Florida Legal Market Forum

[Anonymous User]

Looking for some guidance on the legal market in Florida.

Is working in a city that isn’t Miami a death knell?

What’s it like to work in a biglaw satellite office in Orlando/Jacksonville/Tampa?

What exit opportunities would you have if you started your career in one of these non-Miami satellites?

I’m interested in litigation, specifically.

[Anonymous User]

On this topic, I'm interested in tax. Any big law that pays market in south Florida hiring for tax?

[Lawman1865]

Looking for some guidance on the legal market in Florida.

Is working in a city that isn’t Miami a death knell?

What’s it like to work in a biglaw satellite office in Orlando/Jacksonville/Tampa?

What exit opportunities would you have if you started your career in one of these non-Miami satellites?

I’m interested in litigation, specifically.

I think if you type this kind of question in, you will find a lot of material on previous threads. That being said, it is generally a pretty desirable position to work biglaw in Miami/South Florida, and some new offices in the area (e.g. K&E) have generated some excitement. The pay might be a bit below market at certain shops, particularly in the satellite's in middle and northern Florida, but people seem to generally be ok with that given tax benefit and lifestyle. I know some older generation types who think you don't get the same quality of work compared to somewhere like NY or Chicago, although that might apply more to corporate than litigation.

In summary, it is difficult to break into the South Florida biglaw scene for a reason. I don't know what you mean by it being a death knell, I know a few people who started at GT and Akerman and went on to do good things (one is partner at a RE boutique and the other I believe works in-house). Much of this also might depend on your connections to Florida. I think there might also be a few boutiques as well that take in ex-biglaw associates/counsels, so I think that is an option for a midlevel/senior who would be looking to change things up after some time.

I would defer though to those who have more first-hand knowledge who might have a different take than mine, since the above is based more on some general knowledge having lived there for a while and knowing a bunch of people there, but not having worked in biglaw in FL.

[Anonymous User]

Looking for some guidance on the legal market in Florida.

Is working in a city that isn’t Miami a death knell?

What’s it like to work in a biglaw satellite office in Orlando/Jacksonville/Tampa?

What exit opportunities would you have if you started your career in one of these non-Miami satellites?

I’m interested in litigation, specifically.

I think if you type this kind of question in, you will find a lot of material on previous threads. That being said, it is generally a pretty desirable position to work biglaw in Miami/South Florida, and some new offices in the area (e.g. K&E) have generated some excitement. The pay might be a bit below market at certain shops, particularly in the satellite's in middle and northern Florida, but people seem to generally be ok with that given tax benefit and lifestyle. I know some older generation types who think you don't get the same quality of work compared to somewhere like NY or Chicago, although that might apply more to corporate than litigation.

In summary, it is difficult to break into the South Florida biglaw scene for a reason. I don't know what you mean by it being a death knell, I know a few people who started at GT and Akerman and went on to do good things (one is partner at a RE boutique and the other I believe works in-house). Much of this also might depend on your connections to Florida. I think there might also be a few boutiques as well that take in ex-biglaw associates/counsels, so I think that is an option for a midlevel/senior who would be looking to change things up after some time.

I would defer though to those who have more first-hand knowledge who might have a different take than mine, since the above is based more on some general knowledge having lived there for a while and knowing a bunch of people there, but not having worked in biglaw in FL.

At one of HYS. The K&E Miami office has pulled a surprising number of people--more than Chicago or NY combined. All high-quality candidates too.

[Anonymous User]

OP here. Apologies if my post was unclear.

I prefer to work in central Florida due to family and friends in the area. I’m just trying to figure out if that’s going to hurt my later career opportunities.

Assuming I land a job at a true biglaw satellite in central Florida (H&K, Foley, GT, BakerHostetler, etc.), will I be ok? Or am I really limiting my career?

[Lawman1865]

OP here. Apologies if my post was unclear.

I prefer to work in central Florida due to family and friends in the area. I’m just trying to figure out if that’s going to hurt my later career opportunities.

Assuming I land a job at a true biglaw satellite in central Florida (H&K, Foley, GT, BakerHostetler, etc.), will I be ok? Or am I really limiting my career?

I think you need to clarify exactly what those goals are, since it is hard to tell you if it will limit your career if we don't know what kind of career you are looking for. Assuming you are asking just generally, that working at one of these places will limit your private practice opportunities on some broader level, the answer I think is just no, although I suppose it also depends on which firm you are choosing ultimately. Biglaw satellites in central/northern Florida are good firms, that I would assume do good work, and I do not see how working at any of the firms would limit you professionally in a general sense (I think exit options would be similar to my previous post).

[Lawman1865]

Looking for some guidance on the legal market in Florida.

Is working in a city that isn’t Miami a death knell?

What’s it like to work in a biglaw satellite office in Orlando/Jacksonville/Tampa?

What exit opportunities would you have if you started your career in one of these non-Miami satellites?

I’m interested in litigation, specifically.

I think if you type this kind of question in, you will find a lot of material on previous threads. That being said, it is generally a pretty desirable position to work biglaw in Miami/South Florida, and some new offices in the area (e.g. K&E) have generated some excitement. The pay might be a bit below market at certain shops, particularly in the satellite's in middle and northern Florida, but people seem to generally be ok with that given tax benefit and lifestyle. I know some older generation types who think you don't get the same quality of work compared to somewhere like NY or Chicago, although that might apply more to corporate than litigation.

In summary, it is difficult to break into the South Florida biglaw scene for a reason. I don't know what you mean by it being a death knell, I know a few people who started at GT and Akerman and went on to do good things (one is partner at a RE boutique and the other I believe works in-house). Much of this also might depend on your connections to Florida. I think there might also be a few boutiques as well that take in ex-biglaw associates/counsels, so I think that is an option for a midlevel/senior who would be looking to change things up after some time.

I would defer though to those who have more first-hand knowledge who might have a different take than mine, since the above is based more on some general knowledge having lived there for a while and knowing a bunch of people there, but not having worked in biglaw in FL.

At one of HYS. The K&E Miami office has pulled a surprising number of people--more than Chicago or NY combined. All high-quality candidates too.

Yes, based on my own experience and what I heard from others, they recruited hard for it. Time will tell if the gamble pays off.

[existentialcrisis]

OP here. Apologies if my post was unclear.

I prefer to work in central Florida due to family and friends in the area. I’m just trying to figure out if that’s going to hurt my later career opportunities.

Assuming I land a job at a true biglaw satellite in central Florida (H&K, Foley, GT, BakerHostetler, etc.), will I be ok? Or am I really limiting my career?

In general, I think law students are too focused on keeping every conveyable option open to them in the future. People on TLS frequently seem to balk at closing ANY doors.

As I've gotten more experienced I've realized how limiting/paralyzing that mindset can be. I'm not saying make short sighted decisions, but will working at BakerHostetler doing M&A with smaller local companies limit your ability to lateral to like STB or DPW in NY? Probably it will a bit. Will Apollo or Carlyle want to hire you for an in house role? Maybe not. Is that something you should care about if you want to live in/eventually go in house in central Florida? Also probably not.

You should be focused on a career path that can realistically get you to what you actually think you want.

[Sackboy]

OP here. Apologies if my post was unclear.

I prefer to work in central Florida due to family and friends in the area. I’m just trying to figure out if that’s going to hurt my later career opportunities.

Assuming I land a job at a true biglaw satellite in central Florida (H&K, Foley, GT, BakerHostetler, etc.), will I be ok? Or am I really limiting my career?

In general, I think law students are too focused on keeping every conveyable option open to them in the future. People on TLS frequently seem to balk at closing ANY doors.

As I've gotten more experienced I've realized how limiting/paralyzing that mindset can be. I'm not saying make short sighted decisions, but will working at BakerHostetler doing M&A with smaller local companies limit your ability to lateral to like STB or DPW in NY? Probably it will a bit. Will Apollo or Carlyle want to hire you for an in house role? Maybe not. Is that something you should care about if you want to live in/eventually go in house in central Florida? Also probably not.

You should be focused on a career path that can realistically get you to what you actually think you want.

+1.

You don't need every door open, just the ones you want to actually walk through.

[Ohiobumpkin]

OP here. Apologies if my post was unclear.

I prefer to work in central Florida due to family and friends in the area. I’m just trying to figure out if that’s going to hurt my later career opportunities.

Assuming I land a job at a true biglaw satellite in central Florida (H&K, Foley, GT, BakerHostetler, etc.), will I be ok? Or am I really limiting my career?

In general, I think law students are too focused on keeping every conveyable option open to them in the future. People on TLS frequently seem to balk at closing ANY doors.

As I've gotten more experienced I've realized how limiting/paralyzing that mindset can be. I'm not saying make short sighted decisions, but will working at BakerHostetler doing M&A with smaller local companies limit your ability to lateral to like STB or DPW in NY? Probably it will a bit. Will Apollo or Carlyle want to hire you for an in house role? Maybe not. Is that something you should care about if you want to live in/eventually go in house in central Florida? Also probably not.

You should be focused on a career path that can realistically get you to what you actually think you want.

This might be one of the best pieces of advice I have seen on TLS. 100% agree. OP needs to have at least a general idea of what s/he wants to do with their legal career before knowing what the right move is. At the same time, don't become obsessed with keeping every door open.

[existentialcrisis]

OP here. Apologies if my post was unclear.

I prefer to work in central Florida due to family and friends in the area. I’m just trying to figure out if that’s going to hurt my later career opportunities.

Assuming I land a job at a true biglaw satellite in central Florida (H&K, Foley, GT, BakerHostetler, etc.), will I be ok? Or am I really limiting my career?

In general, I think law students are too focused on keeping every conveyable option open to them in the future. People on TLS frequently seem to balk at closing ANY doors.

As I've gotten more experienced I've realized how limiting/paralyzing that mindset can be. I'm not saying make short sighted decisions, but will working at BakerHostetler doing M&A with smaller local companies limit your ability to lateral to like STB or DPW in NY? Probably it will a bit. Will Apollo or Carlyle want to hire you for an in house role? Maybe not. Is that something you should care about if you want to live in/eventually go in house in central Florida? Also probably not.

You should be focused on a career path that can realistically get you to what you actually think you want.

This might be one of the best pieces of advice I have seen on TLS. 100% agree. OP needs to have at least a general idea of what s/he wants to do with their legal career before knowing what the right move is. At the same time, don't become obsessed with keeping every door open.

I have to say that I did speak about this from a corporate perspective without noticing that OP wanted to be a litigator.

I do strongly suspect though that my broader point is still pretty much entirely applicable and I would think perhaps even more so, given what I'd assume is the heightened importance of the local bar and relationships with judges, etc.

[Born-Ready29]

So Florida litigation is pretty condensed in Miami but if you can land a big law job in any major Florida city you’ll likely have just as many options around the state. Miami is an isolated market. Everybody knows everybody and you can draw a family tree from all the highest ranked chambers firms to each other. Breaking into one of those firms is difficult without Miami ties. I’m currently at one of the top ranked boutiques down here. Very competitive market but a less accolade obsessed than others. Interviewers are going to want to have an idea who trained you. But if you get an Orlando GT or HK job and put in a couple years someone down here will eventually give you a chance.

[Anonymous User]

So Florida litigation is pretty condensed in Miami but if you can land a big law job in any major Florida city you’ll likely have just as many options around the state. Miami is an isolated market. Everybody knows everybody and you can draw a family tree from all the highest ranked chambers firms to each other. Breaking into one of those firms is difficult without Miami ties. I’m currently at one of the top ranked boutiques down here. Very competitive market but a less accolade obsessed than others. Interviewers are going to want to have an idea who trained you. But if you get an Orlando GT or HK job and put in a couple years someone down here will eventually give you a chance.

How much of an impact would a federal district court clerkship hold at high-ranked Chambers firms in Florida? Does it matter whether the clerkship is in the southern vs. middle vs. northern district of Florida? Does it matter whether it's with an active vs. senior judge?

[Anonymous User]

OP here. Apologies if my post was unclear.

I prefer to work in central Florida due to family and friends in the area. I’m just trying to figure out if that’s going to hurt my later career opportunities.

Assuming I land a job at a true biglaw satellite in central Florida (H&K, Foley, GT, BakerHostetler, etc.), will I be ok? Or am I really limiting my career?

In general, I think law students are too focused on keeping every conveyable option open to them in the future. People on TLS frequently seem to balk at closing ANY doors.

As I've gotten more experienced I've realized how limiting/paralyzing that mindset can be. I'm not saying make short sighted decisions, but will working at BakerHostetler doing M&A with smaller local companies limit your ability to lateral to like STB or DPW in NY? Probably it will a bit. Will Apollo or Carlyle want to hire you for an in house role? Maybe not. Is that something you should care about if you want to live in/eventually go in house in central Florida? Also probably not.

You should be focused on a career path that can realistically get you to what you actually think you want.

Yes. At some point the time comes to make major life decisions. If you don’t, the decisions you make to maintain the maximum range of options just become your major life decisions, but ones you made on accident rather than on purpose.

I’d also remember that within a couple of years of graduation, you will likely be thinking about starting a family (assuming that you want one). By that point in time you really aren’t a kid anymore, and it comes faster than you expect.

[Anonymous User]

So Florida litigation is pretty condensed in Miami but if you can land a big law job in any major Florida city you’ll likely have just as many options around the state. Miami is an isolated market. Everybody knows everybody and you can draw a family tree from all the highest ranked chambers firms to each other. Breaking into one of those firms is difficult without Miami ties. I’m currently at one of the top ranked boutiques down here. Very competitive market but a less accolade obsessed than others. Interviewers are going to want to have an idea who trained you. But if you get an Orlando GT or HK job and put in a couple years someone down here will eventually give you a chance.

How much of an impact would a federal district court clerkship hold at high-ranked Chambers firms in Florida? Does it matter whether the clerkship is in the southern vs. middle vs. northern district of Florida? Does it matter whether it's with an active vs. senior judge?

Active vs. senior really doesn’t matter anywhere unless your senior judge carries a very reduced caseload. Other factors like the judge’s personal reputation matter much more.

[Anonymous User]

So Florida litigation is pretty condensed in Miami but if you can land a big law job in any major Florida city you’ll likely have just as many options around the state. Miami is an isolated market. Everybody knows everybody and you can draw a family tree from all the highest ranked chambers firms to each other. Breaking into one of those firms is difficult without Miami ties. I’m currently at one of the top ranked boutiques down here. Very competitive market but a less accolade obsessed than others. Interviewers are going to want to have an idea who trained you. But if you get an Orlando GT or HK job and put in a couple years someone down here will eventually give you a chance.

How much of an impact would a federal district court clerkship hold at high-ranked Chambers firms in Florida? Does it matter whether the clerkship is in the southern vs. middle vs. northern district of Florida? Does it matter whether it's with an active vs. senior judge?

It’s a huge plus like anywhere. District doesn’t really matter, but southern is obviously most ideal. Nobody cares about active/senior or caseload. If getting down here is your goal and you have a clerkship, it’ll happen.

[Born-Ready29]

So Florida litigation is pretty condensed in Miami but if you can land a big law job in any major Florida city you’ll likely have just as many options around the state. Miami is an isolated market. Everybody knows everybody and you can draw a family tree from all the highest ranked chambers firms to each other. Breaking into one of those firms is difficult without Miami ties. I’m currently at one of the top ranked boutiques down here. Very competitive market but a less accolade obsessed than others. Interviewers are going to want to have an idea who trained you. But if you get an Orlando GT or HK job and put in a couple years someone down here will eventually give you a chance.

How much of an impact would a federal district court clerkship hold at high-ranked Chambers firms in Florida? Does it matter whether the clerkship is in the southern vs. middle vs. northern district of Florida? Does it matter whether it's with an active vs. senior judge?

Huge impact, but it’s pretty firm to firm whether it’s required. The younger of the chambers ranked lit firms would scoop you up in a second but probably don’t have the benefits of the older top ranked firms. Some of these firms are closed off with infrequent hiring and you really have to be both connected and elite.

Obviously if your clerkship is in SDFL you have a really good shot to make it in.