2L - Pivot to New Location - Questions Forum

[Anonymous User]

Not posting this onto the "Trail of Tears" thread since I don't think it really fits the parameters.

So I've accepted a position for my 2L at a V5 in NYC, undecided between corp/lit but the firm is good at both. Some major changes to my family situation have given me pretty serious reasons to be in DC post-grad. I was wondering what the process would look like to swap cities? Is this really only doable via a post-clerkship pivot or is there a 3L hiring process I could avail myself of? Would it make more sense to try to stick it out for a year and then lateral?

I don't know if the answer to this question is grade dependent but for context I have a ~3.8 at HLS.

Any help would be appreciated!!

[Anonymous User]

Not posting this onto the "Trail of Tears" thread since I don't think it really fits the parameters.

So I've accepted a position for my 2L at a V5 in NYC, undecided between corp/lit but the firm is good at both. Some major changes to my family situation have given me pretty serious reasons to be in DC post-grad. I was wondering what the process would look like to swap cities? Is this really only doable via a post-clerkship pivot or is there a 3L hiring process I could avail myself of? Would it make more sense to try to stick it out for a year and then lateral?

I don't know if the answer to this question is grade dependent but for context I have a ~3.8 at HLS.

Any help would be appreciated!!

There's a 3L hiring process--some firms do 3L OCI, and your situation isn't unheard of. I know someone in the same spot, with similar school/grades, who landed Williams & Connolly as a 3L after needing to switch cities for their spouse.

[Anonymous User]

Not posting this onto the "Trail of Tears" thread since I don't think it really fits the parameters.

So I've accepted a position for my 2L at a V5 in NYC, undecided between corp/lit but the firm is good at both. Some major changes to my family situation have given me pretty serious reasons to be in DC post-grad. I was wondering what the process would look like to swap cities? Is this really only doable via a post-clerkship pivot or is there a 3L hiring process I could avail myself of? Would it make more sense to try to stick it out for a year and then lateral?

I don't know if the answer to this question is grade dependent but for context I have a ~3.8 at HLS.

Any help would be appreciated!!

There's a 3L hiring process--some firms do 3L OCI, and your situation isn't unheard of. I know someone in the same spot, with similar school/grades, who landed Williams & Connolly as a 3L after needing to switch cities for their spouse.

That's very reassuring! I don't know too much about our 3L EIP and I'll of course be reaching out to CSO to try to suss out options but its good to know that they actually exist.

Wasn't sure if it would be straight up impossible

[Wubbles]

Not posting this onto the "Trail of Tears" thread since I don't think it really fits the parameters.

So I've accepted a position for my 2L at a V5 in NYC, undecided between corp/lit but the firm is good at both. Some major changes to my family situation have given me pretty serious reasons to be in DC post-grad. I was wondering what the process would look like to swap cities? Is this really only doable via a post-clerkship pivot or is there a 3L hiring process I could avail myself of? Would it make more sense to try to stick it out for a year and then lateral?

I don't know if the answer to this question is grade dependent but for context I have a ~3.8 at HLS.

Any help would be appreciated!!

You have top notch credentials, 3L OCI is usually non existent. Primary channels would be going to your firm's DC office if they have one or direct applying throughout the summer as positions pop up on job boards and then really hammering out applications the last week of July/first week of August, likely mostly to places without public listings (by contacting recruiting coordinators through their information on NALP).

[Anonymous User]

Not posting this onto the "Trail of Tears" thread since I don't think it really fits the parameters.

So I've accepted a position for my 2L at a V5 in NYC, undecided between corp/lit but the firm is good at both. Some major changes to my family situation have given me pretty serious reasons to be in DC post-grad. I was wondering what the process would look like to swap cities? Is this really only doable via a post-clerkship pivot or is there a 3L hiring process I could avail myself of? Would it make more sense to try to stick it out for a year and then lateral?

I don't know if the answer to this question is grade dependent but for context I have a ~3.8 at HLS.

Any help would be appreciated!!

You have top notch credentials, 3L OCI is usually non existent. Primary channels would be going to your firm's DC office if they have one or direct applying throughout the summer as positions pop up on job boards and then really hammering out applications the last week of July/first week of August, likely mostly to places without public listings (by contacting recruiting coordinators through their information on NALP).

They do have a DC office but wasn't sure the etiquette on swapping within the firm! Makes a lot of sense though. On further research it looks like there are some firms that do 3L EIP but really not too many. Looks like direct applications it is - do you have any sense on whether direct applications have a decent hit rate or is it really just spray and pray

[Anonymous User]

Also, for some V5s, the DC offices can be some combination of smaller and more specialized, so check into that before just assuming you would be fine working in your V5s DC office.

[Anonymous User]

I did this, but 7+ years ago and in the opposite direction (DC/Chi/LA -> NYC).

There are two routes:

1) Transfer within your firm. This is going to be highly firm/group dependent: what are their needs in DC? what are their needs in NY? How much does work within the two offices overlap in the practice group they want to put you in? We cannot answer any of that for you (and they probably cannot answer the first two questions now either), but I'd at least flag for recruiting that you've had a life change and you are open to the switch. At a V5 you will not be the first or last person to move offices, if it happens. BUT, BUT BUT BUT do everything you can to avoid the impression that you're DC or bust, because:

2) The most important thing you can do now is get an offer after your SA. There is 3L OCI (or at least there was the last time I was paying attention to this), but it is small and more competive. Firms will be looking to fill specific spots ("we need one associate to work in the M&A group") much moreso than they are for 2Ls ("we need 55 associates and by the end of the summer we'll figure out where to put them"). And your chances of success are 10,000x higher if you have an offer. This is the route I took, and the first line on my resume was "offer received at [summer firm]." If you're looking to move with an offer, and have a compelling reason (sounds like you do), firms will understand. It's not all that different from lateralling. Not having an offer will make that much harder, because there will be a (fair or not) view that something went wrong at your last stop.