Help Me Choose Between a Campaign Job and a Firm Offer Forum

[legalz22222]

I have talked to family, friends, and career counselors about this, but I am still stuck and hoping for some advice.

I recently graduated law school last May. I accepted a biglaw offer from the same firm at which I spent my summer last year. The firm pays market and is in a major east coast city. I like the firm and my colleagues, however the original plan was to spend a few years there and then move into politics or public service. I can't see myself in a firm long-term, but I do value the experience, skills, and connections that come with the job.

I also recently had a contact reach out to inquire as to whether I'd be interested in a paid position with one of the Democratic presidential campaigns. The position is essentially a research associate with opportunities to advance quickly if I make a good impression. I am extremely passionate about this particular candidate and they are in the top tier of competitors with a shot at the nomination.

I'm essentially stuck in a head vs heart situation. My head tells me that I should go to the firm, pay off my loans, gain some experience, and then feel free to take riskier moves. If my candidate is the nominee, I could still try to work on the general election campaign starting in the spring after spending a few months at the firm. However, if my candidate is not the nominee, then I just avoided being stuck six months from now with little legal experience and scrambling for employment.

My heart tells me to follow my passion and believe that gut instinct I have that keeps telling me not to give up the opportunity of a lifetime. I have volunteered on campaigns before and despite the low pay and long hours, I absolutely love it. I'm a political junkie and the chance to help elect the candidate that I think is the best choice for President would be amazing. Not to mention the chance to get in on a campaign early in the process and potentially position myself for a job in a hypothetical future administration.

I'm also not sure if asking the firm for a delayed start date would be advisable or if that would just piss them off. I've gotten mixed messages on that front. Please help me decide or at least evaluate my options. Thanks.

[elbg]

go work for warren and crush it.

[jhett]

I think it's worth it to ask your firm to defer your start date. You don't have to be specific as to why. The worst they can do is say no - I doubt they'd pull your offer just because you asked. Remember you are dealing with firm HR, not the partners.

Aside from that, I'd lean toward the campaign since you are deeply into politics. If the campaign goes all the way, you could skyrocket into a great position in the new administration. Even if it goes far but ultimately flames out, you could make a name for yourself among party circles. And even while you are working on the campaign you can continue job hunting and networking to find yourself a soft landing in case it doesn't work out.

[clarion]

I agree with jhett, fully.

The safest route is obviously to go biglaw. That's (part of) why people preach it so hard. And if you were itching to work in biglaw long term, I would have a different opinion. But honestly, if you're passionate about politics and this candidate as well, I think you should just skip over biglaw for now. As mentioned, you can keep the job search alive while you're working on the campaign (if your firm won't defer) to mitigate some of the risk. And I could be wrong, but I imagine that the political connections you could make in biglaw are not sufficiently comparable to the connections you would make actually working full-time as part of a major candidate's campaign for the presidency. But if you're pretty sold on political life and see this as "the opportunity of a lifetime," I can't see why you shouldn't take it.

It really sounds like an awesome opportunity and, if you do pass it up, I hope it isn't just to check off the biglaw box. Good luck to you!

[Wild Card]

Your candidate may win the Democratic nomination but will lose against the President. And then what?

[mickey_mouse]

screw it, do the campaign. Ask for a deferral from your firm, and if you don't get it, whatever. When you ask, perhaps be a little descriptive or not, depending on if the firm has strong political connections and might be more understanding (this really only applies to a few firms). Honestly if you're only going to be in big law for a few years and then want to move to the public sector/ politics, connections are everything and this will be by far the best opportunity to start making those connects. Once you get into a firm, you don't travel outside your law school / law firm circles (well, i don't at least). And who knows, you might hit it big, ride a winner to the white house and never have to work a day of biglaw -- that's how it went in west wing at least.

i did some political stuff in college and think about trying to move back into it (at a firm now), but it's not easy to find good opps.

[Lawman1865]

I voted for the political route, since as others have said, it seems like you're dedicated and desiring to go into the field. The two things I would ask though, is whether this is actually the "position of a lifetime," since there are plenty of people on a campaign who do research. Furthermore, I would get as much information about what it takes to make a "good impression." What does that mean? You can do a good job and advance easily, or do you really have to stand out from the crowd of other campaign workers? For the purposes of developing connections, how close/to what proximity will you be with the candidate or the top people in the campaign, etc.

Secondly, I would definitely ask HR about deferring (especially if you decide to go for it, in which case it literally can't hurt to ask), and give the basic reason, but I would definitely play down your absolute love for politics and passion in your explanation, since you don't want them feeling like you're a future flight risk or that you aren't really committed to the biglaw lifestyle, etc.

Good luck whatever you do! They both sound like good opportunities.

[Elston Gunn]

Honestly if your firm is big enough they are very likely to just let you delay. I wouldn’t hide the reason (though maybe don’t volunteer the candidate unless you have to). It’s really not *that* uncommon for people to even take leaves of absence to work on campaigns after starting. If it is Warren or Sanders there is some chance people will think less of you for that—big firm lawyers are often Democrats but they are the type of Democrats who wish Bloomberg were running and think Warren is crazy. But they’ll get over it.

(Caveat: I work at a DC firm, so maybe this advice doesn’t work in other markets.)

[Carl Carlson]

Definitely ask for a delay. Anecdotally, I've known people to take leaves of absence while working big law to do the same thing. Also anecdotally, I've known people in various research roles to not go as far career-wise as they imagined, despite that campaign going on to the WH. Presidential campaigns are pretty big so I'd try to confirm with as many knowledgeable people about it as possible before committing.

[boredtodeath]

Work on the campaign and ask your firm for a deferral. Someone at my firm did this in 2016 and it was not an issue.

[Npret]

Do the campaign. If you dont take the opportunity you will regret it. Even if your firm won’t give you a delayed start, you will find another big law job. It’s not all or nothing.

[sparty99]

I would ask for a delay and if they say , "No," then i would work at the firm. I had a colleague Associate who joined my prior firm after Hillary Clinton's failed campaign (and by prior firm, I mean insurance defense litigation boutique). Working for a campaign is no different then public interest salary. If you have six figures in debt (or even 200k) you will be well served by going into Big Law. However, I think working for a campaign is a good excuse to ask for a DELAY.

[pumpkinspicedchai]

I know an associate at a big firm in a smaller market requested a delay to run her mom's campaign for city council, but she earned some leverage by offering to let the firm assign her to whichever practice group they needed her most when she came back. She ended up in a practice area that she spent no time in during her summer. You could offer something like that if you're okay with that kind of uncertainty.

[Loquitur Res]

Im gonna echo what many others have said: ask for a delayed start date. I did and my firm was happy to grant it. My reason wasn't even as cool as working for a presidential campaign. I simply wanted to spend extra time traveling abroad and visiting my parents (who also live in another country). Hiring partner (and other partners in the firm) thought it was a great idea.

Worst thing that happens is that they say no.

[beeoBoop]

Everyone has made a good point: signal that it's a request and not a deal breaker if they say no. I think a good way to do this is that, after asking for the extension, to express your excitement to join the firm and work with the partner you'd be assigned to. Enthusiasm is key

[icansortofmath]

Defer. Do campaign. Find another biglaw job if you need/want to. With an SA under your belt and a legitimate reason, you probably won’t have a hard time transitioning back if you want to.

[patent_guy]

I’ll provide a different take since the poll shows I’m not the only one voting for the firm but the discussion shows a bigger disparity.

I’d take your firm job, at least to start. The way I see it, you have loans you say you need to pay back and this is the best way to knock those out as quick as you can. I’m also more risk averse, so ymmv and that’s fine.

If you really want to get into politics, you already have some experience there and I don’t think turning this opportunity down would make it any more difficult to get back than it is already. I also think that there’s a small chance this turns out to be your home run to kick off your career, since there are so many candidates running and it’s impossible to know what could happen even if your guy (or gal) ends up winning the whole thing. Could it happen, sure. But I’d say it’s not likely.

Just my $.02. I don’t think either one is going to be a huge mistake for you long term, but if it was me I’d take the safe bet and look to get into politics a little down the line. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Dahl]

Are there any other considerations (i.e., loans to pay off)? If not, and if you're not particularly risk averse, do whatever you prefer. If you're the type of person who would rather do political work, and you don't need the money, why bother with a firm at all? Just stay in politics.

[Anonymous User]

As someone who worked in electoral politics before law school (including as a research associate):

I wouldn't put too much stock in the possibility of rapid advancement if you're performing well as a research associate. Advancement tends to come from comms work more often than research work. I'd say the possibility of rapid advancement is *more* likely in political campaigns than in other arenas (e.g. I was offered a research director job on a senate campaign after ~2 years of work), but there are relatively hard caps on where a research associate ends up within a campaign unless you make a concerted effort to jump out of research. (This is especially true because Dem campaigns rely heavily on DNC and outside c4s for oppo books). (Of course, discount this depending on who your "contact is"--i.e. if it's someone with the sort of juice to make sure you rapidly advance).

That said, I'd go for it. In fact, I personally would be going for it if I hadn't committed to clerkships. If you're passionate about the candidate I think you owe it to yourself to do what you can to help the candidate. And, as others have mentioned, if your candidate wins, having worked for the campaign is the number 1, 2, and 3 qualification for a job in the administration, especially if you can make even a limited name for yourself.

Also, let me +1 from my summer at a (moderate-left) DC firm that your average biglaw associate is a centrist democrat and it's theoretically possible that working for either Trump or Liz/Bernie could cause some folks to question you. I'm not sure about Liz, but I know that I heard a lot of just absolute nonsense from liberal associates about "Bernie bros" during my summer, and the loathing for Trump was (appropriately) visceral.

(And by average DC associate I'm probably excluding outliers. Obviously if you were at one of the more conservative firms, having worked for one of the more left candidates would probably cause you some more obvious discomfort should you seek to return.)

[Anonymous User]

I did the exact same thing last year for the 2018 cycle. I called my firm and asked them to delay my start date and they were fine with it. I worked on the campaign and started at my firm the following Monday. In hindsight, I should have pushed my start date back a few more weeks as I was still recovering from the campaign when I joined the firm. Also I clerked prior to joining the firm/campaign - so I had already been away for a few years if that matters for you at all.

[yankees12345!]

Bear in mind a firm offer will remain open for a certain amount of time during which it cannot be revoked...

[BeeTeeZ]

I have talked to family, friends, and career counselors about this, but I am still stuck and hoping for some advice.

I recently graduated law school last May. I accepted a biglaw offer from the same firm at which I spent my summer last year. The firm pays market and is in a major east coast city. I like the firm and my colleagues, however the original plan was to spend a few years there and then move into politics or public service. I can't see myself in a firm long-term, but I do value the experience, skills, and connections that come with the job.

Take the political gig. You'll make connections that you'd never be able to make as a junior associate at X firm, and you'll sling-shot your political career immeasurably in doing so. Even assuming your candidate loses, you'll likely be able to continue working in politics in some capacity, and you'll certainly be able to land another biglaw gig if you decide that's what you want.

[QContinuum]

As someone who worked in electoral politics before law school (including as a research associate):

I wouldn't put too much stock in the possibility of rapid advancement if you're performing well as a research associate. Advancement tends to come from comms work more often than research work. I'd say the possibility of rapid advancement is *more* likely in political campaigns than in other arenas (e.g. I was offered a research director job on a senate campaign after ~2 years of work), but there are relatively hard caps on where a research associate ends up within a campaign unless you make a concerted effort to jump out of research. (This is especially true because Dem campaigns rely heavily on DNC and outside c4s for oppo books). (Of course, discount this depending on who your "contact is"--i.e. if it's someone with the sort of juice to make sure you rapidly advance).

That said, I'd go for it. In fact, I personally would be going for it if I hadn't committed to clerkships. If you're passionate about the candidate I think you owe it to yourself to do what you can to help the candidate. And, as others have mentioned, if your candidate wins, having worked for the campaign is the number 1, 2, and 3 qualification for a job in the administration, especially if you can make even a limited name for yourself.

Also, let me +1 from my summer at a (moderate-left) DC firm that your average biglaw associate is a centrist democrat and it's theoretically possible that working for either Trump or Liz/Bernie could cause some folks to question you. I'm not sure about Liz, but I know that I heard a lot of just absolute nonsense from liberal associates about "Bernie bros" during my summer, and the loathing for Trump was (appropriately) visceral.

(And by average DC associate I'm probably excluding outliers. Obviously if you were at one of the more conservative firms, having worked for one of the more left candidates would probably cause you some more obvious discomfort should you seek to return.)

TITCR. I'm in support of OP doing the Campaign, but I think it's important to be realistic about what they can expect in terms of political advancement. I think many of the posters ITT oversell the potential for rapid advancement. Unless OP's contact is someone very high up in the food chain, they are not going to magically vault into a high-level Executive Branch position on the strength of their research work. There are many, many extremely highly-qualified (and extremely well-connected) volunteers and full-timers in any serious presidential campaign, and only so many political appointments to hand out.

[Npret]

I know nothing about political campaigns. I know that there are big law jobs available to OP if they decide to work on the campaign and have to pass on their current firm.

Unless OP got the summer job despite a bad school or badgrades or with personal connections, getting a job at another firm after a successful SA should be possible.

[icansortofmath]

I completely filtered out the rapid advancement thing.

I just think OP will regret it if he/she doesn’t go for it and the costs of going for it are low (if lateralling later) to nonexistent (if deferal granted and money not an issue.)