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Going to be starting at a NY biglaw firm this fall and am wondering if anyone has heard of someone making the shift. I took the FSO exam and failed years ago, so I know that I'd need to improve there to have a shot.

Yes, I know person who did biglaw --> international public service work --> foreign service.

They are fluent in two languages and spent time living abroad before law school though.

Anonymous User wrote:Going to be starting at a NY biglaw firm this fall and am wondering if anyone has heard of someone making the shift. I took the FSO exam and failed years ago, so I know that I'd need to improve there to have a shot.

Failing the FSO exam is not a good sign, since the test is the easiest part about getting the job. In my experience, FSO and other similar government agencies will consider older people/people with advanced degrees, but it does you no favors and may hurt you. They are looking for career officers they can develop from the start.

I have thought about this transition. It's definitely doable and there are many, many former attorneys in the Foreign Service. Of the five career tracks, attorneys seem to flock to consular and political. Most people say that consular (which deals with visa issues) has a quasi-legal component since you're wading through the various regulations regarding visas.

bump

Be prepared to sit and deny visas for two years (at least) while living the compound life somewhere shitty like Lagos or Guangzhou.

gmail wrote:Be prepared to sit and deny visas for two years (at least) while living the compound life somewhere shitty like Lagos or Guangzhou.

This is correct. Here is some additional explanation of why.

Basically, you are required to do consular work (which often includes non-immigrant visas -- not a very popular job) for at least one year. Because of high demands for visas, many non-consular officers often do 2-4 years of visa work. In a recent A100 class, everyone was given a consular tour for his/her first assignment.

Further, you will be sent to wherever the State Department has visa demand. Since many developed places are part of the visa waiver program (anywhere in Europe, anywhere developed in Asia that is an ally), there isn't much need for State personnel to approve/deny visas in developed places. Thus, there is a reasonably high probability that you will be sent to a developing country (China, India, Brazil, and Mexico are common).