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How would an incoming associate slated for litigation switch to corporate transactional work in a big firm (v5)? Should you start out pretending to give litigation a try for the first month and then request transactional work? Or should you voice this desire before you start? Looking to see if there are any hard any fast rules for this.

You can just be up front with it; it's not an uncommon request. Litigation departments also tend to over recruit because of expected losses to clerkships.

Some firms might make you repeat your first year if you wait too long. Not the worst thing in the world though, honestly. Yeah you give up some pay, and your path to partnership is even longer if that's your goal. But I think it's kind of a savvy move to be a "first year" who's heads and shoulders above the rest of his class from the start, and it's probably an extra year before the up or out pressure really builds.