Median at lower T14 career trajectory Forum

[Anonymous User]

Median or slightly above. Secondary journal. If I get an offer ANYWHERE, it's obviously going to be from a pretty non-prestigious, unselective firm. How much are my long term career prospects going to be effected by this?

Everyone I talk to says 'go to the best firm you possibly can', but I'm pretty much out of the running for any of the firms those people are thinking of. My friends at such firms talk about how they've been given 'ins' to prestigious clerkships or are on track for awesome in house gigs. I will never have any of those options.

So what does the career of a median graduate who manages to snag big law look like? Is it just up and out and then a career change? I'm just trying to think about long term career goals and I'm beginning to realize my options are a lot less clear and restricted than some of my classmates.

[wiscohopeful]

Well you certainly sound like a buzz Killington. In all seriousness, my experience in practice and seeing people leave to go in house is that it matters much more the work you have done than the firm you come from, excluding of course the idea that prestigious firms give you the opportunity to work on bigger and more substantive projects. Can't really comment on the firm leading to a prestigious clerkship. Maybe that is linked to judge alumni of particular firms?

[Bronte]

Focus on getting a job first, and make sure you show a positive attitude in interviews. The reality of exit options are murky, and no one seems to have solid data as to what people do after big law and the extent to which the perceived prestige of the firm matters. As I understand it, exit opportunities are dictated in large part by the clients the firm interacts with and you interact with while working at the firm. Any big firm is going to have clients, and presumably those clients take people from those firms.

[Wholigan]

Everyone I talk to says 'go to the best firm you possibly can'

Maybe you should talk to different people then. Instead of being fixated on Vault rank or whatever measure you are using to rank what firms are better than others, focus on non-uber grade selective firms that are strong in practice areas you are interested in. You haven't said where you want to work, but if you have ties to a secondary market, consider applying there. Many of these firms, while not as nationally "prestigious," offer a chance at very good exit options in the secondary markets and unlike major market firms, offer a non-negligible chance at sticking around at the firm and making counsel or partner.

Being median at a lower T14 is still good enough to have a shot at plenty of big firms. If anything is going to hurt you, it's if you go into interviews with the attitude that these prospective employers are "non-prestigious, unselective" firms.