Likelihood of Florida Biglaw? Forum

[Anonymous User]

What does it take to get biglaw in Florida? I’ve been applying all cycle to no avail—T14, above median. Strongest ties possible without going to law school in Florida (grew up there, all of my family is still there, went to undergrad there).

I’ve gotten offers in other markets and have a pretty good interview to offer rate, so I don’t think I’m interviewing poorly. What’s going on?

[The Lsat Airbender]

Miami's a small, desirable market (Tampa somewhat less desirable but also even smaller), and like most secondary markets it relies less on the summer-associate pipeline. The firms you're looking at might only be hiring a handful of people this year, and often when hiring a handful of people those slots are instantly spoken for by diverse candidates and/or people who have an "in" at the firm.

With your ties, you could probably summer in NYC/Houston/etc. and try to lateral.

[Anonymous User]

OP here. I was really hoping to start my career in Florida so that I could get back to family sooner. I really thought coming from a T14 would make that possible; I just don't get it. I know there aren't a lot of spots, but I really thought I'd be competitive. I spent 1L summer in Florida, tried the networking thing, and still somehow struck out.

[Anonymous User]

OP here. I was really hoping to start my career in Florida so that I could get back to family sooner. I really thought coming from a T14 would make that possible; I just don't get it. I know there aren't a lot of spots, but I really thought I'd be competitive. I spent 1L summer in Florida, tried the networking thing, and still somehow struck out.

The number of (national/regional) market-paying SAs in Miami can fit inside a classroom. At least that's what I was told by a classmate at my T14. You may be underestimating the degree of competition for those jobs.

[Anonymous User]

OP.

Yeah, I get that there aren't many spots, but I applied to literally every biglaw SA spot in Florida--not just Miami. Most (if not all--I can't think of an exception) of the Florida biglaw firms raised to the $200k payscale, so there seem to be more options than there used to be.

[Anonymous User]

OP again: to clarify, I'm only applying to V100s.

[Wubbles]

OP again: to clarify, I'm only applying to V100s.

There's part of the problem, there are so few spots in Florida you should have expanded your range, especially since Florida is a secondary market so the good firms aren't all necessarily vault ranked (Akerman, Bilzin, Gunster, etc.).

[The Lsat Airbender]

Most (if not all--I can't think of an exception) of the Florida biglaw firms raised to the $200k payscale, so there seem to be more options than there used to be.

That also means there's more competition than there used to be, and moreover that firms have to be careful about overexpanding their class sizes.

Not trying to knock you down a peg, because it seems like you're doing everything right (save the below), but this is just how the game works sometimes. Targeting any non-NYC market is dicey unless you're magna at HYS or married the Senator's niece or something.

to clarify, I'm only applying to V100s.

(Scooped) Ignoring non-V100s makes no sense to me if you're ride-or-die Florida. If Vault rankings and/or Cravath scale are more important than being in FL then I'd reiterate my advice to start elsewhere at some V20 and then lateral or even in-house your way back.

[2013]

OP, I think you made a grave mistake focusing only on V100. And at this point, it’s probably too late to apply to Akerman, Gunster, Bilzin, etc.

However, there was another thread about Florida saying that Kirkland is contemplating opening a Miami office. If one of your offers is Kirkland, maybe take that and ask for an office transfer when that office opens?

[Anonymous User]

OP, almost identical situation to you. Ended up having to spend 2 years in NY V100 before lateraling down to V100 in FL. Once you get the NY biglaw experience, you’ll be much more valuable for FL. Good luck

[AntipodeanPhil]

One unusual feature of the Florida legal market is that a lot of the big firms hire very few summer associates or recent graduates and instead rely mostly on laterals from New York and the other major markets. If you can't find anything while in law school, spend a few years at a V100 in a major market and try again. You'll almost certainly get offers.

[Anonymous User]

But who is even getting these Florida biglaw offers? If a T14 doesn’t get any bites, I’m struggling to understand who they go to. I know that these firms are hiring 1-5 SAs per office. That’s enough SAs across the state (not just Miami) for me to think I should have something.

I targeted lit, but I said I was open to both lit and transactional when applying fwiw.

[Anonymous User]

But who is even getting these Florida biglaw offers? If a T14 doesn’t get any bites, I’m struggling to understand who they go to. I know that these firms are hiring 1-5 SAs per office. That’s enough SAs across the state (not just Miami) for me to think I should have something.

I targeted lit, but I said I was open to both lit and transactional when applying fwiw.

Top diversity and connected hires at T14s.

[nixy]

And probably the tippy top students from Florida schools (based on what I know of similarly small markets).

[2013]

But who is even getting these Florida biglaw offers? If a T14 doesn’t get any bites, I’m struggling to understand who they go to. I know that these firms are hiring 1-5 SAs per office. That’s enough SAs across the state (not just Miami) for me to think I should have something.

I targeted lit, but I said I was open to both lit and transactional when applying fwiw.

You keep mentioning T14, so I’m assuming you’re not at HYS. There are actually a ton of Harvard and Yale grads down in Florida who just wanted to go home. So they will take a lot of spots.

Then there are tip top T14s who have some connections.

Then there are tip top UF/Miami students.

Then there are other T14 students. By this point, there are probably only a handful of spots remaining (probably closer to zero if you’re only applying to V100).

[Tbell247]

OP - DM me for a lead.

[Anonymous User]

Atlanta market also seems flooded with UGA and Emory kids. But do the math. All you need is top 10% at those two schools to fill out summer classes in a smaller market. Maybe even 5%. It's a lot harder to be top 5% than to get into a T14 but that's neither here nor there. Bottom line is spots fill up with local schools.

[DolphinsFan]

OP - DM me for a lead as well.

[Anonymous User]

Florida market—especially Tampa—has not been as hot as the rest of the country. The markets are small and the firms, from what I’ve observed, tend to be more conservative with their hiring. This is especially so since salary wars made associates considerably more expensive. Broaden your search outside v100. Lots of good firms outside of those. The Florida-based firms are usually best if you want a career in Florida. And many v100 offices in Florida are not on par with the quality seen in the larger market offices of those firms. Good luck.