High salary opportunities, networking, tips (for when exiting big law) Forum

[Anonymous User]

Serious question given the ridiculous title. I would like to know what possibilities there are for big law exits who seek comparable salary levels to a Y1-5 big law associate (or higher). What kinds of opportunities should a big law attorney seek to find jobs that offer these pay ranges? Networking? Industries? Did you find more opportunities via your law school network or your law firm/professional network?

If it helps to narrow: CCN graduate, top 15% with honors, law review. Major market (and willing to move). Currently PE M&A at a big law firm, first year. Firm not one of the super star majors (think somewhere around vault 20 or 30). Willing to lateral to "higher" firm if helpful but also like current firm. It is a satellite office very small chance making partner and not particarly interested in the career anyway. I work my butt off at firm and that's fine, billing is good, partners like me but I haven't yet determined how much the grind (clocking in billables) is really going to help me in any long term career options assuming I don't push for partnership. Partnership at current office/firm not really common. That's ok. Willing to stay for foreseeable future (4ish more years I'm willing I think given my lack of experience thus far (and firm is of course willing--who knows with industry flux. The money is certainly nice and I don't mind the grind believe it or not). Not responding to firm recruiter requests at moment. Spoke with two of the massive consultant groups (McKinsey by far seems most interested in considering JDs) that could be cool but I need to start opening other doors too. Probably get more creative. Have a few contacts from law school days. Where do you suggest I look?

I realize the opportunities are rare, the challenges are difficult. It is not easy to maintain this type of salary or work. I want to get started with this now to try to maximize any opportunity I can take given this general parameter.

I'm just trying to get a feel for the field if anyone in a similar position with a few years of experience in this has any input. I like M&A though I'm not confident that the industry is going to last forever. The industry and even work itself is less a priority than any broader opportunity to do challenging work with very smart people and make really good money.

Keeping things kind of vague for anonymity. Can clarify anything if needed.

Thanks in advance.

[DanielPWhite]

Let it go. Find a passion. Pursue that passion relentlessly with all the vigor of a prestige whoring biglaw associate gunning for partner. You will be happier than "working with very smart" people making "really good money." Look at people who have left law for passion projects, http://www.beyondbillables.com is a good place to start. The happiest people I know from law school are the ones who left the practice of law altogether. None of them are pining to crush billables or missing the obsequious bootlicking for demanding and unappreciative clients, even if they make very little money comparatively.

Look deep into the eyes of the biglaw partners who have the brass ring. How much of their soul is left? How much of their tedious, curmudgeonly station in life is a product of golden (bronze is more apt in law smdh) handcuffs and inability to downsize their upper middle class mediocrity? The law is not your passion. It is truly a calling for only a handful of lawyers, the ones who's eyes light up with fire doing all the aspects of mundane lawyering that generally suck the soul of normal well adjusted humans.

With your credentials, you are obviously very bright and hardworking, and your talents would go so much farther in bettering the world through other avenues. You will not find your soul's reflection in the next M&A deal, or the more complex higher stakes M&A deal that comes after. Find that passion and apply your energy and spirit to it. You are more than your firms vault ranking. Do what you love and the money will follow.

Signed Greg Giraldo,
Harvard Law, Skadden Associate, Beloved Comedian, RIP

[UnfrozenCaveman]

Let it go. Find a passion. Pursue that passion relentlessly with all the vigor of a prestige whoring biglaw associate gunning for partner. You will be happier than "working with very smart" people making "really good money." Look at people who have left law for passion projects, http://www.beyondbillables.com is a good place to start. The happiest people I know from law school are the ones who left the practice of law altogether. None of them are pining to crush billables or missing the obsequious bootlicking for demanding and unappreciative clients, even if they make very little money comparatively.

Look deep into the eyes of the biglaw partners who have the brass ring. How much of their soul is left? How much of their tedious, curmudgeonly station in life is a product of golden (bronze is more apt in law smdh) handcuffs and inability to downsize their upper middle class mediocrity? The law is not your passion. It is truly a calling for only a handful of lawyers, the ones who's eyes light up with fire doing all the aspects of mundane lawyering that generally suck the soul of normal well adjusted humans.

With your credentials, you are obviously very bright and hardworking, and your talents would go so much farther in bettering the world through other avenues. You will not find your soul's reflection in the next M&A deal, or the more complex higher stakes M&A deal that comes after. Find that passion and apply your energy and spirit to it. You are more than your firms vault ranking. Do what you love and the money will follow.

Signed Greg Giraldo,
Harvard Law, Skadden Associate, Beloved Comedian, RIP

Did you even read OP's post?

[Yugihoe]

To be fair OP's post is dumb. He's asking for lateral basic tips of what's next after big law..and that for someone who does M&A and not even something specialized. There's a million threads about going in house or whatever on TLS with it being widely known that M&A corp. associates have like the most options.

[objctnyrhnr]

Let it go. Find a passion. Pursue that passion relentlessly with all the vigor of a prestige whoring biglaw associate gunning for partner. You will be happier than "working with very smart" people making "really good money." Look at people who have left law for passion projects, http://www.beyondbillables.com is a good place to start. The happiest people I know from law school are the ones who left the practice of law altogether. None of them are pining to crush billables or missing the obsequious bootlicking for demanding and unappreciative clients, even if they make very little money comparatively.

Look deep into the eyes of the biglaw partners who have the brass ring. How much of their soul is left? How much of their tedious, curmudgeonly station in life is a product of golden (bronze is more apt in law smdh) handcuffs and inability to downsize their upper middle class mediocrity? The law is not your passion. It is truly a calling for only a handful of lawyers, the ones who's eyes light up with fire doing all the aspects of mundane lawyering that generally suck the soul of normal well adjusted humans.

With your credentials, you are obviously very bright and hardworking, and your talents would go so much farther in bettering the world through other avenues. You will not find your soul's reflection in the next M&A deal, or the more complex higher stakes M&A deal that comes after. Find that passion and apply your energy and spirit to it. You are more than your firms vault ranking. Do what you love and the money will follow.

Signed Greg Giraldo,
Harvard Law, Skadden Associate, Beloved Comedian, RIP

Won’t lie—even as one of the handful of lawyers referenced here, I did rather like this post. And fwiw, of that “handful of lawyers,” in my personal experience they are all litigators. Haven’t met one who is in transactional fwiw.

[MaxMcMann]

Let it go. Find a passion. Pursue that passion relentlessly with all the vigor of a prestige whoring biglaw associate gunning for partner. You will be happier than "working with very smart" people making "really good money." Look at people who have left law for passion projects, http://www.beyondbillables.com is a good place to start. The happiest people I know from law school are the ones who left the practice of law altogether. None of them are pining to crush billables or missing the obsequious bootlicking for demanding and unappreciative clients, even if they make very little money comparatively.

Look deep into the eyes of the biglaw partners who have the brass ring. How much of their soul is left? How much of their tedious, curmudgeonly station in life is a product of golden (bronze is more apt in law smdh) handcuffs and inability to downsize their upper middle class mediocrity? The law is not your passion. It is truly a calling for only a handful of lawyers, the ones who's eyes light up with fire doing all the aspects of mundane lawyering that generally suck the soul of normal well adjusted humans.

With your credentials, you are obviously very bright and hardworking, and your talents would go so much farther in bettering the world through other avenues. You will not find your soul's reflection in the next M&A deal, or the more complex higher stakes M&A deal that comes after. Find that passion and apply your energy and spirit to it. You are more than your firms vault ranking. Do what you love and the money will follow.

Signed Greg Giraldo,
Harvard Law, Skadden Associate, Beloved Comedian, RIP

Not that you're wrong overall, but did you listen to his standup?

A lot of it is about how grinding a life of financial insecurity is when you see people succeed all around you. And he died at a relatively young age from, I believe, overdosing on a speedball. I wouldn't put him in the category of people who left biglaw for a passion project and found happiness through doing so - and this is despite his huge success at making his passion project a big money maker too by the end of his life.