Received a unique offer - no idea what to do with it Forum

[Anonymous User]

'14 grad from a T25. No debt. Around 2 years of big firm experience and now working a clerkship. The other day, a buddy hit me up and asked if I wanted to join he and his father in their real estate brokerage/appraisal/expert witness practice. I have met with the a few times and they are doing quite well. The work is incredibly interesting and lucrative, however, it would require me to obtain a few licenses and it may take a year or two before I see the money they are making as I would have to learn the business. An offer has been made and it seems like one of those opportunities that may not come along again.

Part of me is saying, 'hey idiot, you went to a damn good law school and have the chops to make good money in law, why leave it so soon?'

The other part of me is saying, 'hey idiot, this is a great offer in a field you have a strong interest in, these guys make as much, or more, than the equity partners you know.'

I find law practice to be ok in terms of interest and after my clerkship, if I stayed in law, I would prefer to do personal injury as opposed to being a lockstep associate again at a big firm.'

I am looking for any advice/thoughts on my current situation. I am at the point where part of me is saying go and the other part says I will regret it.

[1styearlateral]

Do you mind saying where this is?

[Anonymous User]

Pacific NW.

[smallfirmassociate]

I think if you try it and hate it, you can always come back to law, especially if you don't want to go biglaw anyway. Sure, you'll have to answer a few questions and might close a door or two, but you can get back into the field. I say go for it.

[Jchance]

I'd take the opp to see whether I'd like it. With your legal experience, you can always jump back to personal injury if things don't work out.

[emkay625]

Take it and don't look back. If you're worried about being able to jump back into law, make sure you stay active. Keep your bar dues up to date, go to networking events, take on a small pro bono matter here and there.

[emkay625]

'14 grad from a T25. No debt. Around 2 years of big firm experience and now working a clerkship. The other day, a buddy hit me up and asked if I wanted to join he and his father in their real estate brokerage/appraisal/expert witness practice. I have met with the a few times and they are doing quite well. The work is incredibly interesting and lucrative, however, it would require me to obtain a few licenses and it may take a year or two before I see the money they are making as I would have to learn the business. An offer has been made and it seems like one of those opportunities that may not come along again.

Part of me is saying, 'hey idiot, you went to a damn good law school and have the chops to make good money in law, why leave it so soon?'

The other part of me is saying, 'hey idiot, this is a great offer in a field you have a strong interest in, these guys make as much, or more, than the equity partners you know.'

I find law practice to be ok in terms of interest and after my clerkship, if I stayed in law, I would prefer to do personal injury as opposed to being a lockstep associate again at a big firm.'

I am looking for any advice/thoughts on my current situation. I am at the point where part of me is saying go and the other part says I will regret it.

Just saw this. Definitely take this gig. If I had to do life over again, I'd try to figure out some path that would allow me to be an expert witness. Those folks make insane amounts of cash.

[Anonymous User]

I was corporate. As a Midlevel, I had the opportunity to jump to a business role relatively high up the food chain with a boutique investment bank. Had a very solid resume, working for the best partners in my niche area at the best firm for my niche area.

I had your same concerns but I also liked my biglaw gig. I especially know what you mean about a once in a career opportunity.

I ended up taking the job and I haven't looked back. Big law partners magically become decent people when they need something from you....

Word of advice, if these guys are really making as much money as you imply and they like/trust you, there should be room to negotiate on the comp coming in the door. Finding likeable, qualified, trust-worthy people is really hard. And flexible, nimble organizations will open up the checkbook when they find what they want.

[Anonymous User]

I was corporate. As a Midlevel, I had the opportunity to jump to a business role relatively high up the food chain with a boutique investment bank. Had a very solid resume, working for the best partners in my niche area at the best firm for my niche area.

I had your same concerns but I also liked my biglaw gig. I especially know what you mean about a once in a career opportunity.

I ended up taking the job and I haven't looked back. Big law partners magically become decent people when they need something from you....

Word of advice, if these guys are really making as much money as you imply and they like/trust you, there should be room to negotiate on the comp coming in the door. Finding likeable, qualified, trust-worthy people is really hard. And flexible, nimble organizations will open up the checkbook when they find what they want.

I appreciate the response. I think 2-3 years down the line I will be making more than I would be as a 5th year associate. I am looking for any other responses/experiences that other individuals can provide.