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I'm a 3L in DC, thinking about next year... How prestigious is working on Capitol Hill as a lawyer? Exit opps?

This thread has some info: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 3&t=271494

Really depends on what you're doing and who you work for. I only worked in the House, so I'm not sure how applicable this is in the Senate.

In a personal office, your role is generally fairly indistinguishable from non-JDs, other than a title bump (counsel), but the JD might get you a slightly better portfolio and you may be able to skip some of the entry-level positions (staff assistant, legislative correspondent). Most people either go into lobbying or another position in the federal government. Your post-Hill value largely depends on your portfolio, network, and the prestige of your boss.

The best attorney positions (other than leadership) are in the committees, particularly the exclusive committees (Ways & Means, Energy & Commerce, Financial Services, etc.) and the "legal" committees (Judiciary, Oversight). You work exclusively on policy (as opposed to constituent services in personal offices), you get a lot more exposure to stakeholders, and you have considerably more pull in the legislative process. Committee exit ops. are similar to those in personal offices, though you're much more desirable as a lobbyist. Some of the oversight and investigations subcommittee staff also go into private practice, presumably doing special matters/white collar/litigation work.

If your job matters is very prestigious. Many lawyers on Judiciary, for instance, are former SCOTUS clerks. Many others HLS/YLS credentials and COA Clerkships.