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I have an offer out of a clerkship from a V10 firm in a non NY/DC market where I am clerking. My SO has a firm job in a secondary market (Seattle/Minneapolis/Denver), is relatively happy there and not thrilled about the prospect of moving. Both of us prefer the city where she is. I have significant ties to the smaller city, so that wouldn't be a problem. However, in the short term I'm interested in the $$$ as well as the more interesting work (so they claim) that I would get at a larger firm.

Could I take the offer with the expectation of lateraling to my SO's city in a year or two? I'm wondering if anyone has any experience lateraling from a national firm to a more regional one in a different city.

My advice is go with your SO and build a life there.

Tls2016 wrote:My advice is go with your SO and build a life there.

Credited. And lol @ the promise of "more interesting work" for a junior associate at a satellite office of a V10.

rpupkin wrote:

Tls2016 wrote:My advice is go with your SO and build a life there.

Credited. And lol @ the promise of "more interesting work" for a junior associate at a satellite office of a V10.

How do you know it's a satellite? What if he is clerking in Chicago or LA and the offer is from Kirkland or Gibson? OP before I gave you any advice I'd need to know a few more things about what you want to do and what type of options you have in the smaller market. For instance, if you said you wanted to do bankruptcy lit and you had an offer from Kirkland, Chicago, the cases you would work on would probably be pretty different than some regional Minneapolis firm. It would be up to you to decide how much that is worth to you. I don't have any experience with lateralling to a smaller market but I didn't want you to take the advice of "just go with your SO" in a vacuum.

Sorry, I should have clarified. I don't have an offer in the SO's city, or any other offer except this one. I still have 5 months or so on the clerkship, but I'm not ballsy enough to turn down a good offer when I have nothing but a few upcoming interviews. I didn't go to a T-14 so I feel like this is by the far the best opportunity I will have. If I did have an offer in the SO's city, I would take you guys up on your advice and make a life of it.

It is a satellite office, but from my understanding I will be traveling to the home office a lot and may have an opportunity to transfer in the future. My question was more along the lines of, how are "prestigious" firms viewed outside of NY/Chi/DC/LA? Would it be an advantage compared to someone trying to lateral from a regional firm?

Ah got it. Can't really help in that case, I haven't lateralled anywhere. Hopefully someone else can chime in with some advice.

unc0mm0n1 wrote:

rpupkin wrote:

Tls2016 wrote:My advice is go with your SO and build a life there.

Credited. And lol @ the promise of "more interesting work" for a junior associate at a satellite office of a V10.

How do you know it's a satellite? What if he is clerking in Chicago or LA and the offer is from Kirkland or Gibson?

It would be odd to describe Kirkland Chicago or Gibson LA as a "V10 firm in a non NY/DC market." I mean, it would be technically correct (well, expect that Gibson isn't V10), but it's just not something an associate would say.

In any event, the "satellite" thing is mostly beside the point. In general, junior associates do not have good experiences at V10 firms, regardless of location. If I wanted to be in a "secondary market" city long term, I'd work hard to get a market-paying job there. If you can't find a spot at a good firm in that city (and OP may not find one--those jobs are tough to come by in secondary markets), then use the V10 as a fallback.

Take the offer and apply to jobs in your SO's city over the next 5 months. If you get one you prefer, just renege - you will burn bridges with one firm in a city you don't ever want to be in and that's not a terribly high cost.

2014 wrote:Take the offer and apply to jobs in your SO's city over the next 5 months. If you get one you prefer, just renege - you will burn bridges with one firm in a city you don't ever want to be in and that's not a terribly high cost.

I would do this except I think it would piss my judge off a lot (and potentially prejudice future clerks). But, I do have an interview with a market-paying firm in the SO's city shortly so hopefully I will be able to get the offer and politely decline the current one.