Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate Forum

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Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Apr 12, 2021 6:27 pm

I’m currently a first year at my firm which operates as a sort of free market and I have not been happy with how workflow has been handled so far. I joined completely committed to litigation and made this point known throughout the hiring process, summer, and so on. I was further told that I would never have to touch a corporate assignment if I wasn’t interested. However, fast forward to present day, we have received emails from supervisors and assignment managers saying that we would be expected to take on corporate work even if we had zero interest in the area, and we have consistently been asked to take on corporate work. This was not remotely what I signed up for and I’ve gotten frustrated with feeling like I need to turn down litigation work for assignments that I have no interest in participating in.

That being said, I’ve considered trying to reach out to firms I had offers at but turned down where I would ideally come in as a full litigation associate and not be pressured into other groups. I know the lateral market is red hot for corporate associates but how realistic of a move is this for a litigation associate and as only a first year? Also, is simply reaching out to firms I had offers at the best method? Any insight at all would be super appreciated!

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Re: Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Apr 12, 2021 6:53 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 6:27 pm
However, fast forward to present day, we have received emails from supervisors and assignment managers saying that we would be expected to take on corporate work even if we had zero interest in the area, and we have consistently been asked to take on corporate work.
Please, please out this asshole firm lol. Current and future students would find it useful.

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Re: Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:30 pm

It’s been discussed in other threads, but there are multiple v20 firms right now that are making first year lit associates permanently do corp work for 4-6 months or so

LittleRedCorvette

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Re: Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by LittleRedCorvette » Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:51 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:30 pm
It’s been discussed in other threads, but there are multiple v20 firms right now that are making first year lit associates permanently do corp work for 4-6 months or so

Sackboy

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Re: Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by Sackboy » Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:54 pm

LittleRedCorvette wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:51 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:30 pm
It’s been discussed in other threads, but there are multiple v20 firms right now that are making first year lit associates permanently do corp work for 4-6 months or so
I loled too.

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Anonymous User
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Re: Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:54 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:30 pm
It’s been discussed in other threads, but there are multiple v20 firms right now that are making first year lit associates permanently do corp work for 4-6 months or so
I think I remember PW was doing this--which others?

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Re: Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:18 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:54 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:30 pm
It’s been discussed in other threads, but there are multiple v20 firms right now that are making first year lit associates permanently do corp work for 4-6 months or so
I think I remember PW was doing this--which others?
Skadden

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Re: Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:26 pm

OP here—not in a position yet that I want to out the firm and it also seems like some have it worse than me if others below are correct. I haven’t been forced to do exclusively corporate work and have actually probably fared better than some of my other classmates in avoiding corporate work but I’m just frustrated that the work I’m interested in doing is being entirely undervalued.

Not sure if it’s worth lateraling though if all top firms are mostly in the same boat.

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Re: Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:39 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:18 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:54 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:30 pm
It’s been discussed in other threads, but there are multiple v20 firms right now that are making first year lit associates permanently do corp work for 4-6 months or so
I think I remember PW was doing this--which others?
Skadden
also Kirkland

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Wild Card

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Re: Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by Wild Card » Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:56 pm

Sackboy wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:54 pm
LittleRedCorvette wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:51 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:30 pm
It’s been discussed in other threads, but there are multiple v20 firms right now that are making first year lit associates permanently do corp work for 4-6 months or so

I loled too.
well, it's correct in the sense that they tell you it's only for 4-6 months when they mean permanent

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Re: Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by WFGhallager » Mon Apr 12, 2021 9:11 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:39 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:18 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:54 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:30 pm
It’s been discussed in other threads, but there are multiple v20 firms right now that are making first year lit associates permanently do corp work for 4-6 months or so
I think I remember PW was doing this--which others?
Skadden
also Kirkland
Surprising that this is happening in the V10. How are these firms deciding who has to switch practice areas? Are they just calling or emailing people directly or what? My V5 hasn't done this (or I'm just oblivious to it, which I guess is good), but what are the signs in case it's happening and nobody is saying it?

Anonymous User
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Re: Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Apr 12, 2021 9:59 pm

I’d be looking to lateral ASAP in my opinion. Might be tough, but I’d definitely try to make the move.

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Re: Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Apr 12, 2021 10:07 pm

OP, not sure what your grades are like, but the v30 I’m at (wilmer) has a number of litigation positions available for junior associates. Reach out to a classmate. The firm just bumped its referral bonus so people will definitely want to refer you.

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jotarokujo

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Re: Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by jotarokujo » Mon Apr 12, 2021 10:35 pm

would recommend lateraling if you're this bothered by it (which it's reasonable to be). also a good idea to lateral so that you could build litigation skills more effectively

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Re: Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Apr 12, 2021 11:00 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:39 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:18 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:54 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:30 pm
It’s been discussed in other threads, but there are multiple v20 firms right now that are making first year lit associates permanently do corp work for 4-6 months or so
I think I remember PW was doing this--which others?
Skadden
also Kirkland
This seems... newsworthy? I work at a peer lit firm in NYC and haven’t noticed this yet. Could someone please expand on this? Which other threads?

Anonymous User
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Re: Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Apr 12, 2021 11:13 pm

Yea I almost can’t believe there isn’t more outrage at this. Yes, a job is better than no job. But so much for being “elite” when your firm treats lit associates this way. At a V50 as a first year litigator, 100% lit work so far including lots of research, writing, drafting. I feel bad for those who had this happen to them. It’s not like there isnt lit work to go around, it just shows the firm values grabbing that marginal Corp dollar over any kind of professional development for you. 6 months of full time corp work? Sheesh

Lit to corp is almost like law to no law. It’s the starkest difference in our profession.

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Mullens

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Re: Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by Mullens » Mon Apr 12, 2021 11:18 pm

Doesn’t seem particularly newsworthy? Corporate practice is on fire and firms can’t hire enough laterals to do all the work. Repurposing the bodies they have makes perfect sense. Same thing happened with bankruptcy a year ago.

Can’t believe all you lit first years think you’re too good to do corporate work for a few months to help your classmates.

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Re: Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by jotarokujo » Mon Apr 12, 2021 11:21 pm

Mullens wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 11:18 pm
Doesn’t seem particularly newsworthy? Corporate practice is on fire and firms can’t hire enough laterals to do all the work. Repurposing the bodies they have makes perfect sense. Same thing happened with bankruptcy a year ago.

Can’t believe all you lit first years think you’re too good to do corporate work for a few months to help your classmates.
lit and corporate are pretty different, the skills aren't that transferrable. at best, it's a few months of wasted training. at worst, it's also painful in the process

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Mullens

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Re: Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by Mullens » Mon Apr 12, 2021 11:27 pm

jotarokujo wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 11:21 pm
Mullens wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 11:18 pm
Doesn’t seem particularly newsworthy? Corporate practice is on fire and firms can’t hire enough laterals to do all the work. Repurposing the bodies they have makes perfect sense. Same thing happened with bankruptcy a year ago.

Can’t believe all you lit first years think you’re too good to do corporate work for a few months to help your classmates.
lit and corporate are pretty different, the skills aren't that transferrable. at best, it's a few months of wasted training. at worst, it's also painful in the process
You’ll still learn something even if the skills don’t perfectly translate. Several firms have their first years do both corporate and lit before they pick a group (like Latham). The bonuses this year are solely due to corporate midlevel retention so seems like a decent tradeoff to get paid extra to help out.

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Re: Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Apr 13, 2021 1:39 am

No, I don’t think I’m above corporate work at my firm at all, but being “repurposed for a few months” is a slippery slope. That really just sounds like pushing lit associates into corporate forever. At a certain point and if you’re busy enough, you just wouldn’t ever go back to lit from what this thread is describing.

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Re: Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Apr 13, 2021 8:25 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:18 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:54 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:30 pm
It’s been discussed in other threads, but there are multiple v20 firms right now that are making first year lit associates permanently do corp work for 4-6 months or so
I think I remember PW was doing this--which others?
Skadden
I'm a Skadden litigation first year, this isn't true.

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Anonymous User
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Re: Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Apr 13, 2021 9:39 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:39 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:18 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:54 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:30 pm
It’s been discussed in other threads, but there are multiple v20 firms right now that are making first year lit associates permanently do corp work for 4-6 months or so
I think I remember PW was doing this--which others?
Skadden
also Kirkland
I've heard that Latham has also mandated all first years to do some corp work

Anonymous User
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Re: Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Apr 13, 2021 1:15 pm

Does this happen to all firms that have rotation systems/free market assignments? Anyone know of this happening at GDC?

Anonymous User
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Re: Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Apr 13, 2021 2:08 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:54 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:30 pm
It’s been discussed in other threads, but there are multiple v20 firms right now that are making first year lit associates permanently do corp work for 4-6 months or so
I think I remember PW was doing this--which others?
Not sure it's true that PW is making first-year lit associates do corp work. We were asked for volunteers to help with corp. Don't know about others, but I said I wasn't interested, and they seemed fine taking no for an answer - staffed me on decent lit assignments, didn't pressure me to do anything else.

Anonymous User
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Re: Lateraling as a 1st year litigation associate

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Apr 13, 2021 3:33 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:54 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:30 pm
It’s been discussed in other threads, but there are multiple v20 firms right now that are making first year lit associates permanently do corp work for 4-6 months or so
I think I remember PW was doing this--which others?
Wait, is this for real? don't they have huge chunk of litigation matters, and arguably have one of the largest/best lit practice among v10 firms? if even PW is doing it, hard to imagine what other firms are doing ...

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

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