V20 NYC lateral to Texas with no ties? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I am a second year associate at a V20 in NYC and have been doing a mix of corporate work, but lately mostly Lev Fin and Cap Markets. I graduated from a T6 school with decent grades and have no ties to Texas, but have read several articles about how money goes so much further there and have been exploring the possibility of relocating there. Does anyone have any experience with the Texas lateral market from NYC, particularly absent any ties to Texas? I understand that the Texas lateral market is active right now, but not at all sure what kind of a chance someone would have coming from NYC with no ties. If anyone has been in this situation and could offer any advice, I would appreciate it. Also, if anyone has lateraled from NYC to Texas and could tell me about their experience, that would be great! I understand that given that I have not been practicing for 5 years, I would need to take the Texas bar - do people generally just do the whole Barbri course all over again? I also understand the Austin market is small and definitely requires ties, but as between Houston or Dallas, I would really have no preference.

[magnum_law]

"meet" a "financé" who is "from Texas"

[Devlin]

Make up some ties dude. The lateral market is pretty hot down here. KE in Houston was expanding like everyday. Not sure if that is the case still. I can't really give any other insight.

[blahblewblah]

Come up with a good reason to want to be in Texas (and doing sophisticated work with a better quality of life, better place to settle down and raise a family, etc. are all good reasons). Apply. See what happens.

[Anonymous User]

Just wanna say for the fiance/fiancee thing. I interviewed in Dallas and they asked significant questions about my partner. Like what city she's from (not just "dallas" but more specific) and what high school she went to. So do your significant other thing but just do your research if you want to walk down that path.

[Anonymous User]

Just wanna say for the fiance/fiancee thing. I interviewed in Dallas and they asked significant questions about my partner. Like what city she's from (not just "dallas" but more specific) and what high school she went to. So do your significant other thing but just do your research if you want to walk down that path.

during my OCI i had no ties to Texas but did, truly, have a SO from there. was also asked these types of questions. i think firms are smart enough to fish it out and will make sure you are being sincere.

[nealric]

Just wanna say for the fiance/fiancee thing. I interviewed in Dallas and they asked significant questions about my partner. Like what city she's from (not just "dallas" but more specific) and what high school she went to. So do your significant other thing but just do your research if you want to walk down that path.

Seriously, don't make up a fiancee. Texas offices aren't some megaoffice with 500 attorneys in NYC where you can remain anonymous. There's a very high probability people will be asking to meet said "fiancee."

Texas is a far less insular market than it used to be. If you have a genuine desire to come to Texas and appropriate credentials, you have a pretty decent shot at finding something ties or no. Make sure you've spent some time in Houston and Dallas first though. Some people have a strong preference for one or the other and it's best to know if you do up front.

[kalvano]

Be prepared for a massive cultural difference. Austin will be very difficult to break into without ties, but Dallas and Houston, not so much. New people are flooding into Dallas every day, so with the right credentials and work experience, lack of ties shouldn't be a big issue.

Come visit in July and August before you decide to move, though.

[favabeansoup]

I too agree that making up a fiancee is stupid and you will get asked specific questions about it. We generally care about people here in Texas and tend to not treat their personal lives as irrelevant after an initial interview.

Also, 100% agree that you should probably like visit the state a few times throughout the year to see if you would, you know, actually like it here?

There's a big difference in moving from NYC to Texas, and there is a big difference between living in Dallas and Houston. If you are moving solely because the COL is cheaper, you are signing yourself up to be miserable. There's a lot of reasons to move here, but it shouldn't just be for financial reasons.

Besides that, lateral market is fine imo. You should be able to find something if you try hard enough and can convince people of actual desire to move.