Top Law Schools

I am interested in a particular industry (think telecom/energy/health/life sciences) and have an offer from a top firm in the relevant market as well as a DC firm with a strong chambers ranking in that area (I'd have a more regulatory focus in DC). I grew up in the DC area and would love to live and work there. Would I be crazy to take the DC offer if I know that I have absolutely no interest in federal government as an exit option? Am I under/overestimating the in house exit options from a Chambers Band 1 or 2 Washington firm in a particular industry?

This description fits me perfectly (from the DC area, interested in an industry, taking the regulatory route). I'm taking the offer (for a summer, which after all--why not?).

From what I've heard, many DC firms have much, much higher odds of making partner in regulatory than litigation or transactional. Perhaps because of this precise issue--corporations are unlikely to hire many in-house regulatory people when firms in DC can do the practice so well. Therefore, being a regulatory person at a firm for one's entire career is not unforeseeable, and indeed it's pretty steady work.

I can't speak to your precise question about exit options from the DC regulatory shops, but I'd say: if you want to do DC regulatory, you want to live in DC, and you've got the offer; do it.

Interesting, I had assumed partnership prospects without agency experience were low, based on the fact that the regulatory partners that I met all were laterals from government. Could be a small sample size and/or firm specific though.