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I'm a rising 4th yr at a major lit shop in NYC. I'm a double clerk, been at the firm now for just over a year. I have an opportunity to move back to Ohio (my home state) to work at a plaintiffs' side firm, and they said that they are flexible on start date in 2020. So, professionally speaking, I'm basically just working here because I want to have been in biglaw long enough to be "credible."

I like the firm, and I think they like me. I've learned a good deal here, and I know there is more I could learn. At the same time, I'm anxious to get back to Ohio and start practicing there, getting involved in the legal community etc.

(I know these may be dumb questions, but here they are TLS): Say I go back to Ohio in January. Will anyone think "oh man, he was only in the biglaw world for 15 months, that seems too short/not long enough/they probably didn't like him." I guess a typical biglaw stint from what I've heard is about ~2 years, and I'd be leaving well before that. I came to this job to get experience and credibility in the profession--on the credibility side, am I forfeiting it if I leave in early 2020 vs. late 2020?

If you’re a double federal clerk, you don’t have to prove your credentials to anyone. That’s especially so if you want to stay in Ohio. I would put in my notice soon after my bonus check hit my bank account.

Elston Gunn wrote:If you’re a double federal clerk, you don’t have to prove your credentials to anyone. That’s especially so if you want to stay in Ohio.

+1000. Further: Would plaintiffs' firms in Ohio even fully appreciate what NYC BigLaw entails, beyond it being a relatively prestigious job? I feel like most of the prestige/"boost" associated with NYC (and other major-market) BigLaw firms is limited to other BigLaw shops and their F500 clients.

i look at linkedins fairly regularly just when im googling opposing or co-counsel and at least in my view i only think about years at firms in bands (junior/mid/senior). there would be no appreciable difference to me if you were at the firm for 1 vs. 3 years

and also, as the posters said above, it probably doesn't matter at all given your credentials

Curious what answers are for someone in corporate. What is the minimum respectable time to stay in biglaw, especially if goal is in-house?

Anonymous User wrote:Curious what answers are for someone in corporate. What is the minimum respectable time to stay in biglaw, especially if goal is in-house?

If your goal is in-house, I'd say the answer is the respectable time to stay in is until you get the in-house gig whether that is 2 years, 4 years or 6. It is much easier to get in-house from big law and generally once you're in-house it doesn't matter. With that said, I think you want to be there at least 2 years so you have some baseline knowledge before going in-house

edit: accidental anon, trebek

Anonymous User wrote:Curious what answers are for someone in corporate. What is the minimum respectable time to stay in biglaw, especially if goal is in-house?

Around 4 to 6 years is the sweet spot. You may find a few in-house jobs only seeking 3 years of experience, but those are rare and the competition will be much tougher. I know a select few folks who went in house around the 3 year mark, but often because they had some kind of specialized subject-matter knowledge. Though if the question is simply what is the min, you will sometimes find roles only seeking 3 or maybe even 2 years of experience.

Once I got to around my 5th year, I started getting solicitations for in-house roles pretty regularly. But before that, I was only ever contacted about firm openings.

I got my first in house job offer toward the start of being a third year. Before that it was usually strike outs at the phone interview stage. So, I think starting as a third year you get real traction with jobs but it’s tough because you’re going up against more senior people as well.

I've been looking a lot at these types of in-house job postings lately, seems like 5+ years of experience is the most common requirement, with a decent amount looking for 3+. Less than 3 exists but is fairly rare and seems to be either fairly large step down in pay or highly competitive to get.

Of course the answers is totally dependent on specific circumstances and goals. For me, the most ambitious "long enough" goal is when I have paid off my $360k mortgage (or have enough in savings to pay it off whenever I'd like. Class of 2015 (corporate), a small amount debt post-LS. The earliest when I reach this goal is Q2 2021.

The less ambitious goal is when I have $200k left in mortgage (circa March 2020). I figure this is a modest amount that should permit me to take most in-house jobs at a 50% pay cut.

I am in a smaller tech-oriented market (Austin/Portland/Seattle). My ideal post-biglaw gig is either in-house or some non-law related gig in a big tech company, which seems pretty attainable given my background.

Until you make your first million.