Biglaw --> State/local gov?
Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2019 7:46 am
Hey everyone. I'm a near the end of my first year at a top firm in my non-NYC, non-DC city. I'm in litigation.
At this point I know that I'm not interested in staying in biglaw a moment after I pay off my student loans (just $75k to go!).
Since I had only worked for a year between college and law school, I really didn't have any idea what I was looking for in a career. But my time at my firm has given me a lot more to work with. I like litigation well enough, and think most of the substance is very interesting. But slowly giving up all of my passions and hobbies to work constantly in service of giant corporations doesn't really comport with my goals or my personal values.
So I've been thinking a lot about where I really want my career to go once the loans are dealt with, and I have developed an interest in state and local government work. I like the public service aspect of it and it seems like there's potential for a good variety of work. And the lifestyle seems a lot better.
My question is, how do I go about seeing if this is actually something I'm interested in doing and if so, making the transition (ideally around the end of my second year). It's not something I ever considered or learned about in law school (I blame the hive mind).
Many of the cities and towns in my state are represented by one of a few small to mid-sized firms rather than having their own city attorneys; would it make sense to try to lateral to one of these firms to get some experience in municipal law? Other paths?
I'm single and other than the loans don't have a ton of living expenses, so I am fine with the inevitable huge pay cut, but I'd appreciate in exchange some level of work-life balance.
Basically I'm wondering if anyone here who has made a transition from biglaw to state/local gov can share any thoughts or advice--why did you do it, when, how, and how has it been? Are my goals at all reasonable?
At this point I know that I'm not interested in staying in biglaw a moment after I pay off my student loans (just $75k to go!).
Since I had only worked for a year between college and law school, I really didn't have any idea what I was looking for in a career. But my time at my firm has given me a lot more to work with. I like litigation well enough, and think most of the substance is very interesting. But slowly giving up all of my passions and hobbies to work constantly in service of giant corporations doesn't really comport with my goals or my personal values.
So I've been thinking a lot about where I really want my career to go once the loans are dealt with, and I have developed an interest in state and local government work. I like the public service aspect of it and it seems like there's potential for a good variety of work. And the lifestyle seems a lot better.
My question is, how do I go about seeing if this is actually something I'm interested in doing and if so, making the transition (ideally around the end of my second year). It's not something I ever considered or learned about in law school (I blame the hive mind).
Many of the cities and towns in my state are represented by one of a few small to mid-sized firms rather than having their own city attorneys; would it make sense to try to lateral to one of these firms to get some experience in municipal law? Other paths?
I'm single and other than the loans don't have a ton of living expenses, so I am fine with the inevitable huge pay cut, but I'd appreciate in exchange some level of work-life balance.
Basically I'm wondering if anyone here who has made a transition from biglaw to state/local gov can share any thoughts or advice--why did you do it, when, how, and how has it been? Are my goals at all reasonable?