Corporate to Litigation Lateral Forum

[Anonymous User]

Long story short, I summered in litigation and was placed in corporate when I started at my firm (V50 NY). I decided to spend some time trying out corporate work, but as a rising third year, I now realize that I have zero interest in continuing.

Due to some interesting circumstances (not performance related), my chances of transferring internally are exceedingly low. I've been in contact with a recruiter who's been submitting me to openings and I've applied to open postings myself with zero success.

Does anyone have any advice, success stories, or anything of the like? I've trolled through some of the other threads on the subject and didn't find very much concrete advice.

[Anonymous User]

Long story short, I summered in litigation and was placed in corporate when I started at my firm (V50 NY). I decided to spend some time trying out corporate work, but as a rising third year, I now realize that I have zero interest in continuing.

Due to some interesting circumstances (not performance related), my chances of transferring internally are exceedingly low. I've been in contact with a recruiter who's been submitting me to openings and I've applied to open postings myself with zero success.

Does anyone have any advice, success stories, or anything of the like? I've trolled through some of the other threads on the subject and didn't find very much concrete advice.

So without knowing more... when I was clerking we interviewed a guy from HYS who did three years in corporate and was looking to switch to lit. He found a clerkship. Perhaps look for a clerkship if you have the qualifications or desire? Just a thought, would be a good star.

[Anonymous User]

So without knowing more... when I was clerking we interviewed a guy from HYS who did three years in corporate and was looking to switch to lit. He found a clerkship. Perhaps look for a clerkship if you have the qualifications or desire? Just a thought, would be a good star.

Thanks, yeah that's something I've heard a lot. I'm trying to jump ship immediately, but I guess I should be looking into clerkships as well.

[Joachim2017]

A clerkship is the best and most reliable way to do this. The more prestigious the district or circuit court the better, as it will help hiring firms set aside your previous non-lit work experience and be more willing to take a chance on you as a litigator.

[Anonymous User]

I switched from corporate to litigation, but did it after only about one year in corporate, and knew from the beginning that I was going to try to lateral to transfer. Still, I created a thread on my experience and tips. Hope you find this helpful, and I'd be happy to answer any questions you had.

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=296943

[Anonymous User]

I switched from corporate to litigation, but did it after only about one year in corporate, and knew from the beginning that I was going to try to lateral to transfer. Still, I created a thread on my experience and tips. Hope you find this helpful, and I'd be happy to answer any questions you had.

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=296943

Hey, I've read your thread before and it was very helpful. Glad to hear that it worked out for you! Sorry if it was in there, but how exactly did you find the position you ended up in (i.e., was it a referral, a recruiter, a listed positions, etc.)? Did you have any luck getting interviews through other methods?

[Anonymous User]

I switched from corporate to litigation, but did it after only about one year in corporate, and knew from the beginning that I was going to try to lateral to transfer. Still, I created a thread on my experience and tips. Hope you find this helpful, and I'd be happy to answer any questions you had.

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=296943

Hey, I've read your thread before and it was very helpful. Glad to hear that it worked out for you! Sorry if it was in there, but how exactly did you find the position you ended up in (i.e., was it a referral, a recruiter, a listed positions, etc.)? Did you have any luck getting interviews through other methods?

I applied to the firm on my own, but found out that they were hiring from a recruiter email. I did work with a recruiter and she was able to get me a few job openings with firms that were willing to retool a corporate associate to work in the litigation group, but I think working with a recruiter can be tough at a more junior level. I also got lucky though that the recruiter I worked with really tailored my search to my circumstances and didn't push me into interviewing anywhere that didn't match my criteria, which I think is also important. I also applied on my own to a lot of different firms but didn't get any interviews out of it other than the firm that I ended up at. Let me know if you have any other questions, happy to help and hope it works out for you!