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Just finished my first year in a general corporate practice at biglaw firm XYZ in major market ABC.

For personal and professional reasons I want to lateral to New York City to a different firm and do either general litigation, white collar or labor and employment.

I went to HYS, but don't have great grades. Any insight into how to land a gig seeing as I am not barred in New York and have no litigation experience? (outside of internships etc.)

Thanks!

Go clerk for a year. You'll take a bit of a salary hit but it's a clear indication of your serious intent to become a litigator, and you'll likely have an easier time finding an opening fresh out of a clerkship than otherwise. If clerking isn't an option, I would start reaching out to friends at NYC firms and gauging how busy their lit departments are, if they are looking for lateral candidates, etc. I don't think you'll have a difficult time moving to a different practice, as a lot of junior associate tasks are basically variations on a theme, but I would also play up any pro bono lit you've done/get on some ASAP if you haven't yet.

deepseapartners wrote:Go clerk for a year. You'll take a bit of a salary hit but it's a clear indication of your serious intent to become a litigator, and you'll likely have an easier time finding an opening fresh out of a clerkship than otherwise. If clerking isn't an option, I would start reaching out to friends at NYC firms and gauging how busy their lit departments are, if they are looking for lateral candidates, etc. I don't think you'll have a difficult time moving to a different practice, as a lot of junior associate tasks are basically variations on a theme, but I would also play up any pro bono lit you've done/get on some ASAP if you haven't yet.

Thanks, yea clerkship is probably a long-shot due to grades. But I can definitely check in with some of my classmates in the NYC market. I'll try that out and see if anything comes up! Thanks!

deepseapartners wrote:Go clerk for a year. You'll take a bit of a salary hit but it's a clear indication of your serious intent to become a litigator, and you'll likely have an easier time finding an opening fresh out of a clerkship than otherwise. If clerking isn't an option, I would start reaching out to friends at NYC firms and gauging how busy their lit departments are, if they are looking for lateral candidates, etc. I don't think you'll have a difficult time moving to a different practice, as a lot of junior associate tasks are basically variations on a theme, but I would also play up any pro bono lit you've done/get on some ASAP if you haven't yet.

Isn't the problem here that, at this point, finding a clerkship for 18-19 is basically out of the question? So in a best-case scenario OP finds a clerkship for 19-20 and will be two years deep as a corp associate? What judge would even take you on at that point, nevermind what firm at the end of your clerkship in 2020?