Leaving litigation experiences Forum

[Anonymous User]

I’m a mid lit associate at a V50 in NYC and I’ve finally accepted that I really dislike the culture of lit (the arguments over discovery, adversarial back and forth, shitty delay tactics, productions etc.). I have enjoyed investigations/white collar work much more than the commercial lit work as it feels more collaborative but it seems going further down that path may mean I’d get stuck in a law firm with few viable exit options as I get more senior, which I don’t want to do.

I’d love to hear people’s experiences (or anecdotes) who have been in my shoes and how they figured out how to leave, or how they shaped their career path and found something that was a better fit?

[Anonymous User]

I’m a mid lit associate at a V50 in NYC and I’ve finally accepted that I really dislike the culture of lit (the arguments over discovery, adversarial back and forth, shitty delay tactics, productions etc.). I have enjoyed investigations/white collar work much more than the commercial lit work as it feels more collaborative but it seems going further down that path may mean I’d get stuck in a law firm with few viable exit options as I get more senior, which I don’t want to do.

I’d love to hear people’s experiences (or anecdotes) who have been in my shoes and how they figured out how to leave, or how they shaped their career path and found something that was a better fit?

6th year civil lit associate here, but with no real exposure to WC or corporate.

Also realized over the past few months how much I dislike the adversarial nature of litigiation. Dealing with opposing counsel in meet-and-confers sucks and depos and trials aren't much better. The thought of trying to work even harder at this to make partner and do it for the rest of my life horrified me. Got an in-house gig that I start next month with high hopes it'll be less miserable work and better WLB. At least I know I won't be managing discovery or writing briefs!

[Anonymous User]

I was a commercial lit associate who left BigLaw as a mid-level.

At the firm, I primarily worked on litigation matters for companies in a particular industry (think tech, banking, etc). I had similar feelings towards litigation and found an in-house role at a company in the industry. The in-house role was as a corporate generalist, and I didn't do any litigation work in my first few years in-house. Fast forward to now, I work with senior lit in-house attorneys/meet with outside counsel/etc on cases, and it's definitely interesting to see how lit matters are handled.

Looking back, I really wish I had gotten investigations/white collar experience as that would've been more pleasant (vs commercial lit). Is there any reason you don't want to keep doing investigations/white collar work? Senior associate/counsel roles in that practice area at a firm would seem to be a sweet gig from what I've heard anecdotally, and there are definitely in-house roles that focus on investigations work (particularly in regulated industries).

Happy to answer more questions.

[Anonymous User]

You could also leave biglaw for another market; anecdotally I’ve heard OC are much easier to deal with in markets where the commercial lit partners are extreme repeat players, unlike NYC/DC/etc. “Collegial bar with strong norms against being obnoxious” is s benefit I’ve heard of a lot from biglaw alums who now practice in my home state.

[Anonymous User]

You could also leave biglaw for another market; anecdotally I’ve heard OC are much easier to deal with in markets where the commercial lit partners are extreme repeat players, unlike NYC/DC/etc. “Collegial bar with strong norms against being obnoxious” is s benefit I’ve heard of a lot from biglaw alums who now practice in my home state.

Possibly - don't want to say that's always wrong, because I don't know. But I work in a small practice with a small bar on both sides, and most firms in cute little markets outside of the big cities, and everyone on both sides is still a complete asshole to everyone on the other side.

[Anonymous User]

Odd that the poll says "leaving biglaw lit" but does not include government lit, which is a totally different vibe in many ways from biglaw lit. Granted, the title is about leaving lit altogether, but still, the fact that the government is a repeat player with a much different lifestyle does have an impact on tone/attitude/general tenor.

[hydromint]

6th year civil lit associate here, but with no real exposure to WC or corporate.

Also realized over the past few months how much I dislike the adversarial nature of litigiation. Dealing with opposing counsel in meet-and-confers sucks and depos and trials aren't much better. The thought of trying to work even harder at this to make partner and do it for the rest of my life horrified me. Got an in-house gig that I start next month with high hopes it'll be less miserable work and better WLB. At least I know I won't be managing discovery or writing briefs!

OP here—that’s fantastic, congratulations! I feel very similarly. I’d ideally like to end up in a similar situation, but many of the in-house postings I’ve been seeing heavily favor corporate/transactional experience. Would you mind sharing if you highlighted particular experiences or sought specific roles that seemed open to former litigators? I’ve un-anonymized if it’s easier to DM. Thanks!

I was a commercial lit associate who left BigLaw as a mid-level.

At the firm, I primarily worked on litigation matters for companies in a particular industry (think tech, banking, etc). I had similar feelings towards litigation and found an in-house role at a company in the industry. The in-house role was as a corporate generalist, and I didn't do any litigation work in my first few years in-house. Fast forward to now, I work with senior lit in-house attorneys/meet with outside counsel/etc on cases, and it's definitely interesting to see how lit matters are handled.

Looking back, I really wish I had gotten investigations/white collar experience as that would've been more pleasant (vs commercial lit). Is there any reason you don't want to keep doing investigations/white collar work? Senior associate/counsel roles in that practice area at a firm would seem to be a sweet gig from what I've heard anecdotally, and there are definitely in-house roles that focus on investigations work (particularly in regulated industries).

Happy to answer more questions.

This is really helpful, thank you! I completely agree, the investigations work I have had the opportunity to work on have made the last few years much more bearable. I enjoy it so much more but ultimately want to leave biglaw for better work life balance (but will need to stay in NY for family obligations) and just don’t think I have the personality for biglaw long term. Would you mind sharing how you made your transition in-house, and what you felt helped prepare you for the pivot (particularly to the corporate generalist position while coming in as a litigator a few years back)? I’ve un-anonymized if it’s easier to DM. Thanks!

[Anonymous User]

6th year civil lit associate here, but with no real exposure to WC or corporate.

Also realized over the past few months how much I dislike the adversarial nature of litigiation. Dealing with opposing counsel in meet-and-confers sucks and depos and trials aren't much better. The thought of trying to work even harder at this to make partner and do it for the rest of my life horrified me. Got an in-house gig that I start next month with high hopes it'll be less miserable work and better WLB. At least I know I won't be managing discovery or writing briefs!

OP here—that’s fantastic, congratulations! I feel very similarly. I’d ideally like to end up in a similar situation, but many of the in-house postings I’ve been seeing heavily favor corporate/transactional experience. Would you mind sharing if you highlighted particular experiences or sought specific roles that seemed open to former litigators? I’ve un-anonymized if it’s easier to DM. Thanks!

I was a commercial lit associate who left BigLaw as a mid-level.

At the firm, I primarily worked on litigation matters for companies in a particular industry (think tech, banking, etc). I had similar feelings towards litigation and found an in-house role at a company in the industry. The in-house role was as a corporate generalist, and I didn't do any litigation work in my first few years in-house. Fast forward to now, I work with senior lit in-house attorneys/meet with outside counsel/etc on cases, and it's definitely interesting to see how lit matters are handled.

Looking back, I really wish I had gotten investigations/white collar experience as that would've been more pleasant (vs commercial lit). Is there any reason you don't want to keep doing investigations/white collar work? Senior associate/counsel roles in that practice area at a firm would seem to be a sweet gig from what I've heard anecdotally, and there are definitely in-house roles that focus on investigations work (particularly in regulated industries).

Happy to answer more questions.

This is really helpful, thank you! I completely agree, the investigations work I have had the opportunity to work on have made the last few years much more bearable. I enjoy it so much more but ultimately want to leave biglaw for better work life balance (but will need to stay in NY for family obligations) and just don’t think I have the personality for biglaw long term. Would you mind sharing how you made your transition in-house, and what you felt helped prepare you for the pivot (particularly to the corporate generalist position while coming in as a litigator a few years back)? I’ve un-anonymized if it’s easier to DM. Thanks!

5:01pm PP here.

To your question about how I made the transition, I applied far and wide. As you point out, in-house litigation positions are much fewer than our corporate counterparts. It is truly a numbers game of networking, letting people know that you want to move in-house (but making sure your firm doesn't find out), and getting a sense of what is working vs what is not in interviews (or your resume).

To that last point (and on your question about how to prepare), it's about (i) selling what you bring to the table as a litigator and (ii) fit with the hiring manager. For (i), when I interviewed with the company, I had experience representing clients in the same industry, could talk about fact patterns that led to SHTF, and consequently, how to minimize those patterns from repeating (which, painting with a broad brush, is what a corporate generalist does). For (ii), the hiring manager had worked at the same BigLaw firm 15 years prior, so there was an understanding of the training I had received at the firm (and knowing that while I'd need to be trained on how to become an in-house lawyer for a particular business unit, the firm had instilled in me the core skills of issue spotting, being responsive, etc).

Let me know if that helps / if you have any more questions.

[gregfootball2001]

I’m a mid lit associate at a V50 in NYC and I’ve finally accepted that I really dislike the culture of lit (the arguments over discovery, adversarial back and forth, shitty delay tactics, productions etc.). I have enjoyed investigations/white collar work much more than the commercial lit work as it feels more collaborative but it seems going further down that path may mean I’d get stuck in a law firm with few viable exit options as I get more senior, which I don’t want to do.

I’d love to hear people’s experiences (or anecdotes) who have been in my shoes and how they figured out how to leave, or how they shaped their career path and found something that was a better fit?

It's a niche practice, but have you done any construction dispute work? If so, you would likely be able to lateral over to a construction transactional practice if that interests you. Not nearly as adversarial, lots of negotiating and drafting, exit options to any company that builds stuff.