Know I want to move - what would you do? Forum

[Anonymous User]

howdy,

Just looking to hear what y'all would do. I'm currently a 2L who will be heading to an SA at a V10 in a major market. While I am really happy with the firm choice, I want to eventually end up down south (likely Florida - didn't really have luck with direct mailing last summer outside of one firm I ended up declining).

Getting a little caught up deciding whether I would be better off looking for a spot down there for immediately after graduation, or if I should wait it out 2-3 years at the V10 and pad the resume. I care a lot about my career but I also don't want to be depressed 3-4 months out of the year when its 15 degrees and dark all the time. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

If it matters, I'm going into corporate (no idea where yet, but cap markets/m&a probably the most "appealing" to me)

[Sad248]

howdy,

Just looking to hear what y'all would do. I'm currently a 2L who will be heading to an SA at a V10 in a major market. While I am really happy with the firm choice, I want to eventually end up down south (likely Florida - didn't really have luck with direct mailing last summer outside of one firm I ended up declining).

Getting a little caught up deciding whether I would be better off looking for a spot down there for immediately after graduation, or if I should wait it out 2-3 years at the V10 and pad the resume. I care a lot about my career but I also don't want to be depressed 3-4 months out of the year when its 15 degrees and dark all the time. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

If it matters, I'm going into corporate (no idea where yet, but cap markets/m&a probably the most "appealing" to me)

In my opinion, if you want to end up there anyway, who not go sooner rather than later? Unless there is a reason to pad the resume (you mention you care about your career, but what does that even mean?), but it seems that isn't the case here from this post per se. Of course, you never know how life can go, but that's just my two cents.

[Anonymous User]

In my opinion, if you want to end up there anyway, who not go sooner rather than later? Unless there is a reason to pad the resume (you mention you care about your career, but what does that even mean?), but it seems that isn't the case here from this post per se. Of course, you never know how life can go, but that's just my two cents.

I got this exact same advice from a reputable career services advisor at my T14 when deciding between NYC/DC offices of a couple V10s or another firm in my home secondary market. If you want to end up in that secondary market, you should start developing your career and network there now. The potential edge you get from working on (allegedly) more sophisticated V10 work doesn't outweigh the benefits from sticking in one spot.

Two caveats here. First, my secondary market pays market, so it was actually a better financial decision to go to there for the (slightly) lower COL . I don't think many FL firms pay market, so perhaps it's worth it financially to spend a couple years saving at a higher salary (if you can live cheaply). Game it out. Second, I already knew which firms I would target in my secondary market. If you don't know where you want to end up (city, firm, practice group, etc.), then perhaps it's worth keeping your options open remaining at a V10 (assuming FL firms would be interested in candidates from your V10).

On the flip side, do you know if the work you'll do at your V10 will be at all relevant to what you would want to do in FL? For me, it was the same type of work regardless of where I wound up, so that wasn't much of a factor. Also, where are you taking the bar? FL doesn't have reciprocity, right? I don't know what's up with the MBE right now, but when I graduate I wouldn't want to take multiple bars like CA, VA, FL, etc.

[Anonymous User]

What is the harm in applying as a 3L to the top firms in your preferred market and seeing how it goes? If you get an offer, then you decide. If you don’t, you go back to your summer V10. Of course when they give you an offer at the end of the summer, you should accept it and then keep looking if you feel like it.

And this gives you the added benefit of a summer at your V10 to see what you think. Unless things have changed since I was in school (not all THAT long ago), spring of 2L wasn’t a time to be applying to firms anyway, so you have zero time pressure on this decision.

[Anonymous User]

Out of curiosity, why didn’t you apply to firms in FL for 2L summer? With credentials strong enough to get you a V10, I assume you’d have been able to get FL biglaw.

There are quite a few market(ish)-paying firms in Miami: H&K, GT, MWE, K&L, Baker Mckenzie, Hogan, Jones Day, Weil, White & Case, Morgan Lewis, Foley, and Boies.

Outside of Miami, I think it’s just H&K, GT, and Foley.

I’m not sure how much 3L hiring you’ll see at these firms, though.

[Definitely Not North]

With credentials strong enough to get you a V10, I assume you’d have been able to get FL biglaw.

FL is an incredibly small and competitive market. The V10 probably hire more 2L SAs in NYC than there are 2L SA seats at all FL biglaw shops total.

[Monochromatic Oeuvre]

With credentials strong enough to get you a V10, I assume you’d have been able to get FL biglaw.

FL is an incredibly small and competitive market. The V10 probably hire more 2L SAs in NYC than there are 2L SA seats at all FL biglaw shops total.

Someone will have to update the math nowadays but back when I was looking at this in 2014 there were something like 25 SAs per year at full market-paying firms* in all of Florida.



*This is not a comment at all on how far below major-market comp it's worth to work in FL.

[Definitely Not North]

With credentials strong enough to get you a V10, I assume you’d have been able to get FL biglaw.

FL is an incredibly small and competitive market. The V10 probably hire more 2L SAs in NYC than there are 2L SA seats at all FL biglaw shops total.

Someone will have to update the math nowadays but back when I was looking at this in 2014 there were something like 25 SAs per year at full market-paying firms* in all of Florida.



*This is not a comment at all on how far below major-market comp it's worth to work in FL.

Yep that's what I remember. Median from UVA recruiting for all of FL as a FL native in 2014 landed me a grand total of 1 callback and 0 offers.

[Anonymous User]

Go to FL right away if you can. If the goal is FL big law, then V10 prestige is fairly useless, because the goal is a “downgrade.” But if you can’t, you’ll have your pick of the litter in a couple years lateraling from a V10. You really can’t lose.

[Anonymous User]

OP here, thanks everyone.

To answer a few of the questions: I did apply to most of the market-paying firms in Miami, but despite solid grades (top ~25%) at a T14, I did not have a good response rate. Landed 1 CB where I had a personal connection and the rest was ghosted. Don’t have terrific ties in So. Flo. and don’t speak Spanish, so I suspect that played a big part. Also not interested in L&E, Rx, or any of the general lit shops, so that narrowed the choices as well.

I guess when I say I’m concerned with my career, I’m just worried that if I don’t start at a big firm that does larger deals, I may get passed on for a role like that down the line if and when that type of work makes its way down to Florida. That or I will take a big pay cut from the start at a place like Jones Day or a middle-market firm like Akerman. I wouldn’t mind taking that cut a few years in when I have the loans all squared away, though.

I think my strategy will be to do what another poster mentioned: accept the post-grad offer at the current firm and then reach out to the firms down in Florida to see if I can go right in. If anyone can think of cons of this besides the possibility of just not getting a spot, I’m all ears!