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Is there a well established pipeline to go into compliance work without working at a big law firm before hand? I’m an entry level job seeker struggling to find corporate and litigation work and was wondering if this was even a possibility.

Thanks.

um, tax or USPTO compliance?

Possible? Sure. Likely or desirable? That's a different story. There are companies that hire JDs straight out of law school, but it tends to put you on a track for lower salary and slower career advancement then going to a reputable firm first. That said, every circumstance is different.

Banking compliance is always big, and banks always need to keep a fairly sizable compliance staff on hand--look at those applications.

Seconding what PMan99 has said--possible, definitely. But likely or desirable depends on what you want your career trajectory to be. I don't think it's a bad start if you land a good compliance gig somewhere that lets you gain some good insight and experience. That being said, you probably don't want to get stuck in the compliance gig more than 2 years because your legal skills will be viewed as stale to firms.

I'd think that one problem you face is certification. CCEP needs work experience, which many folk can get by being an attorney in a compliance realm.

It's certainly not impossible but, as was mentioned above, it might impact your salary expectations. If you do get an offer, I'd suggest asking them to pay for your certification costs and (particularly if the money seems low) ask that they give you a raise upon completing certification.

If you have friends in the big4 and are at all interested in tax compliance/consulting, have them recomend you.

But try to find somebody at manager level who has a partner’s ear. Much more effective than a blind resume drop.

Had classmates that landed "compliance" jobs at smaller/regional banks in their trusts department. The pay is likely not great and not sure of any exit options, but seems like a decent gig to me. I don't think they are in abundance and obviously it is helpful to have previous work experience in the field.

Try looking directly on those types of banks' websites.