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Considering offers from v10s. I'm wondering how many years of biglaw I need to have in a specialty group (tax, erisa, etc) before I can go in house or lateral to a smaller firm wih better QOL. Is it true that I'll be marketable faster than if I did general lit or corporate? Thanks!

Anonymous User wrote:Considering offers from v10s. I'm wondering how many years of biglaw I need to have in a specialty group (tax, erisa, etc) before I can go in house or lateral to a smaller firm wih better QOL. Is it true that I'll be marketable faster than if I did general lit or corporate? Thanks!

No, and in fact, specialty work is generally less marketable because it's a less "liquid" asset - there's just more churn in hiring for associates with cap markets or M&A experience.

Don't go into firm life trying to find the "trick" to lower hours or quicker in-house, because there isn't one. You can be a tax or comp & benefits guy (or gal) who gets stuck as the specialist on 75,309 M&A deals at once who bills 2850 and never breathes or learns skills that makes you attractive to other employers.

Different anonymous poster, what about a specialty group like derivatives? I Imagine exit options are limited to financial institutions, but have no idea how hard or easy it would be to obtain an inhouse job

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Considering offers from v10s. I'm wondering how many years of biglaw I need to have in a specialty group (tax, erisa, etc) before I can go in house or lateral to a smaller firm wih better QOL. Is it true that I'll be marketable faster than if I did general lit or corporate? Thanks!

No, and in fact, specialty work is generally less marketable because it's a less "liquid" asset - there's just more churn in hiring for associates with cap markets or M&A experience.

Don't go into firm life trying to find the "trick" to lower hours or quicker in-house, because there isn't one. You can be a tax or comp & benefits guy (or gal) who gets stuck as the specialist on 75,309 M&A deals at once who bills 2850 and never breathes or learns skills that makes you attractive to other employers.

Are you just regurgitating things or do you actually know that comp & benefit specialists have bad exit opportunities? Because from what I've heard, a 2-3 year comp & benefits person with extensive ERISA experience has great opportunities in-house, and good opportunity to go to a smaller firm (albeit more limited opps than say, litigation).

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Considering offers from v10s. I'm wondering how many years of biglaw I need to have in a specialty group (tax, erisa, etc) before I can go in house or lateral to a smaller firm wih better QOL. Is it true that I'll be marketable faster than if I did general lit or corporate? Thanks!

No, and in fact, specialty work is generally less marketable because it's a less "liquid" asset - there's just more churn in hiring for associates with cap markets or M&A experience.

Don't go into firm life trying to find the "trick" to lower hours or quicker in-house, because there isn't one. You can be a tax or comp & benefits guy (or gal) who gets stuck as the specialist on 75,309 M&A deals at once who bills 2850 and never breathes or learns skills that makes you attractive to other employers.

Are you just regurgitating things or do you actually know that comp & benefit specialists have bad exit opportunities? Because from what I've heard, a 2-3 year comp & benefits person with extensive ERISA experience has great opportunities in-house, and good opportunity to go to a smaller firm (albeit more limited opps than say, litigation).

I work in a specialty group at a large firm. So, I have a bit more experience than "what you've heard". Also, how do you propose to develop your extensive ERISA experience without working long hours. Finally, I LOLed at the concept of any 2nd year associate having "extensive ERISA experience".