Clerkship to Corporate? Forum

[nativtracker]

Dear TLS

Recent SLS grad and federal clerk here. I'm writing with a question... is it possible to transfer from litigation to corporate following a federal district clerkship? I really like IPOs, securities, etc and am not sure how happy I would be doing legal research the rest of my career only to transition after 3 years to a civil service government job (seems like the route of most litigation associates). That said, how easy is it to transfer say to WSGR or a similar Palo Alto firm that specializes in securities, venture capital, etc, right out of a clerkship?

[namefromplace]

What did you do your 2L summer? I know someone who works in corporate at a firm similar to one you mentioned who clerked at a district court in California, but I think she previously summered at the firm.

[RedGiant]

I'm not sure how easy it is, but there's always a few kids at top firms who did come from a Lit background, or who did a year or so of lit and decided to do corporate. You're on to something here re not wanting to write memos and research briefs for the rest of your life. Corporate is fun. I'm sure your grades are great. If you went to SLS, I encourage you to reach out to current young associates for info interviews before you throw your hat into the ring. Good luck!

[Anonymous User]

OP here.

So my 2L summer was at a NYC firm, think DPW,Deb,Cleary type firm. Sad part was only there for 8 weeks and 4 of those weeks were abroad so i didn't really get to try any time of work (one doesn't do much abroad). Those four weeks were book ended so (NYC)2/4/2(NYC) so no one assigned me any real work to dig my teeth into so I never got a feel for whether i preferred one group over the other. Then everyone gets excited about clerkships and you feel like you have to do one. So here I am.

[Anonymous User]

I can't imagine that the big NYC firms care what you did your summer (as long as you summered there) and whether you clerked. They just need bodies.

As for me, I received my offer to clerk and my SA offer at the end of my 1L summer. Went to a similar NYC style firm as OP for my SA, decided I liked corporate work, did my clerkship (which ended up being a fantastic 9-5pm job) then started at said firm. I'm in a specialty group, but I get paid like a 3rd year, am substantively a 2nd year, and my practice is a varied bag of transactional work.

So (1) it's possible, and I would think even more so at big shops with robust corporate groups, and (2) it can certainly work out well for you. You'll always have a federal clerkship on your resume.

[Wild Card]

So what's the reasoning? You've done very little corporate, but from the litigation you have done, you know it's absolutely awful and never want to do it again?

[didntretake]

Were you at Cleary? If so, I was there for a few years and in my experience they were pretty good about letting people move around within groups, including from Lit to Corp, especially at the more junior levels. I did not switch groups but I know several people who did while I was there.

[nativtracker]

OP Here.

So my reasoning is as follows:

(1) exit options. Having done a little time in public/government service, I can safely say I don't want to go back. The pay is terrible and the work, is well, work. The exit opportunities for transactional work are greater (i.e., Facebook, Google, in house at corporate banks, etc) and the pay is substantially greater for slightly longer work hours. At the end of the day, I don't think I have a desire to be a prosecutor/AUSA or work in the government. And truth be told, I wouldn't want to be a Biglaw lit partner. Thus, as relates to exit options, transactional work seems to be a clear win.

(2) the work. Honestly, I think I would rather read contracts then do legal research/writing. Also, litigation work just seems boring? Maybe it is my clerkship, and the work I am exposed to, but nothing is jumping out at me, like wow, I really need to read and cite check this 100 page brief so thoroughly because I'm interested in X area of law. I need more people/client interaction in my life. I thought of being chained up in an office for the rest of my legal career writing and researching sounds like prison. At least if I was doing M & A or securities/IPOs I would get some exposure to other human beings.

Not sure. Perhaps its just that the transition to a new city, new job, without knowing anyone into a solitary, monk-esk lifestyle is depressing. All I know is that I need to be around people and I can't do Biglaw forever, so it seems that transactional work is better suited to me given my dislike of legal research and my need for client interaction and solid exit opportunities that don't involve public service/AUSA

[Anonymous User]

I think your reasoning is solid. I didn't clerk but I summered in the lit group of my 2L firm and asked during my 3L to switch to M&A for all of the same reasons you laid out. First year was a rough learning curve but now that I am a bit further along, I'm very happy with the decision. Legal research and writing just didn't do it for me and deal work is a much better fit. Coming out of a clerkship, you might be more attractive to some firms if you are willing to come in as a first year (not sure if I would necessarily advertise that up front though). I think it would also be good to have a little more runway as the first year in corp. is key learning experience.

[Anonymous User]

Piggy-backing on to this with a similar question. I'm anonymous because I think that my other posts give me away to anyone who knows me, and this is a sensitive topic.

I'm a recent law school grad and currently doing N.D. Cal + 9th Circuit clerkships. I've gradually come to the conclusion that long-term I'd love to be in-house on the West Coast (SF or Seattle) -- most likely at a tech or tech-adjacent company. I summered at a large lit-focused firm and lit boutique (in another market). In law school I thought that I'd probably try to focus on IP, commercial lit, and antitrust, and then hope that an in-house role opens up.

As I've talked to more people and done more research, it seems like in-house work overwhelmingly comes from the corporate side. I enjoyed my corporate classes in law school (securities reg, business corporations, international transactions, etc), and after talking with friends about their work I don't think that I'd mind being a corporate associate for 3-4 years. But I realize that's a big change, and not one I should make lightly. I have some time to decide (still have the appellate clerkship to do), so I'm still thinking things through and talking to people.

My question is whether I'd be able to land a position as a corporate associate after two clerkships? I was lucky to go to a top law school and get pretty decent grades, but I suspect that matters less on the corporate side. As I said above, I took some corporate classes, but I don't have any other corporate experience (requested some corporate projects as a summer just to try it, but I was at a lit-focused office of a lit-focused firm, and so nothing materialized). I suspect that many firms will be put-off by the clerkships and lit boutique on my resume, but assuming I can tell a convincing story, do people ever actually make this jump? Outside of Wachtell, I have had a difficult time finding more an 1 or 2 lit associate at West Coast firms who clerked. I have SF ties, so that shouldn't be an issue. But if its a tricky jump to make then that would be a good data point.

[LBJ's Hair]

Piggy-backing on to this with a similar question. I'm anonymous because I think that my other posts give me away to anyone who knows me, and this is a sensitive topic.

I'm a recent law school grad and currently doing N.D. Cal + 9th Circuit clerkships. I've gradually come to the conclusion that long-term I'd love to be in-house on the West Coast (SF or Seattle) -- most likely at a tech or tech-adjacent company. I summered at a large lit-focused firm and lit boutique (in another market). In law school I thought that I'd probably try to focus on IP, commercial lit, and antitrust, and then hope that an in-house role opens up.

As I've talked to more people and done more research, it seems like in-house work overwhelmingly comes from the corporate side. I enjoyed my corporate classes in law school (securities reg, business corporations, international transactions, etc), and after talking with friends about their work I don't think that I'd mind being a corporate associate for 3-4 years. But I realize that's a big change, and not one I should make lightly. I have some time to decide (still have the appellate clerkship to do), so I'm still thinking things through and talking to people.

My question is whether I'd be able to land a position as a corporate associate after two clerkships? I was lucky to go to a top law school and get pretty decent grades, but I suspect that matters less on the corporate side. As I said above, I took some corporate classes, but I don't have any other corporate experience (requested some corporate projects as a summer just to try it, but I was at a lit-focused office of a lit-focused firm, and so nothing materialized). I suspect that many firms will be put-off by the clerkships and lit boutique on my resume, but assuming I can tell a convincing story, do people ever actually make this jump? Outside of Wachtell, I have had a difficult time finding more an 1 or 2 lit associate at West Coast firms who clerked. I have SF ties, so that shouldn't be an issue. But if its a tricky jump to make then that would be a good data point.

I don't see an issue WRT to like, convincing them you want the job. You are, like, (a) someone who could get a litigation job easily, by virtue of your clerkships/pedigree/whatever, yet (b) are nonetheless asking to become a corporate associate.

Guess some firms might find your lack of experience disqualifying, but can't imagine many. You're junior, and it's not particularly unusual for people to move between groups. Think Cleary doesn't even make associates specialize for the first year?

So yeah, will get bites. Only hiccups I can see are (a) class year, (b) bonus. Firm might only want to credit you with one clerkship. But that's negotiable IMO.

And obvious, but could consider privacy, tech transactions, even IP lit? All growing, transferable so will enhance your in-house opps in SV? Know someone with a background similar to yours who just got a role at a top firm in that area out of an appellate clerkship. No prior experience.

[Anonymous User]

Ehh you're basically MTO's dream corp associate, so throw an app there at least...