than the school. Tons of Dukies do well. Some struggle. It just depends on who you are.

[Anonymous User]

Fowler White's summer class

6 total
- UF (3)
- NYU
- South Carolina
- GULC

[badaboom61]

Fowler White's summer class

6 total
- UF (3)
- NYU
- South Carolina
- GULC

Is this firmwide or just Tampa?

[Anonymous User]

Fowler White's summer class

6 total
- UF (3)
- NYU
- South Carolina
- GULC

Is this firmwide or just Tampa?

Firmwide. Tampa has all UF folks.

[badaboom61]

Fowler White's summer class

6 total
- UF (3)
- NYU
- South Carolina
- GULC

Is this firmwide or just Tampa?

Firmwide. Tampa has all UF folks.

130 lawyers and 6 SA's firmwide? This is why no one should ever bank on a job in Florida.

[Anonymous User]

Fowler White's summer class

6 total
- UF (3)
- NYU
- South Carolina
- GULC

Is this firmwide or just Tampa?

Firmwide. Tampa has all UF folks.

130 lawyers and 6 SA's firmwide? This is why no one should ever bank on a job in Florida.

Greenberg Traurig has 10 SAs in all of Florida (33 firm-wide). 7 in Miami, 1 each in West Palm, Ft. Lauderdale, and Tampa.

Harvard - 2
NYU - 1
UVA -1
Duke -1
U Miami - 3
UF -1
FSU - 1

[Omerta]

Interested in going to Orlando or Tampa mid/big law once I finish my clerkship. Top 15% & LR at Duke/UVA/Vandy. Clerking for an A3 judge in the Middle District of Florida upon graduation and did my SA at a V100 firm in NYC/DC.

Do I have a decent shot? Anything I need to do to make myself more competitive? Girlfriend's family is from Central Florida, I'm not from Florida but did UG at UF/FSU.

I can't think of anything that would actually be worthwhile. If you're clerking for MDFL, you're in amazing shape. The best thing you could do would be pro bono work or similar activities that would give you exposure to attorneys at the firms that you're targeting without seeming ethically shady.

Absent that, just work on being a cool person because that's about the only box that's a question mark with the information you gave haha.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Interested in going to Orlando or Tampa mid/big law once I finish my clerkship. Top 15% & LR at Duke/UVA/Vandy. Clerking for an A3 judge in the Middle District of Florida upon graduation and did my SA at a V100 firm in NYC/DC.

Do I have a decent shot? Anything I need to do to make myself more competitive? Girlfriend's family is from Central Florida, I'm not from Florida but did UG at UF/FSU.

I can't think of anything that would actually be worthwhile. If you're clerking for MDFL, you're in amazing shape. The best thing you could do would be pro bono work or similar activities that would give you exposure to attorneys at the firms that you're targeting without seeming ethically shady.

Absent that, just work on being a cool person because that's about the only box that's a question mark with the information you gave haha.

You generally can't practice law while you're a clerk, so pro bono is difficult. (Could go to CLEs and the like, though, I'm sure.)

[Omerta]

Interested in going to Orlando or Tampa mid/big law once I finish my clerkship. Top 15% & LR at Duke/UVA/Vandy. Clerking for an A3 judge in the Middle District of Florida upon graduation and did my SA at a V100 firm in NYC/DC.

Do I have a decent shot? Anything I need to do to make myself more competitive? Girlfriend's family is from Central Florida, I'm not from Florida but did UG at UF/FSU.

I can't think of anything that would actually be worthwhile. If you're clerking for MDFL, you're in amazing shape. The best thing you could do would be pro bono work or similar activities that would give you exposure to attorneys at the firms that you're targeting without seeming ethically shady.

Absent that, just work on being a cool person because that's about the only box that's a question mark with the information you gave haha.

You generally can't practice law while you're a clerk, so pro bono is difficult. (Could go to CLEs and the like, though, I'm sure.)

Yeah, pro bono was the wrong description. I meant get involved in the local Inns of Court, go to local bar section events in the area you'd like to work in, that kind of thing.

[Anonymous User]

bump?

[Anonymous User]

I'm currently in my first year at a Miami "big law" firm. TLS was a great resource before and during law school. In fact, I'm stil on here ocasionally! I'd be willing to answer some questions - if anyone's interested.

[Anonymous User]

I'm currently in my first year at a Miami "big law" firm. TLS was a great resource before and during law school. In fact, I'm stil on here ocasionally! I'd be willing to answer some questions - if anyone's interested.

What's lateral hiring like? Say, for someone from Florida now at an NYC big law firm who might want to come back?

[Anonymous User]

I'm currently in my first year at a Miami "big law" firm. TLS was a great resource before and during law school. In fact, I'm stil on here ocasionally! I'd be willing to answer some questions - if anyone's interested.

What are the hours like compared to how you understand NYC/DC hours to be? Trying to gauge how life in FL biglaw compares to the bigger markets. Thanks!

[Anonymous User]

I'm currently in my first year at a Miami "big law" firm. TLS was a great resource before and during law school. In fact, I'm stil on here ocasionally! I'd be willing to answer some questions - if anyone's interested.

What are the hours like compared to how you understand NYC/DC hours to be? Trying to gauge how life in FL biglaw compares to the bigger markets. Thanks!

Different anon here.

I'm not an associate yet, but my impression is that it's generally less than NYC biglaw, but to varying extents depending on firm. HK jax associates seemed pretty miserable, near NYC hours. lowndes in Orlando seemed much more reasonable. Bilzin Miami was somewhere in between. Boies Miami is identical to NYC hours.

[Anonymous User]

I'm currently in my first year at a Miami "big law" firm. TLS was a great resource before and during law school. In fact, I'm stil on here ocasionally! I'd be willing to answer some questions - if anyone's interested.

What's lateral hiring like? Say, for someone from Florida now at an NYC big law firm who might want to come back?

I started here, so I don't have any personal experience with that. Sorry.

[Anonymous User]

I'm currently in my first year at a Miami "big law" firm. TLS was a great resource before and during law school. In fact, I'm stil on here ocasionally! I'd be willing to answer some questions - if anyone's interested.

What are the hours like compared to how you understand NYC/DC hours to be? Trying to gauge how life in FL biglaw compares to the bigger markets. Thanks!

Sure! Hours here are pretty decent. Figure get in between 9-10:30 (depending on what partners you're dealing with and what your firm expects). And leave sometime between 7:00-8:30 depending on how much work you have. If I leave early (or am really busy), I might bill an hour or two more once I get home...

[jmets890]

I'm currently in my first year at a Miami "big law" firm. TLS was a great resource before and during law school. In fact, I'm stil on here ocasionally! I'd be willing to answer some questions - if anyone's interested.

What are the hours like compared to how you understand NYC/DC hours to be? Trying to gauge how life in FL biglaw compares to the bigger markets. Thanks!

Sure! Hours here are pretty decent. Figure get in between 9-10:30 (depending on what partners you're dealing with and what your firm expects). And leave sometime between 7:00-8:30 depending on how much work you have. If I leave early (or am really busy), I might bill an hour or two more once I get home...

any current Miami Biglaw associates still taking questions?

[0heL]

I'm currently in my first year at a Miami "big law" firm. TLS was a great resource before and during law school. In fact, I'm stil on here ocasionally! I'd be willing to answer some questions - if anyone's interested.

What are the hours like compared to how you understand NYC/DC hours to be? Trying to gauge how life in FL biglaw compares to the bigger markets. Thanks!

Sure! Hours here are pretty decent. Figure get in between 9-10:30 (depending on what partners you're dealing with and what your firm expects). And leave sometime between 7:00-8:30 depending on how much work you have. If I leave early (or am really busy), I might bill an hour or two more once I get home...

any current Miami Biglaw associates still taking questions?

[0heL]

Any news on how the South Florida market is for new hires?

[Anonymous User]

Any news on how the South Florida market is for new hires?

It's a crapshoot. That's really the best way to put it. If you're looking at Miami biglaw, there are only like 15-20 true SA spots you can shoot for. The big firms in Miami seem set on building with laterals and keeping their entry-level associate ranks relatively small.

I'll be at one of those Miami biglaw firms this summer. Hiring was extremely selective. As others have mentioned in different threads on the subject, cracking into such a small, insular market can be tougher than landing many V30s in NY. That said, my impression is that they're much more concerned about fit than they are about grades (if you're coming from a t-10). But if you want GT, HK, WC and the like, median or higher at a T-10 will put you in a really good position, provided that you have close ties to the market. If you're somewhere like UM/UF/FSU, you still need to be top 5%ish to have a shot

[0heL]

Any news on how the South Florida market is for new hires?

It's a crapshoot. That's really the best way to put it. If you're looking at Miami biglaw, there are only like 15-20 true SA spots you can shoot for. The big firms in Miami seem set on building with laterals and keeping their entry-level associate ranks relatively small.

I'll be at one of those Miami biglaw firms this summer. Hiring was extremely selective. As others have mentioned in different threads on the subject, cracking into such a small, insular market can be tougher than landing many V30s in NY. That said, my impression is that they're much more concerned about fit than they are about grades (if you're coming from a t-10). But if you want GT, HK, WC and the like, median or higher at a T-10 will put you in a really good position, provided that you have close ties to the market. If you're somewhere like UM/UF/FSU, you still need to be top 5%ish to have a shot

Attending MVP in the fall. Is there any other ways to stand out for Miami firms? Maybe by trying to specialize like, say, in real estate?