Keep looking in small market v. move to bigger market v. stop being a lawyer
Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 11:18 am
I graduated from a T20 in 2014, not a URM, middling grades, went to a good undergrad, had a good GPA and worked in a niche consulting firm before law school. Did fed internships in DC during law school but I didn't get into any fed honors programs, took the bar, and landed a job at a 2 partner firm in the mid-sized Southern city where my law school is. The firm split up and I was let go earlier this year. It's been tough finding another gig here because, other than my mediocre resume, it's a small, insular market and my previous employer will only give me a neutral reference (it's a long story, but was not performance related, I got a raise and bonus 3 months before I was let go)
So I've been looking the last 6 months in this market but also anywhere else I could go without taking another bar exam. I've had interviews but no dice; I'm told I'm either over-qualified or there are much more qualified people (with 5+ years experience) vying for the same job. For the last few months I've been doing doc review at a law firm I like where they have hired on contract attorneys in the past, but there's no way of knowing if they will do that again. I could probably keep doing contract work for awhile at this firm, but I am worried about doing it for more than a few months. I've heard that the longer you do doc review the harder it is to find something else and I don't want to keep doing it if there's no chance of a job with this firm. So my options are:
1) Stay in this town and keep looking;
2) Move to DC and try to find something there (ideally fed govt because that's what I've always wanted and PSLF), because it's a bigger market, I can waive in, and I have a free place to live/family there; or
3) Just say fuck it and give up on being a lawyer.
Anyone found that actually moving to a larger market makes the difference? Or do I just need to give it more time in my market? I just worry that the more time I give it the more I am branded as doc review failure and foreclose the possibility of something better (if that possibility even really exists). I'm kind of losing my mind right now.
So I've been looking the last 6 months in this market but also anywhere else I could go without taking another bar exam. I've had interviews but no dice; I'm told I'm either over-qualified or there are much more qualified people (with 5+ years experience) vying for the same job. For the last few months I've been doing doc review at a law firm I like where they have hired on contract attorneys in the past, but there's no way of knowing if they will do that again. I could probably keep doing contract work for awhile at this firm, but I am worried about doing it for more than a few months. I've heard that the longer you do doc review the harder it is to find something else and I don't want to keep doing it if there's no chance of a job with this firm. So my options are:
1) Stay in this town and keep looking;
2) Move to DC and try to find something there (ideally fed govt because that's what I've always wanted and PSLF), because it's a bigger market, I can waive in, and I have a free place to live/family there; or
3) Just say fuck it and give up on being a lawyer.
Anyone found that actually moving to a larger market makes the difference? Or do I just need to give it more time in my market? I just worry that the more time I give it the more I am branded as doc review failure and foreclose the possibility of something better (if that possibility even really exists). I'm kind of losing my mind right now.