DC Biglaw to Secondary Market Big/Midlaw Forum

[Anonymous User]

I'll be starting at a V20 in DC but be admitted in the secondary market I want to eventually lateral to (waiving into DC). Strong ties to that secondary market, plus bar admission obviously.

After 3-4 years in the litigation group in the DC office of my V20 firm, do you think I can have success in lateraling to biglaw firms in that secondary market? What about larger regional firms in that market? I know 3-4 years is the "sweet spot" for lateraling, but I never hear of lateraling from a big market to a secondary market.

[anon168]

I'll be starting at a V20 in DC but be admitted in the secondary market I want to eventually lateral to (waiving into DC). Strong ties to that secondary market, plus bar admission obviously.

After 3-4 years in the litigation group in the DC office of my V20 firm, do you think I can have success in lateraling to biglaw firms in that secondary market? What about larger regional firms in that market? I know 3-4 years is the "sweet spot" for lateraling, but I never hear of lateraling from a big market to a secondary market.

Give me firm names, and I can help you.

But all this V20 this and secondary market that and biglaw firms this is completely unhelpful.

[Anonymous User]

I'll be starting at a V20 in DC but be admitted in the secondary market I want to eventually lateral to (waiving into DC). Strong ties to that secondary market, plus bar admission obviously.

After 3-4 years in the litigation group in the DC office of my V20 firm, do you think I can have success in lateraling to biglaw firms in that secondary market? What about larger regional firms in that market? I know 3-4 years is the "sweet spot" for lateraling, but I never hear of lateraling from a big market to a secondary market.

Give me firm names, and I can help you.

But all this V20 this and secondary market that and biglaw firms this is completely unhelpful.

Firm is in the V20 range, I don't really want to say more than that. As for the secondary market -- think Philly, Seattle, Miami, or Houston, and any of the bigger or regional firms that have a presence there, really. The real question is whether headhunters, who start calling associates pretty constantly after year 3, will be able to place you in a new market if you're coming from a V20 in DC.

[anon168]

I'll be starting at a V20 in DC but be admitted in the secondary market I want to eventually lateral to (waiving into DC). Strong ties to that secondary market, plus bar admission obviously.

After 3-4 years in the litigation group in the DC office of my V20 firm, do you think I can have success in lateraling to biglaw firms in that secondary market? What about larger regional firms in that market? I know 3-4 years is the "sweet spot" for lateraling, but I never hear of lateraling from a big market to a secondary market.

Give me firm names, and I can help you.

But all this V20 this and secondary market that and biglaw firms this is completely unhelpful.

Firm is in the V20 range, I don't really want to say more than that. As for the secondary market -- think Philly, Seattle, Miami, or Houston, and any of the bigger or regional firms that have a presence there, really. The real question is whether headhunters, who start calling associates pretty constantly after year 3, will be able to place you in a new market if you're coming from a V20 in DC.

Yes.

[thesealocust]

I'll be starting at a V20 in DC but be admitted in the secondary market I want to eventually lateral to (waiving into DC). Strong ties to that secondary market, plus bar admission obviously.

After 3-4 years in the litigation group in the DC office of my V20 firm, do you think I can have success in lateraling to biglaw firms in that secondary market? What about larger regional firms in that market? I know 3-4 years is the "sweet spot" for lateraling, but I never hear of lateraling from a big market to a secondary market.

This is very possible, yes. I'm surprised you "never hear of lateraling from a big market to a secondary market" - it's fairly common.

[vanwinkle]

I'm surprised you "never hear of lateraling from a big market to a secondary market" - it's fairly common.

This is what I was thinking as I read this thread.

[Anonymous User]

Thank you for the replies. I guess I wasn't paying enough attention to where people lateral. I also wasn't sure that DC would have the same mobility as NY. This was reassuring.

[Anonymous User]

For those who are thinking about this path, would partnership prospects be either better or worse for Associate A who spent 3 - 4 years in a big name firm and then lateraled to midlaw than for Associate B who summered with and spent her whole career in the same midlaw firm?

[thesealocust]

For those who are thinking about this path, would partnership prospects be either better or worse for Associate A who spent 3 - 4 years in a big name firm and then lateraled to midlaw than for Associate B who summered with and spent her whole career in the same midlaw firm?

It's probably impossible to say. A lot of people start at a firm and make partner there, a lot of people change firms but make partner at the new firm.

I'd guess that the prospects of making partner at the midlaw firm are probably close to the same. You could argue that starting at a bigger/"better" firm might increase your chances of making partner somewhere (either your first firm or a subsequent firm) but that's extremely hard to measure and might not be true at all. Things get super individualized once you start working, it's no longer easy to speak in broad terms about opportunities an d outcomes the way you can with choice of law school.