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First, this is a highly specific question so I’ve attempted some redaction to avoid identification.

Background: I want to do biglaw and/or politics eventually. I love litigation. Money is a big plus (got big loans) but not an end all be all.

Question: I’ve been working in a very remote area as a prosecutor for 2 - 3 years or so. Really good pay for public. Just got a job offer in a mid-sized city on the West Coast, also as a prosecutor. Substantially less pay, better area. Decided to take it (my family is there and much more of the activities I like; plus wanted to set myself up for a biglaw transfer).

Gave notice recently and my current job countered with the offer of a management level position. I’d be supervising 5 - 10 attorneys plus staff. A lot more pay (about 60% more than the West Coast job). It’s a position that’s never been offered to someone as junior as me.

Do I move to the West Coast and be closer to my family / better job opportunities? Or do I take drastically more money as a manager and build my resume in a rural state (probably at high cost to a healthy / enjoyable personal life)? Does management experience even matter when it’s in the rural prosecution context?

Tough decision so thanks for your help!

I think we need to know a little more about you like school background (T14 v T2, etc. ) and academic success (Coif, top 25%, etc.). Frankly, your biglaw career might well be dead already. Very few prosecutors move from a DAs office to big law, and those are normally people who started in Cook County, Manhattan, etc., let alone those who started their careers in rural areas for several years.

Quite frankly, the increased pay and management position sound quite nice. I don't know why this would come at the cost of your social life. You can always meet people in your area. Moving back home to the same position you already have for a gigantic pay cut and likely little hope at biglaw just sounds strange to me.

Yea, not sure what the premise here is. Biglaw isn't hiring prosecutors in droves from rural states or mid-sized CA. Think rural job sounds better in all respects other than social life. And social needs are valid, but that's really something only you can decide, not a bunch of anonymous people on the internet.

Let’s back up and slow down a little bit. OP, how/when/where, realistically, were you planning on swinging biglaw with the way things are moving for you now?

Assume biglaw is the goal and all you have on your resume is ada, you’re going to want to look to fedclerk or maybe ssc clerk ASAP. Deciding whether to go to one nonmajor prosecutor’s office versus another is not a decision you should be focusing on if biglaw is really the goal.