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Hi all - Anyone have thoughts on mapping out a plan for moving laterally? I'd like to move from a major market in Texas to LA. I'm two years out and only barred in Texas as of yet. Looking to land big law transactional, but for various reasons would prefer not to just switch to my current (v20) firm's LA office. Stanford grad, moving back to CA for the wife's job. If I'd like to be in LA in 12-18 months (and not sooner), when does it make sense to start looking for jobs? Do I wait to get a job and have the firm pay for the move and bar stuff (or do they only do that for 3Ls?) or move out and take the bar while looking?

If your timeline is 12-18 months, I would look next year around this time. To get the most optimal results, I would consider taking the California bar.

I'd highly recommend you become barred in CA prior to applying anywhere. You will have a much easier time applying and a greater numbers of firms will consider you. You can just take a minute now and browse some CA openings at firms you're interested in and see if they say either CA bar required, or CA bar preferred.

Further, the CA bar is not easy, even for practicing attorney applicants. In the event you don't pass on the first time, you will spare yourself any embarrassment as no one will know. You can just retake it again in the next offering and apply once you pass.

General rule of thumb I'd say is to start applying about 6 months before you want to lateral. You might want to consider getting a recruiter in the area though, as they would have the best insight about all of this.

clerk1251 wrote:I'd highly recommend you become barred in CA prior to applying anywhere. You will have a much easier time applying and a greater numbers of firms will consider you. You can just take a minute now and browse some CA openings at firms you're interested in and see if they say either CA bar required, or CA bar preferred.

Further, the CA bar is not easy, even for practicing attorney applicants. In the event you don't pass on the first time, you will spare yourself any embarrassment as no one will know. You can just retake it again in the next offering and apply once you pass.

General rule of thumb I'd say is to start applying about 6 months before you want to lateral. You might want to consider getting a recruiter in the area though, as they would have the best insight about all of this.

I don't see how it's realistic to take the California bar without your current firm knowing about it. Many bars require signatures from past legal employers prior to the exam. Plus, the time commitment will be extremely tough with biglaw on top of it. At least if you take the California bar as a lateral, your new firm will give you some time off and support with it. Besides, while the California bar is certainly tough, people with biglaw credentials (especially those who have already passed one bar) are much more likely to pass than the general bar-taking population.

Given that OP is a Stanford grad, they will likely have no trouble finding a California Biglaw firm to take them on- Cali bar or no. I'd start making phone calls to some of your law school friends who work for firms you might be interested in and let them know you are interested in coming back to California. Find out if their firms are busy and go from there. Count on 6 months to make the move, although it's possible things could move much faster once you start applying.

Would you consider trying to transfer offices within current firm (guaranteeing a spot in Cali on your specific timeline), and then jumping ship shortly thereafter?

The firm might give you some leeway re: bar study in this scenario.

nealric wrote:

clerk1251 wrote:I'd highly recommend you become barred in CA prior to applying anywhere. You will have a much easier time applying and a greater numbers of firms will consider you. You can just take a minute now and browse some CA openings at firms you're interested in and see if they say either CA bar required, or CA bar preferred.

Further, the CA bar is not easy, even for practicing attorney applicants. In the event you don't pass on the first time, you will spare yourself any embarrassment as no one will know. You can just retake it again in the next offering and apply once you pass.

General rule of thumb I'd say is to start applying about 6 months before you want to lateral. You might want to consider getting a recruiter in the area though, as they would have the best insight about all of this.

I don't see how it's realistic to take the California bar without your current firm knowing about it. Many bars require signatures from past legal employers prior to the exam. Plus, the time commitment will be extremely tough with biglaw on top of it. At least if you take the California bar as a lateral, your new firm will give you some time off and support with it. Besides, while the California bar is certainly tough, people with biglaw credentials (especially those who have already passed one bar) are much more likely to pass than the general bar-taking population.

Given that OP is a Stanford grad, they will likely have no trouble finding a California Biglaw firm to take them on- Cali bar or no. I'd start making phone calls to some of your law school friends who work for firms you might be interested in and let them know you are interested in coming back to California. Find out if their firms are busy and go from there. Count on 6 months to make the move, although it's possible things could move much faster once you start applying.

I agree that it wouldn't be easy, but it is certainly doable. I have friends that have studied for and taken other bars, while working in biglaw, without their firms knowledge. I've never heard of a bar that required signatures from past legal employers prior to sitting. CA to my knowledge, certainly does not.

You just need to force yourself to study on whatever evening and weekend time you get. Then you take a few days off for a "vacation" and go take the bar. Cali market is not great for lateraling at the moment, although transnational work is still much better for lateraling than litigation. NorCal might also be easier than SoCal. Who knows what the market will be like in 18 months though. Could be better, could be worse. I didn't say that OP would not be able to lateral without taking the bar. I simply said that he will have a much easier time applying, if he has taken and passed the bar.

RaceJudicata wrote:Would you consider trying to transfer offices within current firm (guaranteeing a spot in Cali on your specific timeline), and then jumping ship shortly thereafter?

The firm might give you some leeway re: bar study in this scenario.

If this is a possibility for OP, I'd agree that transferring offices is probably the best option. You can start laying the groundwork now by spending the next 12 months building relationships with partners in the CA office you want to transfer to. Get some work for them and do a good job, and keep trying to get more work from them. In about 12 months, tell them that your wife is being transferred, and you'd like to stay with the firm and transfer offices as well.

clerk1251 wrote:

nealric wrote:

clerk1251 wrote:I'd highly recommend you become barred in CA prior to applying anywhere. You will have a much easier time applying and a greater numbers of firms will consider you. You can just take a minute now and browse some CA openings at firms you're interested in and see if they say either CA bar required, or CA bar preferred.

Further, the CA bar is not easy, even for practicing attorney applicants. In the event you don't pass on the first time, you will spare yourself any embarrassment as no one will know. You can just retake it again in the next offering and apply once you pass.

General rule of thumb I'd say is to start applying about 6 months before you want to lateral. You might want to consider getting a recruiter in the area though, as they would have the best insight about all of this.

I don't see how it's realistic to take the California bar without your current firm knowing about it. Many bars require signatures from past legal employers prior to the exam. Plus, the time commitment will be extremely tough with biglaw on top of it. At least if you take the California bar as a lateral, your new firm will give you some time off and support with it. Besides, while the California bar is certainly tough, people with biglaw credentials (especially those who have already passed one bar) are much more likely to pass than the general bar-taking population.

Given that OP is a Stanford grad, they will likely have no trouble finding a California Biglaw firm to take them on- Cali bar or no. I'd start making phone calls to some of your law school friends who work for firms you might be interested in and let them know you are interested in coming back to California. Find out if their firms are busy and go from there. Count on 6 months to make the move, although it's possible things could move much faster once you start applying.

I agree that it wouldn't be easy, but it is certainly doable. I have friends that have studied for and taken other bars, while working in biglaw, without their firms knowledge. I've never heard of a bar that required signatures from past legal employers prior to sitting. CA to my knowledge, certainly does not.

You just need to force yourself to study on whatever evening and weekend time you get. Then you take a few days off for a "vacation" and go take the bar. Cali market is not great for lateraling at the moment, although transnational work is still much better for lateraling than litigation. NorCal might also be easier than SoCal. Who knows what the market will be like in 18 months though. Could be better, could be worse. I didn't say that OP would not be able to lateral without taking the bar. I simply said that he will have a much easier time applying, if he has taken and passed the bar.

RaceJudicata wrote:Would you consider trying to transfer offices within current firm (guaranteeing a spot in Cali on your specific timeline), and then jumping ship shortly thereafter?

The firm might give you some leeway re: bar study in this scenario.

If this is a possibility for OP, I'd agree that transferring offices is probably the best option. You can start laying the groundwork now by spending the next 12 months building relationships with partners in the CA office you want to transfer to. Get some work for them and do a good job, and keep trying to get more work from them. In about 12 months, tell them that your wife is being transferred, and you'd like to stay with the firm and transfer offices as well.

If not prior to exam, you would likely need signature for C&F prior to admission (some bars to C&F prior to exam, and some do after). Either way, you aren't getting admitted in a jurisdiction without your firm knowing.

nealric wrote: If not prior to exam, you would likely need signature for C&F prior to admission (some bars to C&F prior to exam, and some do after). Either way, you aren't getting admitted in a jurisdiction without your firm knowing.

This is not true at all, at least speaking for California specifically.

I moved from a V20 in NYC to V10 in California without being barred in California (I was a second year at the time). I had some ties to the area (family about 500 miles away) and a similar reason to move (significant other professional move). I sent out my resume in late March, had an interview scheduled within a week, an offer a few weeks later, and my first day of work in the first week of June. The long pole in the tent was the conflicts check---otherwise, the process was incredibly quick. I took the July bar and really started working in August.

I guess the takeaway is that you should look three to four months from your targeted start date. Starting in January or June may actually be beneficial as you immediately go on bar leave and take the bar in February or July (as opposed to starting, getting staffed, and then having to manage bar studying with deal work and/or leaving your first deals (and your new colleagues) hanging halfway through).

Finally, the firm will pay for your move and your bar study.

Happy to speak more under separate cover. Send me a PM.

OP here - thank you all for your time and thoughts on this - very helpful!