Big Law in Secondary Market vs NYC Forum

[Anonymous User]

Hey all,

Just finished 1L at a lower t14. Have not yet gotten grades for 2nd semester, but am expecting to finish the year around median(slightly above median after 1st semester). I am looking into big law for next summer and was wondering people's insight on the differences between pursuing big law in a secondary market vs NYC.

I'm from a large secondary market and always pictured going back, but I'm not sure whether this will hurt future employment opportunities. Also interested in people's experience in secondary markets in terms of whether the lower number of associates has impacted the quality of work you're given or whether it's a more solitary environment due to fewer associates.

Any insight is appreciated!

[Serett]

Now, I'm just a simple, country pre-lawyur, but I bet it would hurt future employment opportunities in NYC and help future employment opportunities in the secondary market.

[Anonymous User]

Absolutely take the secondary market biglaw if you want to be in the secondary market long term. No one in your secondary market will be opening their doors just because you worked at an anonymous V100 firm in NYC.

I work in a secondary market in an office that's not small, but not NYC sized (so think 100-200). I know people who work in small satellites and people who work in huge home offices and everything in between. With the caveat that there are exceptions at all sizes, generally speaking I'd bet that you'd get better work at smaller offices. I'd also wager that it'd be a less social environment than a 300 attorney office, but once again, it's only a correlation.

[Anonymous User]

I'm in a secondary market office for a large ~900 attorney firm. My office is about 100 attorneys. It's definitely more solitary; part of that is the small number of associates, part of it is firm culture (e.g. no one cares about face-time). Quality of work is a mixed bag. The big/interesting/front-page cases come out of the larger offices, and it's not easy to get staffed on those. When you do, the work is usually decent, since the mundane stuff is usually better handled by people who are local to the partners. Or it's doc review. The work generated in the secondary market is generally smaller, generally less interesting, and the work varies in quality. Since there are fewer associates, the local cases usually don't have multiple layers of associates working on them. But someone still has to do the grunt work, and as juniors, that's usually my classmates and me.

[Anonymous User]

Hey all,

Just finished 1L at a lower t14. Have not yet gotten grades for 2nd semester, but am expecting to finish the year around median(slightly above median after 1st semester). I am looking into big law for next summer and was wondering people's insight on the differences between pursuing big law in a secondary market vs NYC.

I'm from a large secondary market and always pictured going back, but I'm not sure whether this will hurt future employment opportunities. Also interested in people's experience in secondary markets in terms of whether the lower number of associates has impacted the quality of work you're given or whether it's a more solitary environment due to fewer associates.

Any insight is appreciated!

I can't speak to all markets, but it seems like it is better to start where you want to end up. For example, if you are talking about Texas (Dallas or Houston) and you want to be there long term, it would be better to start there. It makes it easier to get into the top firms if you summer and start there (for corporate work, I am talking BB, VE and Latham). It is difficult to lateral into these firms and it appears super easy for these associates to move to other smaller firms in the city. I work in Houston, went to a T14 and my friends who are now 3-5 years at V10 firms are struggling to "come home" (back to Texas). Those who are getting offers are only able to get in at small shops in town. As a T14 student, you may have your pick of firms in the secondary market right now, whereas if you wait a couple years, your only options will be those who have the "need" for additional associates. Also, you will be able to bank more $$/pay off loans quicker in the secondary market in case you hate biglaw.

[Anonymous User]

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[Anonymous User]

I'm summering in a secondary market and I had the same struggle in deciding between here and NYC. It's obviously too early for me to say whether I made the right call or not, but FWIW our recruiting director says she gets resumes daily from people in NY and she said there just isn't a place for them. Maybe some practicing attorneys have a better sense of how hard it is to lateral, but from what I'm hearing, NY>Secondary Market could be a tough way to go.

[Anonymous User]

I'm summering in a secondary market and I had the same struggle in deciding between here and NYC. It's obviously too early for me to say whether I made the right call or not, but FWIW our recruiting director says she gets resumes daily from people in NY and she said there just isn't a place for them. Maybe some practicing attorneys have a better sense of how hard it is to lateral, but from what I'm hearing, NY>Secondary Market could be a tough way to go.

My non-NYC biglaw firm has seen its fair share of laterals with the V10 NYC background, but all of these individuals had outstanding credentials aside from the firm (e.g. honors at a T6). They could have been strongly competitive if they had just come to my firm directly through normal channels (OCI / post-clerkship). The type of people I have never seen lateral from out of state are those who would've been borderline candidates through the normal channels. In other words, say the cutoff from UVA at my firm is top 20%. Some top 5% superstar who went to NY and then wanted to come to my market would get a look. Someone who was top 20% and went to NY probably wouldn't, even if they might've gotten a job at OCI.

This goes out the window if you manage to get real, desirable knowledge/experience in an in-demand area.

[L’Étranger]

If you're at median at a lower t14, can you afford to be choosy?

[Anonymous User]

Haven't seen V10 NYC people experience much trouble going to sizable secondary markets in my experience. Ties or a solid reason for the move helps.

[Anonymous User]

Haven't seen V10 NYC people experience much trouble going to sizable secondary markets in my experience. Ties or a solid reason for the move helps.

I think it is easy to move to smaller markets, but I think difficult to move into the top firms in the area. At least this has been my experience.

It also seems like those at the top firms in the area could easily move to other smaller firms in the area (such as where these NYC laterals are going). I think the contacts and starting at a top firm where you want to end up is the way to go. If you hate biglaw, you will have more opportunity to go in house/etc. in the market because of clients and contacts. If you love biglaw, but your firm shows you the door, you can easily slide to another firm in the area.

This along with lower COL, if your goal is not to end up in NYC, I just think its insane to start there because you think it will be easy to move to the secondary market later. If you have the opportunity to start where you want to end up, especially if its at one of the best firms in that market, you should probably do it.

[Tiago Splitter]

If you're at median at a lower t14, can you afford to be choosy?

+1

OP, choose when you actually have choices to make. Until then interview as much as possible in both places.

[dixiecupdrinking]

Go work where you want to go. Nobody really gives a shit that you worked in NYC. It doesn't open doors. There are thousands of big law associates in NYC. It's not a feather in your cap.

[Anonymous User]

If you're at median at a lower t14, can you afford to be choosy?

You can definitely be choosy at median, at least at my lower T14. This changes depending on the secondary we're talking about, of course

[oblig.lawl.ref]

If you're at median at a lower t14, can you afford to be choosy?

You can definitely be choosy at median, at least at my lower T14. This changes depending on the secondary we're talking about, of course

Uh, really? I'm skeptical. Regardless, I think generally median at a lower t-14 means you gotta hustle. Send your resume to every firm in any secondary you have ties to and the big NYC firms. If any of those firms overlap think about picking the one you guess you have a better shot at. If it's truly a large NYC firm, probably their NYC office. If it's an elite NYC firm, their secondary office may be slightly less competitive but odds are you're a long shot at either.

Bottom line don't worry about this like other posters said. Send resumes to all the offices in each market. Don't rely on OCI. Start doing this once you have your OCI schedule set but before OCI. See mass mail advice. This is how median at t-14 best avoids joblessness.