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I am a first-year associate at a mid-sized firm in Manhattan. My firm is essentially a full-service boutique in a specific area of law, which area I do not want to disclose because by doing so I may possibly out myself; there's only a few firms in NYC that specialize what we do. That being said, my firm is a top firm in this area, if not THE firm.

Although I am getting great experience (i.e., lots of court time, client face-to-face, writing assignments, etc.), I am hungry for something more, something better, even if I've only been working here full time as an associate since the fall. I'd like to break into biglaw (despite what I've read on these forums and other places), possibly to a V50 or V30 firm. My only concern is how realistic it is for me to achieve such a lateral move.

A bit about me:

• Graduated middle of my class at a very regional law school, not located near NYC. LS is not ranked in the top 100 (but not too far outside that).
• Law review managing editor position; published case note.
• Moot court + accolades.
• Awarded best appellate brief in my class during my first year of LS (at which time my LS was a top 10 for legal writing).
• Other publications through various research positions, presentations through involvement in legal community while in LS.
• Biglaw (for my LS's region, 100+ attorneys) internship.
• Externship with a Federal District Judge.
• Two summers with the NYC firm I am with now (it's not my first rodeo).
• FWIW, concentration cert in my area of interest (but we all know those "concentrations" are bs to begin with).

I realize that based off my transcript, most, if not all, firms would throw my resume in the garbage partly because my grades are mediocre and partly because my school is relatively unknown in the BIG CITY of NY, where I compete with HYS and other top schools (everyone wants to be here). It doesn't help that Columbia and NYU, along with other pretty decent NY schools, are centrally located in the city.

Am I screwed? Did valuing networking/experience over grades hurt me? Would leveraging the (few) alumni from my LS in NYC help at all (i.e., do partners have the ability to bring on new associates from mediocre schools)? Has anyone ever heard of leveraging undergraduate alumni for lateral positions before? Will my excellent writing skills and motion drafting experience make me more marketable than laterals from top tier schools with only doc review experience? Should I be looking at utilizing a legal recruiter or is that a waste of time/money?

I feel that it might help that I've already been in NYC for two summers (did some networking then too, but haven't found time since I started as an associate) and the past seven months and therefore I don't have to worry about trying to break into NYC, let alone land a position at a top firm. I'm also a pretty good networker, which is pretty much the reason I landed any internship in LS. However, I could be wrong and no one really cares.

Note: I am intentionally disparaging my LS because I am trying to be realistic. It's not that my LS was a bad school; it was actually pretty great and very well known and respected in its region. But NYC is a whole new ball game and it's not uncommon for my having to explain where it's located to attorneys here, even at my current firm.

Any and all advice or commentary is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

how is that you will get a better exp at a"traditional" big law firm?

or are you just hungry for more $$$?

mvp99 wrote:how is that you will get a better exp at a"traditional" big law firm?

or are you just hungry for more $$$?

Well, as I explained in the OP, my firm is extremely specialized. While I am getting great litigation experience that I think will transcend practice areas, I am not working in the area of law that I ultimately want to practice. If I want any chance to do so, I absolutely need to move to another firm that either 1) has a general practice and a department in this area or 2) specializes in my desired area of law. That being said, most biglaw firms are involved in almost all areas of law, so that is part of my motivation to move to biglaw.

The raise in salary is just a bonus... I mean, I do have loans, too.

Realistic? I dunno. Probably tough. Yes, network with alums. Apply to everything. Talk to some recruiters.

IMO though you should count your blessings and learn as much as you can from this job. You seem to lack understanding of just how much better your experience is.

Very unrealistic. If you are going to have any chance, it's going to be through a personal connection. I would network my ass off with undergrad/law school alums if you want to have a chance.

Ok, so that being said... Do I straight up ask if a lateral position is available or do I attempt at building a relationship first? In my experience, partners are too busy to be grabbing lunch on any regular basis with the likes of me.

It's a tough call, I know. I do appreciate the feedback though.

Wait until you get atleast a year under your belt at your firm. Start working with you good head hunter and you will be able to lateral. You probably will fair better outside of NY.

The only real advice I would have is try to do something corporate related at your current firm. Bank finance maybe? Corp usually has lower grade requirements.