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Is there any possible way to go from a V10 firm to the business side of a small VC firm with no finance background before working at the law firm? Assume you've got your pick of corporate/finance practice areas at the V10 firm.

It's probably rare enough that it should not be considered an option.

I would imagine that the best practice to maximize VC opportunities (if there are any) is corporate in SV. The firms that are traditionally referred to for VC/startups (Wilson Sonsini, Cooley, Fenwick etc.) aren't V10.

I knew a guy who went from a top litigation boutique to a small VC firm, but he was a JD/MBA so I assume he had some business background.

The Vietcong seldom hire outgoing biglaw associates, because corporate legal practice is generally seen as inconsistent with their revolutionary communist ethos. However, other underground radical militant groups such as the Zapatistas have been known to recruit 4th-year M&A associates from WLRK, Skadden and SullCrom, to name a few.

It's possible. You'll see it when people are interested and motivated, but it's not a routine "exit option."

I actually think it's not uncommon based on the completely unscientific evidence that a senior-ish associate at my firm just did this and somebody I grew up with also did it.