Switching firms after 2L SA? Forum

[LawSchoolGeek2]

How easy or difficult is it to switch firms after your 2L SA? I realize I might ultimately want to be in a different city. I also might consider switching offices with my current firm if that is a possibility but am unsure because they don't have as big a presence in that particular location. Has anyone had any experience switching firms after 2L or switching offices within their 2L firm?

[QContinuum]

Why not ask your current firm? It really varies by firm - some are very flexible about letting former summers start in a different office, others aren't. You won't know until you ask. Reach out to your recruiter - don't bother any of the lawyers you worked with over the summer (they won't know the answer anyway). Worst case, they say no; it won't be held against you, so long as you are professional about it and don't come across as trying to give them an ultimatum (i.e., don't even hint that you'd consider leaving if they say no).

It's possible to switch firms as a 3L, but it's exponentially more difficult than landing a 2L SA gig. You have a permanent offer, and you have a good reason for switching (wanting to switch markets), so you have as good a shot as anyone, assuming your 2L grades didn't slip. You basically have to trawl your school's Career Services site for postings, and/or go to firms' websites yourself. Be advised that 3L hiring is generally for a specific practice group (because firms only hire 3Ls where there is a need for extra bodies), so you'd have to give up the flexibility of being able to explore/rotate practice areas as an associate. (You should also be prepared to articulate a convincing reason why you're specifically interested in the practice group in question. This may be difficult in some cases, e.g., if you're applying to a bankruptcy position and you haven't taken any bankruptcy classes.)

[Anonymous User]

How easy or difficult is it to switch firms after your 2L SA? I realize I might ultimately want to be in a different city. I also might consider switching offices with my current firm if that is a possibility but am unsure because they don't have as big a presence in that particular location. Has anyone had any experience switching firms after 2L or switching offices within their 2L firm?

I switched offices after my 2L summer, and can add in my anecdotal experience. I wanted to switch cities for family reasons; I waited until the very end of the summer after getting an offer, and then talked to the recruiter. I explained my family reasons to him, told him how grateful I was for the whole summer and that I hoped to return to the location someday (which I truthfully do), but explained why I wanted to start in the new city. The switch was approved by both offices within the week. I would absolutely wait to secure an offer from one office before asking; you don't want to make it look like you're not committed to the office. Feel free to ask any questions in this thread!

[QContinuum]

How easy or difficult is it to switch firms after your 2L SA? I realize I might ultimately want to be in a different city. I also might consider switching offices with my current firm if that is a possibility but am unsure because they don't have as big a presence in that particular location. Has anyone had any experience switching firms after 2L or switching offices within their 2L firm?

I switched offices after my 2L summer, and can add in my anecdotal experience. I wanted to switch cities for family reasons; I waited until the very end of the summer after getting an offer, and then talked to the recruiter. I explained my family reasons to him, told him how grateful I was for the whole summer and that I hoped to return to the location someday (which I truthfully do), but explained why I wanted to start in the new city. The switch was approved by both offices within the week. I would absolutely wait to secure an offer from one office before asking; you don't want to make it look like you're not committed to the office. Feel free to ask any questions in this thread!

The above is absolutely true. In my previous post ITT I assumed (perhaps wrongly) that OP is a current 3L who summered in 2018. If OP is a current 2L scheduled to summer this year (2019), then they should absolutely wait until after they've received a permanent offer at the end of the summer to ask.

And in that case, OP should also consider participating in 3L OCI at their school at the end of the summer. They shouldn't count on getting any bites at 3L OCI - it's a crapshoot - but it's certainly worth a try.

[Anonymous User]

How easy or difficult is it to switch firms after your 2L SA? I realize I might ultimately want to be in a different city. I also might consider switching offices with my current firm if that is a possibility but am unsure because they don't have as big a presence in that particular location. Has anyone had any experience switching firms after 2L or switching offices within their 2L firm?

I switched offices after my 2L summer, and can add in my anecdotal experience. I wanted to switch cities for family reasons; I waited until the very end of the summer after getting an offer, and then talked to the recruiter. I explained my family reasons to him, told him how grateful I was for the whole summer and that I hoped to return to the location someday (which I truthfully do), but explained why I wanted to start in the new city. The switch was approved by both offices within the week. I would absolutely wait to secure an offer from one office before asking; you don't want to make it look like you're not committed to the office. Feel free to ask any questions in this thread!

The above is absolutely true. In my previous post ITT I assumed (perhaps wrongly) that OP is a current 3L who summered in 2018. If OP is a current 2L scheduled to summer this year (2019), then they should absolutely wait until after they've received a permanent offer at the end of the summer to ask.

And in that case, OP should also consider participating in 3L OCI at their school at the end of the summer. They shouldn't count on getting any bites at 3L OCI - it's a crapshoot - but it's certainly worth a try.

Oh, good catch - for some reason it didn't occur to me that OP could be a 3L. Some more context would definitely help to give better advice

[LawSchoolGeek2]

Thank you both for the advice.

Sorry - I should have provided more context. I am currently a 2L, so I haven't even started at the firm yet, but have had some family events come up recently that made me realize I actually want to be closer to home and thus in a different market than I anticipated when I went through OCI and made my final decision. The only reason I am nervous about asking to switch offices within the firm is because I don't want to jeopardize my reputation there and am unsure they'd allow it since the office is a lot smaller than the market I have my 2L SA offer in. I definitely wouldn't approach the subject until I got a final offer from them - but would mentioning this to the recruiter even after an offer jeopardize my reputation within the firm? In other words would they circulate the fact that I asked this around or could they revoke their offer?

[Anonymous User]

Thank you both for the advice.

Sorry - I should have provided more context. I am currently a 2L, so I haven't even started at the firm yet, but have had some family events come up recently that made me realize I actually want to be closer to home and thus in a different market than I anticipated when I went through OCI and made my final decision. The only reason I am nervous about asking to switch offices within the firm is because I don't want to jeopardize my reputation there and am unsure they'd allow it since the office is a lot smaller than the market I have my 2L SA offer in. I definitely wouldn't approach the subject until I got a final offer from them - but would mentioning this to the recruiter even after an offer jeopardize my reputation within the firm? In other words would they circulate the fact that I asked this around or could they revoke their offer?

Earlier anon here. In your situation, the only thing you should think about all summer is securing an offer. Be careful not to have the attitude of "I'm hoping to switch so it's ok if I don't socialize as much as the other summers" - just go all in on doing great work, attending SA events, and being a pleasant person. If the firm generally likes you, they're much more likely to feel for your situation and want to make things work for you.

Once you get your offer, talk to the recruiter about your situation. Explain how grateful you are for the offer/how much you loved your time there this summer, and that you're sad to be leaving, but you feel you need to ask because of 'x' reason. Don't appear like you're giving them an ultimatum, and even if your request is declined it won't follow you. As long as you're respectful, humble, and fairly honest about your situation, it isn't going to hurt you in the long run.