Exit Options? Public vs government Forum

[Anonymous User]

I came here for some career advice:

Graduated 2019 and passed the bar. I currently work for the local government doing administrative law. The hours are very good (9-5), low stress. Occasionally I get some interesting work, but administrative law is not what I am interested in doing long-term.

In the long run I would like to specialize in tax or bankruptcy (restructuring etc.) in the private, corporate sector. However, I don't have a strong tax or business background (I prep tax returns and did a low income taxpayer clinic with my law school) and find that those positions are very competitive.

I recently interviewed at and received an offer from a nonprofit that specializes in economic justice. They do tax disputes and bankruptcies but for low-income/individuals rather than for corporations. Benefits are similar but I understand that the hours will not be as great as my current job.

My question is if nonprofit attorneys have good exit options into the corporate sector? Or should I stick it out with the government job and just try to transit into the corporate world?

[decimalsanddollars]

Have you considered clerking? Clerking for a bankruptcy judge would be a great step toward joining a restructuring practice. Biglaw firms' restructuring groups are unlikely to take your current and prospective experience seriously, but most target jurisdictions have regional firms with great restructuring groups that might give you a look with a bankruptcy clerkship. As for tax, your best shot is doing a tax LLM (and ideally at NYU for breaking into private-sector work).

Regarding which option is better for transitioning into corporate work, neither of them is good, but you can make yourself a decent candidate for tax via LLM or restructuring via bankruptcy clerkships. Also, consumer bankruptcy work is a decent way to learn the basics between now and the clerkship, but it has a learning curve, doesn't pay very well, and isn't directly transferable to large corporate restructuring. I don't know if consumer tax work has the same costs/benefits for a tax career.