Lateraled to 3 Firms in 3 Years, Looking to move again but afraid of my prospects Forum

(Deciding to leave, same firm different office, Reference requests)
LazarGreenie2

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Lateraled to 3 Firms in 3 Years, Looking to move again but afraid of my prospects

Post by LazarGreenie2 » Wed Oct 12, 2022 7:41 pm

About me: Went to a top tier law school (think Harvard/Yale/Stanford/Columbia), did reasonably well there.

I started at a V50 firm doing PE/general corp work. I was killing it there, but then the work dried up during the pandemic.

After my first year, I was poached by a V20, which was way better in my practice area. I took the offer. Yes, I am a rare second year lateral.

Then, after a year there, I was poached by a V5. This very was even better for my practice area, and they offered me a substantial signing bonus. I couldn't resist, and so I lateraled again with every intention of this being my last stop.

Only thing is that now I really don't like this "super elite" firm. The work is good, but the structure and culture was not what I had anticipated. I am absolutely miserable here, and want to go back to either one of my prior two firms, but I think I may have burned some bridges by leaving so early (and to competing firms at that). I think the firm i'm at now can tell that I am unhappy, and that the quality of my work is suffering as a result.

I need to leave this firm by early next year, but i am afraid that me having been at 3 firms in 3 years may in and of itself destroy my prospects (even though I was progressively moving to better firms in my practice area). I have already gotten rejected (without an interview) by another V5, a V10 and a V100 so far during my job hunt.

Please help. I'm desperate.

LazarGreenie2

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Re: Lateraled to 3 Firms in 3 Years, Looking to move again but afraid of my prospects

Post by LazarGreenie2 » Fri Oct 14, 2022 11:25 am

Edit: Also - im a non-URM, nothing significantly stands out about my background. These firms are all in NY

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Re: Lateraled to 3 Firms in 3 Years, Looking to move again but afraid of my prospects

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Oct 14, 2022 12:24 pm

It’s obviously not ideal, but you’ll have to dip your toe into the waters, so to speak, to understand how firms are going to respond. Everyone is going to be different, and it’ll depend on the other candidates available and how much the firms need additional help. You’ll also need to explain it well and succinctly in your interviews, so make you practice a lot beforehand.

I’ve lateraled three times. I left my first big law job in NYC (in which I was doing very well) to go back to my home city because a family member was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I stayed there for 3 years, during which time I lateraled to another firm. I hated both firms for different reasons. Once my relative passed away, I knew I wanted to go back to a bigger market and so I made the applications. It was last year so the market was different, but it was easy to explain once I got an interview given the above.

Also, try to figure out what it is you exactly want from your career. I also started at a V10 and then moved to the best firm in my home city. One thing I realized from the second lateral move is I actually prefer working in a slightly lower pressure and less political environment, and it’s irrelevant to me if I’ll make less money as a partner (if I ever get there) because I’m much happier here. You’ve seen enough different styles that you should be able to make the right choice this time. Good luck.

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Re: Lateraled to 3 Firms in 3 Years, Looking to move again but afraid of my prospects

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Oct 14, 2022 2:15 pm

3 firms in 3 years. You're not hirable as a lateral in the next few years at least. Anyone will look at your resume and think you will probably jump ship and burn bridges again in a year.

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Re: Lateraled to 3 Firms in 3 Years, Looking to move again but afraid of my prospects

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Oct 14, 2022 2:30 pm

LazarGreenie2 wrote:
Wed Oct 12, 2022 7:41 pm
About me: Went to a top tier law school (think Harvard/Yale/Stanford/Columbia), did reasonably well there.

I started at a V50 firm doing PE/general corp work. I was killing it there, but then the work dried up during the pandemic.

After my first year, I was poached by a V20, which was way better in my practice area. I took the offer. Yes, I am a rare second year lateral.

Then, after a year there, I was poached by a V5. This very was even better for my practice area, and they offered me a substantial signing bonus. I couldn't resist, and so I lateraled again with every intention of this being my last stop.

Only thing is that now I really don't like this "super elite" firm. The work is good, but the structure and culture was not what I had anticipated. I am absolutely miserable here, and want to go back to either one of my prior two firms, but I think I may have burned some bridges by leaving so early (and to competing firms at that). I think the firm i'm at now can tell that I am unhappy, and that the quality of my work is suffering as a result.

I need to leave this firm by early next year, but i am afraid that me having been at 3 firms in 3 years may in and of itself destroy my prospects (even though I was progressively moving to better firms in my practice area). I have already gotten rejected (without an interview) by another V5, a V10 and a V100 so far during my job hunt.

Please help. I'm desperate.
If I were interviewing you - my primary concern would be that you're a 3rd year with 1st year level of work experience. Given how long it takes to ramp laterals up/get them integrated and the fact that you need to build relationships with the people you work with before you're really trusted to do substantive work - I'd be wary simply that you haven't gotten the training needed to perform at a third year level because of this many moves early in your career.

Besides the flight risk issue, I think your other issue here is convincing people that you got enough work to justify being paid and brought on as a 3rd year and didn't just spend 3 years going through a cycle of ramping up, "oh shit I can't handle this work load", ramping down and rinse and repeat.

Honestly, I'd put in at least 2 years at your current firm. It may suck, but at least the market is slow unlike last year.

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Re: Lateraled to 3 Firms in 3 Years, Looking to move again but afraid of my prospects

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Oct 18, 2022 5:14 pm

Wow man...the thought of staying another year sucks. What if I find another firm based outside of NY? Like Boston or Chicago? Will my lateral chances improve at that point?

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Re: Lateraled to 3 Firms in 3 Years, Looking to move again but afraid of my prospects

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Oct 18, 2022 5:19 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Oct 14, 2022 2:30 pm
LazarGreenie2 wrote:
Wed Oct 12, 2022 7:41 pm
About me: Went to a top tier law school (think Harvard/Yale/Stanford/Columbia), did reasonably well there.

I started at a V50 firm doing PE/general corp work. I was killing it there, but then the work dried up during the pandemic.

After my first year, I was poached by a V20, which was way better in my practice area. I took the offer. Yes, I am a rare second year lateral.

Then, after a year there, I was poached by a V5. This very was even better for my practice area, and they offered me a substantial signing bonus. I couldn't resist, and so I lateraled again with every intention of this being my last stop.

Only thing is that now I really don't like this "super elite" firm. The work is good, but the structure and culture was not what I had anticipated. I am absolutely miserable here, and want to go back to either one of my prior two firms, but I think I may have burned some bridges by leaving so early (and to competing firms at that). I think the firm i'm at now can tell that I am unhappy, and that the quality of my work is suffering as a result.

I need to leave this firm by early next year, but i am afraid that me having been at 3 firms in 3 years may in and of itself destroy my prospects (even though I was progressively moving to better firms in my practice area). I have already gotten rejected (without an interview) by another V5, a V10 and a V100 so far during my job hunt.

Please help. I'm desperate.
If I were interviewing you - my primary concern would be that you're a 3rd year with 1st year level of work experience. Given how long it takes to ramp laterals up/get them integrated and the fact that you need to build relationships with the people you work with before you're really trusted to do substantive work - I'd be wary simply that you haven't gotten the training needed to perform at a third year level because of this many moves early in your career.

Besides the flight risk issue, I think your other issue here is convincing people that you got enough work to justify being paid and brought on as a 3rd year and didn't just spend 3 years going through a cycle of ramping up, "oh shit I can't handle this work load", ramping down and rinse and repeat.

Honestly, I'd put in at least 2 years at your current firm. It may suck, but at least the market is slow unlike last year.

Also, my current firm is Skadden (please don't dox me) does the jumps to better firms not matter? I was doIng great work before. It's not like i was moving down or across..

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Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Lateraled to 3 Firms in 3 Years, Looking to move again but afraid of my prospects

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Oct 19, 2022 3:36 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Oct 18, 2022 5:19 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Oct 14, 2022 2:30 pm
LazarGreenie2 wrote:
Wed Oct 12, 2022 7:41 pm
About me: Went to a top tier law school (think Harvard/Yale/Stanford/Columbia), did reasonably well there.

I started at a V50 firm doing PE/general corp work. I was killing it there, but then the work dried up during the pandemic.

After my first year, I was poached by a V20, which was way better in my practice area. I took the offer. Yes, I am a rare second year lateral.

Then, after a year there, I was poached by a V5. This very was even better for my practice area, and they offered me a substantial signing bonus. I couldn't resist, and so I lateraled again with every intention of this being my last stop.

Only thing is that now I really don't like this "super elite" firm. The work is good, but the structure and culture was not what I had anticipated. I am absolutely miserable here, and want to go back to either one of my prior two firms, but I think I may have burned some bridges by leaving so early (and to competing firms at that). I think the firm i'm at now can tell that I am unhappy, and that the quality of my work is suffering as a result.

I need to leave this firm by early next year, but i am afraid that me having been at 3 firms in 3 years may in and of itself destroy my prospects (even though I was progressively moving to better firms in my practice area). I have already gotten rejected (without an interview) by another V5, a V10 and a V100 so far during my job hunt.

Please help. I'm desperate.
If I were interviewing you - my primary concern would be that you're a 3rd year with 1st year level of work experience. Given how long it takes to ramp laterals up/get them integrated and the fact that you need to build relationships with the people you work with before you're really trusted to do substantive work - I'd be wary simply that you haven't gotten the training needed to perform at a third year level because of this many moves early in your career.

Besides the flight risk issue, I think your other issue here is convincing people that you got enough work to justify being paid and brought on as a 3rd year and didn't just spend 3 years going through a cycle of ramping up, "oh shit I can't handle this work load", ramping down and rinse and repeat.

Honestly, I'd put in at least 2 years at your current firm. It may suck, but at least the market is slow unlike last year.

Also, my current firm is Skadden (please don't dox me) does the jumps to better firms not matter? I was doIng great work before. It's not like i was moving down or across..
Doesn't matter even if you were at Wachtell or Munger if you jumped between three boats in three years. Your skillsets and commitment are both in question everywhere you go for the next few years.

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Re: Lateraled to 3 Firms in 3 Years, Looking to move again but afraid of my prospects

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Oct 19, 2022 9:04 pm

I’m much less of a “job hopping will sink your chances” person than most people here, but I do think your pattern means that you run into concerns about your actual level of experience not matching up with your years of experience. And I think the fact that you’re not getting interviews suggests that your history is hurting you. To a certain extent, I think you can keep applying and try to sell the best version of your job changes as you can - someone might bite - but you do run the risk of poisoning the well, so to speak, in that if you apply somewhere now and they reject you, it may make it harder to apply there in the future. I also think it’s tough to convincingly prove you were poached for your last 2 jobs, even though being poached suggests you’re a desirable candidate.

Do you have any trusted contacts at either of your old firms that you could float the idea of returning to? You may have burned those bridges but it might be worth at least checking.

sparty99

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Re: Lateraled to 3 Firms in 3 Years, Looking to move again but afraid of my prospects

Post by sparty99 » Sat Oct 22, 2022 3:18 pm

LazarGreenie2 wrote:
Wed Oct 12, 2022 7:41 pm
About me: Went to a top tier law school (think Harvard/Yale/Stanford/Columbia), did reasonably well there.

I started at a V50 firm doing PE/general corp work. I was killing it there, but then the work dried up during the pandemic.

After my first year, I was poached by a V20, which was way better in my practice area. I took the offer. Yes, I am a rare second year lateral.

Then, after a year there, I was poached by a V5. This very was even better for my practice area, and they offered me a substantial signing bonus. I couldn't resist, and so I lateraled again with every intention of this being my last stop.

Only thing is that now I really don't like this "super elite" firm. The work is good, but the structure and culture was not what I had anticipated. I am absolutely miserable here, and want to go back to either one of my prior two firms, but I think I may have burned some bridges by leaving so early (and to competing firms at that). I think the firm i'm at now can tell that I am unhappy, and that the quality of my work is suffering as a result.

I need to leave this firm by early next year, but i am afraid that me having been at 3 firms in 3 years may in and of itself destroy my prospects (even though I was progressively moving to better firms in my practice area). I have already gotten rejected (without an interview) by another V5, a V10 and a V100 so far during my job hunt.

Please help. I'm desperate.
Another firm? What if that firm sucks? I would stay another year.

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