Which offer should I choose? Florida biglaw. Forum

[Anonymous User]

Have offers from two Florida biglaw firms, and I need to make a decision.

A little about me: I don’t speak Spanish. I’m not from either area. I don’t really want to be in south Florida, but I do intend on staying in Florida for my entire career. I don’t have any debt, so while I still care about money, it isn’t everything to me.

Option 1:
V50 in Miami. Lockstep pay on the $200k payscale. Miami is the firm’s only Florida office, and it’s a really small satellite office.

Option 2:
V100 in Tampa / Orlando (sorry for being vague, but I’m trying not to dox myself here). Not lockstep pay, but still starts at the $200k rate. The firm has multiple offices in Florida and an overall stronger connection to the Florida community. I prefer Tampa / Orlando as far as cities go.

Which is best for me?

[AntipodeanPhil]

I think this really depends on how strong your preference is for Orlando/Tampa and exactly what your plans are. The difference in pay is likely to become significant after 3-4 years, though the non-lockstep firms in Florida seem to have been moving closer to lockstep recently. That said, if you would consider staying around to make partner, I'm going to guess that the V100 gives you a much better chance of making partner. Conversely, if you think you might consider leaving Florida at some point as an associate, the V50 might give you better options (either for an internal transfer, or just because of name recognition). Based on the small amount of information provided, I would probably go with the Florida V100 if you are confident you want to stay in Tampa/Orlando for the long term, and the V50 if you want to spend a few years at a firm but also leave your options open.

[2013]

If the V100 in Tampa/Orlando is Greenberg Traurig, take the V50 in Miami or try for H&K in a smaller office.

GT doesn’t pay market (unlike H&K).

[Anonymous User]

OP here—it isn’t GT, for what it’s worth. The V100 is known to be a better lifestyle firm than the V50.

Thanks everyone for the advice: I appreciate it!

[2013]

I think I know which firm it is now. Just go to the V100. You will make significantly less, but Orlando/Tampa are both a lot cheaper than Miami’s and you want to be there.

[Anonymous User]

I’d vote v100/Orlando/Tampa. COL is so much better in those locations. Associates in those locations own property. The same largely can’t be said in Miami. Personally I’m a bit concerned about the impact of salary wars in Central Florida and similar markets. It’s not sustainable to have associates in Orlando, Tampa (and if it’s one of the firms I’m thinking of, Lakeland or Tallahassee) making 200k+ by having them work on major market work. But you should have excellent exit options given your current options, so now is not the time for you to worry about that. That’s more something for mid/senior associates to worry about.

[lavarman84]

You don't really want to live in Miami. After factoring in COL, I doubt the difference in pay will be much. Seems like an easy choice to me. Take the V100.

[CanadianWolf]

Have offers from two Florida biglaw firms, and I need to make a decision.

A little about me: I don’t speak Spanish. I’m not from either area. I don’t really want to be in south Florida, but I do intend on staying in Florida for my entire career. I don’t have any debt, so while I still care about money, it isn’t everything to me.

Option 1:
V50 in Miami. Lockstep pay on the $200k payscale. Miami is the firm’s only Florida office, and it’s a really small satellite office.

Option 2:
V100 in Tampa / Orlando (sorry for being vague, but I’m trying not to dox myself here). Not lockstep pay, but still starts at the $200k rate. The firm has multiple offices in Florida and an overall stronger connection to the Florida community. I prefer Tampa / Orlando as far as cities go.

Which is best for me?

I love the beginning of OP's post: "I don't speak Spanish."

It seems clear that Miami is not where you want to live & work, therefore Tampa seems to be the better option for you.

[Anonymous User]

OP here. Just to clarify, I led with that because speaking Spanish is a huge advantage in the Miami market. I'm actually actively learning, but I'm years out from being able to use it in a professional sense. It's still an advantage in the Tampa/Orlando market, but it's a bit less common, so I didn't know if that would play into people's decisions. I definitely wish I learned sooner!

[CanadianWolf]

I think that everyone understands that fluency in Spanish is helpful for everyday living in Miami.

If the Tampa law firm is H&K, then Spanish & Portuguese are of value professionally.

[Anonymous User]

Tampa isn't that much cheaper than Miami, to be honest. But regardless, OP wants to be there, so no reason you should go to Miami. Easy decision.

[lavarman84]

Tampa isn't that much cheaper than Miami, to be honest. But regardless, OP wants to be there, so no reason you should go to Miami. Easy decision.

I looked at a couple of COL calculators. Both had Tampa being roughly 20% cheaper than Miami, with housing being the biggest reason why.