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This is going to be pretty controversial, but I do want candid advice. Mid-level biglaw lateral that just accepted an offer to one firm, but another firm, who I haven't heard from in 4 months after my callback, got back to me yesterday with an offer. I still feel good about my decision to join the first firm, but the second one was my original goal, more reknown in my practice area, and I think will be a better fit. Anybody have any ideas how to handle?

With all the obvious caveats, I usually say that you gotta do what you gotta do. Obviously, it's a tough situation but it's your life and career--you just better be sure that the original goal firm is going to be that much better.

UnfrozenCaveman wrote:With all the obvious caveats, I usually say that you gotta do what you gotta do. Obviously, it's a tough situation but it's your life and career--you just better be sure that the original goal firm is going to be that much better.

And OP should expect to never be able to lateral to the first firm in the future if they renege now.

On the basis of the admittedly limited facts in the OP, I don't know that I'd characterize reneging as something OP's "gotta do." Even if I were deciding in the first instance, I'd lean strongly toward joining a firm that was truly excited about having me, vs. a firm that ghosted (& presumably waitlisted) me for four months. Add in the need to renege on an accepted offer from the first firm in order to join the second firm, and that just tilts the scales even more strongly toward sticking with the first firm. IMO, you'd need a truly incredible prestige differential to reasonably consider choosing the second firm at this point. (Or significant red flags at the first firm suggesting bad culture/fit, but OP says they "still feel good about [their] decision to join the first firm," so presumably red flags aren't an issue.)