Looking for Complex Areas of Corporate Law Forum

[Anonymous User]

I'm a bit lost. I've got a few offers from V50 NY firms. I loved my tax course and business associations. This summer I worked at the IRS and had a good time there too. The problem is that the firms I have offers from have great capital markets/finance practices but VERY small (albeit good) tax practices. If I like tax quite a bit, would I find finance or (more curiously) capital markets complex and engaging? If not those practice areas, does anyone have any tips for what corporate practice areas are quite complex and difficult? I'm not a masochist, but I just can't/don't want to imagine a career where very deal is a copy/paste of another deal and I hit my legal knowledge cap in like 5 years. I'd love to constantly be learning/challenged.

Thanks!

[Anonymous User]

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[Anonymous User]

I'm a bit lost. I've got a few offers from V50 NY firms. I loved my tax course and business associations. This summer I worked at the IRS and had a good time there too. The problem is that the firms I have offers from have great capital markets/finance practices but VERY small (albeit good) tax practices. If I like tax quite a bit, would I find finance or (more curiously) capital markets complex and engaging? If not those practice areas, does anyone have any tips for what corporate practice areas are quite complex and difficult? I'm not a masochist, but I just can't/don't want to imagine a career where very deal is a copy/paste of another deal and I hit my legal knowledge cap in like 5 years. I'd love to constantly be learning/challenged.

Thanks!

I don’t know much since I’m just a 3L, but from what I've heard, capital markets might be good for you. It's got a lot of the same detail-oriented rules-based focus as tax since there's a lot of securities regulation for example if you're working on an IPO. From everyone I've talked to, those that enjoy tax similarly enjoyed securities regulation so that might be a class worth taking too.

If you're not sure, I would suggest possibly going with a firm that does rotations and trying a capm one.

[Anonymous User]

You aren't going to hit your knowledge cap in 5 years at any biglaw firm that does corporate work. Your clients are all going to be different and have a different issues come up all the time. If you want complex work that is client dependent, M&A is probably the best. You learn a lot about different industries and businesses and deal work is complex. Finance is complex because of the legal structure around securing assets and credit agreements are beasts. Cap markets is complex because of the regulatory structure for offerings and continuing disclosure. Just pick an area you are interested in, you won't hit your knowledge cap at 5 years in any practice.

[Neff]

I'm a bit lost. I've got a few offers from V50 NY firms. I loved my tax course and business associations. This summer I worked at the IRS and had a good time there too. The problem is that the firms I have offers from have great capital markets/finance practices but VERY small (albeit good) tax practices. If I like tax quite a bit, would I find finance or (more curiously) capital markets complex and engaging? If not those practice areas, does anyone have any tips for what corporate practice areas are quite complex and difficult? I'm not a masochist, but I just can't/don't want to imagine a career where very deal is a copy/paste of another deal and I hit my legal knowledge cap in like 5 years. I'd love to constantly be learning/challenged.

Thanks!

Regardless of the firm or practice group, in no event at a V50 NY will you be hitting a knowledge cap in five years. But if your concern is that you will get bored always doing the same type of work, you might want to look for a firm that has a free-market system where you can work with different partners and do different types of deals, instead of a firm where you are tied to one partner who only does X.

In some practice groups you may be the doing the same thing over and over again, which will make you an exquisitely trained specialist in five years (not a bad thing); while at others you will be more of a generalist and get to do a good mix of capital markets, PE M&A, venture capital, etc.