When and how should I start looking for a new job? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I graduated from one of CCNMVP in 2014 with median grades. However, given the school's grading system, I do not know exactly where I fell on the curve or where I ranked. I chose to work in flyover country (1) because my 1L grades were not great; and (2) I really liked the firm where I spent my 1L summer, which is where I work now. My firm, which has approximately 100 attorneys, only has offices in my state, but is considered to be the best litigation firm in the state. It handles many local matters for Fortune 500 companies. I work in corporate/commercial litigation. My salary is ~ $115k. Loans are down to ~ $84k.

I really like my firm and my colleagues. Because of the relatively few number of associates, I get a lot of substantive work. However, I want to move back to a larger city to be closer to friends/family, and because I miss big city life generally. I'm looking at cities where I would want to be and have friends/family, including New York, Chicago, LA, Philadelphia, cities in NoCal, DC (no new bar), Dallas and STL. Really all over the map, and I am pretty open.

I want to wait until I have a little more experience before I make a move. I'll have a year of experience (+ all internships and clinics) in September 2015, and plan to really amp up the search then. Right now, I have the following questions.

(1) What, if anything, should I be doing now to prepare for the search?

(2) How marketable will I be in September?

Thanks for your help!