Top Law Schools

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 06, 2024 10:30 pm

HYS grad coming off a COA clerkship. I summered at a biglaw firm in DC before clerking and then clerked straight out of law school. My wife is headed to Philly for med school, so I'm looking to work for a firm there after my clerkship this year. I know basically nothing about the market. I'm hoping to do a good chunk of appellate work and motions writing. Are there any firms with established appellate practices in Philly? Or any firms known to give associates strong substantive litigation experience? Or am I looking for something that doesn't exist outside of DC and boutiques?

Lacepiece23 wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 07, 2024 6:10 pm

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 06, 2024 10:30 pm

HYS grad coming off a COA clerkship. I summered at a biglaw firm in DC before clerking and then clerked straight out of law school. My wife is headed to Philly for med school, so I'm looking to work for a firm there after my clerkship this year. I know basically nothing about the market. I'm hoping to do a good chunk of appellate work and motions writing. Are there any firms with established appellate practices in Philly? Or any firms known to give associates strong substantive litigation experience? Or am I looking for something that doesn't exist outside of DC and boutiques?

Not sure if this is all that helpful but my wife works at Holland & Knight and really likes it. It pays Cravath and people are nice. One of the only firms in the city that does. If it were me, I’d head there.

• Your hiring timing may be kind of fucked. I understand that clerkship hiring has wrapped up at the big Philly shops (Morgan Lewis, Dechert, Duane Morris etc).
• I would cold reach out to alums who are clerking for CA3 judges who sit in Philly. The actives tend to be plugged into that community and their judges could probably tell them which firms are worth your time - particularly Krause, who practiced commercially before hitting the bench.
• I would not think that the big shops are the way to go for what you want. But there are a handful of well-regarded boutiques that will at least give you substantive experience. (Hangley comes to mind as a place where similarly-credentialed folks go; there are other good boutiques as well.) However if your goal is to exit post med-school to a large firm in a major market, I would be surprised if your years at Philly boutiques doing logistically smaller cases will make you an attractive candidate.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 07, 2024 9:28 pm

Lacepiece23 wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 07, 2024 6:10 pm

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 06, 2024 10:30 pm

HYS grad coming off a COA clerkship. I summered at a biglaw firm in DC before clerking and then clerked straight out of law school. My wife is headed to Philly for med school, so I'm looking to work for a firm there after my clerkship this year. I know basically nothing about the market. I'm hoping to do a good chunk of appellate work and motions writing. Are there any firms with established appellate practices in Philly? Or any firms known to give associates strong substantive litigation experience? Or am I looking for something that doesn't exist outside of DC and boutiques?

Not sure if this is all that helpful but my wife works at Holland & Knight and really likes it. It pays Cravath and people are nice. One of the only firms in the city that does. If it were me, I’d head there.

A few thoughts from someone familiar with the Philly market.

• Your hiring timing may be kind of fucked. I understand that clerkship hiring has wrapped up at the big Philly shops (Morgan Lewis, Dechert, Duane Morris etc).
• I would cold reach out to alums who are clerking for CA3 judges who sit in Philly. The actives tend to be plugged into that community and their judges could probably tell them which firms are worth your time - particularly Krause, who practiced commercially before hitting the bench.
• I would not think that the big shops are the way to go for what you want. But there are a handful of well-regarded boutiques that will at least give you substantive experience. (Hangley comes to mind as a place where similarly-credentialed folks go; there are other good boutiques as well.) However if your goal is to exit post med-school to a large firm in a major market, I would be surprised if your years at Philly boutiques doing logistically smaller cases will make you an attractive candidate.

UnfrozenCaveman wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 08, 2024 1:04 pm

We're in a hybrid work environment and you are a miserable commute to two cities that may also have openings.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 08, 2024 8:44 pm

UnfrozenCaveman wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 08, 2024 1:04 pm

We're in a hybrid work environment and you are a miserable commute to two cities that may also have openings.

Anon poster. This may be TCR, can't believe I forgot about the Delaware shops, which might be the best outcome for you. The Amtrak to Wilmington is probably 20 minutes each way, but runs like once an hour except at the usual commuting times (if you are living close to Penn, this is super walkable for you - much harder if your wife is going to med school anywhere else, though). It's a 40 minute drive from Philly with no traffic, closer to an hour when people are driving in/out.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 10, 2024 11:37 am

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 08, 2024 8:44 pm

UnfrozenCaveman wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 08, 2024 1:04 pm

We're in a hybrid work environment and you are a miserable commute to two cities that may also have openings.

Anon poster. This may be TCR, can't believe I forgot about the Delaware shops, which might be the best outcome for you. The Amtrak to Wilmington is probably 20 minutes each way, but runs like once an hour except at the usual commuting times (if you are living close to Penn, this is super walkable for you - much harder if your wife is going to med school anywhere else, though). It's a 40 minute drive from Philly with no traffic, closer to an hour when people are driving in/out.

What are some of the top DE firms? Not to sound like a complete populous jerk-off, but I have borderline SCOTUS-clerk credentials, and you are telling me it’s going to be hard to get a decent job as a lawyer in one of the biggest cities in the United States? Is the Philly market actually this dead?

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 10, 2024 11:37 am

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 08, 2024 8:44 pm

UnfrozenCaveman wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 08, 2024 1:04 pm

We're in a hybrid work environment and you are a miserable commute to two cities that may also have openings.

Anon poster. This may be TCR, can't believe I forgot about the Delaware shops, which might be the best outcome for you. The Amtrak to Wilmington is probably 20 minutes each way, but runs like once an hour except at the usual commuting times (if you are living close to Penn, this is super walkable for you - much harder if your wife is going to med school anywhere else, though). It's a 40 minute drive from Philly with no traffic, closer to an hour when people are driving in/out.

What are some of the top DE firms? Not to sound like a complete populous jerk-off, but I have borderline SCOTUS-clerk credentials, and you are telling me it’s going to be hard to get a decent job as a lawyer in one of the biggest cities in the United States? Is the Philly market actually this dead?

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 13, 2024 7:15 am

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 10, 2024 11:37 am

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 08, 2024 8:44 pm

UnfrozenCaveman wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 08, 2024 1:04 pm

We're in a hybrid work environment and you are a miserable commute to two cities that may also have openings.

Anon poster. This may be TCR, can't believe I forgot about the Delaware shops, which might be the best outcome for you. The Amtrak to Wilmington is probably 20 minutes each way, but runs like once an hour except at the usual commuting times (if you are living close to Penn, this is super walkable for you - much harder if your wife is going to med school anywhere else, though). It's a 40 minute drive from Philly with no traffic, closer to an hour when people are driving in/out.

What are some of the top DE firms? Not to sound like a complete populous jerk-off, but I have borderline SCOTUS-clerk credentials, and you are telling me it’s going to be hard to get a decent job as a lawyer in one of the biggest cities in the United States? Is the Philly market actually this dead?

You are applying significantly late, the current E.D.Pa. and CA3 clerks - many also highly qualified - applied for and accepted the small number of "issues and appeals"-y jobs that open in this city for associates without experience. The large firms are not hiring a lot of litigators right now, but I wouldn't be shocked if you got one or two offers. Could your "complete populous jerk-off"' self accept taking orders from a fourth year who went to Penn State or Villanova law and didn't clerk? That's what will happen at one of those shops.

0heL wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 13, 2024 10:26 pm

I work in midlaw at a Philly firm. I am very with both the firm and prospects of advancement, PM me if interested