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Hi there,

I'm about 5 years out of law school (graduated from a T2) and would love some career advice. For background, I clerked in a federal district court and then tried biglaw in a secondary market for a year---I really disliked the unpredictable/long hours and discovery. Subsequently, for two years, I handled criminal appeals for a state AG's office, which I liked overall. I just began a federal circuit court clerkship with a senior judge.

My wife and I would prefer we stay in our secondary market state/city. I'm tempted by biglaw bonuses, but I really loathed discovery/trial work. In short, my first question is whether there are biglaw firms that would allow me to join their appellate practice remotely/in a satellite office. With my current experience, would I have a shot at those opportunities?

Long-term, I want to become a tenure-track law school professor. I know a few classmates who have entered academia despite coming from the same T2 school. I'd love to teach criminal law or constitutional law/federal courts. So maybe I need to let go of the biglaw money and focus on that path. If I abandon biglaw, should I aim to become an AUSA or would I be fine returning to state criminal appeals? I kind of miss criminal appeals but don’t want to short-change myself.

Relevant to my academia dreams, I’m hoping to publish a couple law review articles over the next 12 months.

I apologize for the long post. Again, any advice is appreciated!

I can speak to the academia side of things. The key there is publishing. (But make sure you're publishing quality work.) Because you didn't attend a top law school, you'll also need to be geographically flexible. If I may offer some unsolicited advice, constitutional law is the most competitive subject to teach. If I were in your shoes, I'd market yourself as a crim law scholar with con law, fed courts, and civ pro as your secondary courses. (I'd have crim law and crim pro as your primaries.) That doesn't mean you can't write about con law. But when you go on the market, I'd make sure at least half of your articles are on crim law topics (obviously, some crim law topics also are con law topics).

When it comes to jobs, I'd pick the job that will give you the best opportunity to write and publish (quality) articles. Because that's what law schools will care about more. Could AUSA give you a slight boost? It might. Depends on the faculty. But if you're a crim law scholar, criminal appeals won't hurt you.

Now, I'm not trying to dissuade you from pursuing con law if it's your passion. I had a somewhat similar resume to yours. I went to a law school that was a little higher ranked (T1), but it's a minor difference. I clerked for D. Ct. and COA judges. I did appellate work for the government and trial and appellate work for an impact litigation org. I was able to get a tenure-track job as a con law scholar. But I also got lucky. I received far more interest on the market with torts or civ pro as the primary course I'd be teaching based on the law school's need. (I didn't try to market myself in crim because I had no prosecution or criminal defense experience.)

I'll also note that in terms of experience level, you'll soon be entering the range where it makes sense to plan your transition. The sweet spot for those of us who don't have super-elite credentials is 7 to 15 years in practice. And if I'm being honest, it is better to be on the younger side of the range because there is some age discrimination in academia. (In part because it takes time for you to establish yourself as a scholar, so if they hire an older applicant, by the time they're hitting the prime of their careers, they're likely nearing retirement age.)

Really appreciate the advice! The insights about publishing and sweet spot for academic hiring were especially helpful.