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Hi TLS. Lateral biglaw corporate candidate in NYC waiting for conflicts to clear at another NYC firm. Any and all data is helpful.

I understand 2-3 weeks is typical. You should plan for at least 2 weeks, and be pleasantly surprised if it finishes a bit sooner.

Congrats on your offer!

It took me slightly longer than a week to clear conflicts. That being said, I'm a second-year so there were presumably less matters for them to go through. Also, the firm's recruiting department asked the conflicts department to rush my file and I also mentioned to the conflicts department that I would appreciate it if they prioritized my file as I wanted to give notice to my former firm sooner.

I was a second year and it took me about 2.5 weeks.

[OP] Second year and about a week in so far.

Any corp laterals been asked to get a current client to sign a waiver as part of the conflicts process?

Two weeks, particularly in incestuous niche practices where every firm has overlapping clients. But, even if you do have a conflict, it's almost assuredly not a dealbreaker, as ethical walls are everywhere, and there's probably more than enough work to go around.

Try not to get neurotic. Use this time to go through your files and make sure you retain access to any checklists or template materials that you created.

So do you guys not give notice until conflicts clear? I'm sure I'll get more details soon but I just received an offer that I would like to take and am being inconceivably crushed for about the sixth month in a row at my current firm and would like it all to end ASAP.

Anonymous User wrote:So do you guys not give notice until conflicts clear? I'm sure I'll get more details soon but I just received an offer that I would like to take and am being inconceivably crushed for about the sixth month in a row at my current firm and would like it all to end ASAP.

Do not give notice until conflicts clear. There is a small but non-zero chance that conflicts will either drag on, require consents, or prevent you from lateraling entirely. Get written confirmation that conflicts and references are clear before you do anything that would jeapordize your current position.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:So do you guys not give notice until conflicts clear? I'm sure I'll get more details soon but I just received an offer that I would like to take and am being inconceivably crushed for about the sixth month in a row at my current firm and would like it all to end ASAP.

Do not give notice until conflicts clear. There is a small but non-zero chance that conflicts will either drag on, require consents, or prevent you from lateraling entirely. Get written confirmation that conflicts and references are clear before you do anything that would jeapordize your current position.

I almost quit each day the last three days with nothing even lined up. This isn't a normal lateral situation. More like an extreme desperation lateral. I'm seriously doing like a sixth 250-300 hour month in a row (except for December). When doesn't conflicts clear? Is that like, hey this is just too many conflicts, so no? When is there truly a situation where they simply could not hire you due to conflicts?

Conflicts may not clear when there is a major institutional client ramping up for an IPO or merger or the like (major in that the entire group spends at least 30% of billable time). But I have never heard of another type of conflict in transactional practices that didnt clear or couldn't be walled.

That said, do not give notice before you get the green light. The parade of potential horribles is very remote but non-zero.

Anonymous User wrote:Conflicts may not clear when there is a major institutional client ramping up for an IPO or merger or the like (major in that the entire group spends at least 30% of billable time). But I have never heard of another type of conflict in transactional practices that didnt clear or couldn't be walled.

That said, do not give notice before you get the green light. The parade of potential horribles is very remote but non-zero.

Interesting. Is that because the client is too busy to consent to the conflict?

Anonymous User wrote:Conflicts may not clear when there is a major institutional client ramping up for an IPO or merger or the like (major in that the entire group spends at least 30% of billable time). But I have never heard of another type of conflict in transactional practices that didnt clear or couldn't be walled.

That said, do not give notice before you get the green light. The parade of potential horribles is very remote but non-zero.

I'm gonna do it.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Conflicts may not clear when there is a major institutional client ramping up for an IPO or merger or the like (major in that the entire group spends at least 30% of billable time). But I have never heard of another type of conflict in transactional practices that didnt clear or couldn't be walled.

That said, do not give notice before you get the green light. The parade of potential horribles is very remote but non-zero.

I'm gonna do it.

The odds of something actually happening are low. Best of luck, anon!

I gave notice before conflicts cleared. It was awkward because I was no longer at the firm when conflicts cleared (they took 3 weeks), so it was a risk. It ended up working out fine, but the new firm did slightly question why I had left before everything was a green light.

Do firms usually reach out with conflicts questions? I'm going into my third week and haven't gotten any follow up.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Conflicts may not clear when there is a major institutional client ramping up for an IPO or merger or the like (major in that the entire group spends at least 30% of billable time). But I have never heard of another type of conflict in transactional practices that didnt clear or couldn't be walled.

That said, do not give notice before you get the green light. The parade of potential horribles is very remote but non-zero.

I'm gonna do it.

Good luck, OP!

Anonymous User wrote:Do firms usually reach out with conflicts questions? I'm going into my third week and haven't gotten any follow up.

You could check in with the conflicts department yourself to see how your conflicts check is going/ if they need anything else.

What do I have to submit for conflicts? I’m not able to get a list of client matters and I don’t remember all of them. Should I reach out to someone in my firm for the full list?

Anonymous User wrote:What do I have to submit for conflicts? I’m not able to get a list of client matters and I don’t remember all of them. Should I reach out to someone in my firm for the full list?

HR sent my friend her matter list for the 3 year time period her lateral firm required her to disclose for conflicts.

Anonymous User wrote:I gave notice before conflicts cleared. It was awkward because I was no longer at the firm when conflicts cleared (they took 3 weeks), so it was a risk. It ended up working out fine, but the new firm did slightly question why I had left before everything was a green light.

I’m in a similar boat. I quit my job before getting the actual offer, so we will see how everything works out

Yea All Right wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Do firms usually reach out with conflicts questions? I'm going into my third week and haven't gotten any follow up.

You could check in with the conflicts department yourself to see how your conflicts check is going/ if they need anything else.

Given that it's been three weeks of radio silence, I think you'd be perfectly justified in politely following up to ask for a status update. Sometimes a gentle nudge can help speed things up.

QContinuum wrote:

Yea All Right wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Do firms usually reach out with conflicts questions? I'm going into my third week and haven't gotten any follow up.

You could check in with the conflicts department yourself to see how your conflicts check is going/ if they need anything else.

Given that it's been three weeks of radio silence, I think you'd be perfectly justified in politely following up to ask for a status update. Sometimes a gentle nudge can help speed things up.

Followed up last week but nothing yet. Starting to consider getting back on the lateral market again...

Anonymous User wrote:

QContinuum wrote:

Yea All Right wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Do firms usually reach out with conflicts questions? I'm going into my third week and haven't gotten any follow up.

You could check in with the conflicts department yourself to see how your conflicts check is going/ if they need anything else.

Given that it's been three weeks of radio silence, I think you'd be perfectly justified in politely following up to ask for a status update. Sometimes a gentle nudge can help speed things up.

Followed up last week but nothing yet. Starting to consider getting back on the lateral market again...

That's really strange. Maybe try following up with one of the partners that interviewed you to ask? If they've decided to rescind your offer, the least they could do is let you know, instead of ghosting you during conflicts checks...

QContinuum wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

QContinuum wrote:

Yea All Right wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Do firms usually reach out with conflicts questions? I'm going into my third week and haven't gotten any follow up.

You could check in with the conflicts department yourself to see how your conflicts check is going/ if they need anything else.

Given that it's been three weeks of radio silence, I think you'd be perfectly justified in politely following up to ask for a status update. Sometimes a gentle nudge can help speed things up.

Followed up last week but nothing yet. Starting to consider getting back on the lateral market again...

That's really strange. Maybe try following up with one of the partners that interviewed you to ask? If they've decided to rescind your offer, the least they could do is let you know, instead of ghosting you during conflicts checks...

That feels like a weird thing to bother a partner about, but I suppose it's a feasible last resort. Is it acceptable/ethical to be interviewing or seeking interviews for backup options while undergoing conflicts?