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I'm looking to make a lateral move and there's a job posting at a big firm i'm very interested in. I have a classmate at the firm in a different practice group who would like to submit me, and she happens to know two partners in the group I'd be applying to. My recruiter has also offered to submit me for the position.

What should I do? Direct apply vs. go through friend vs. go through recruiter?

Absolutely go through the friend. Probably has the best chance of success. In fact, many firms will pay your friend thousands of dollars in bonus if they end up hiring you and you stay for some period of time.

Always go through a friend if you can. The firm has to pay a recruiter a fee equal to like 1/3 of salary. Bonuses to associates are usually in the 10-20k range