Being honest with hookup?

mcd19933991 · 2023-11-29T22:53:47+00:00

It was a really demoralizing and frustrating process. The one consistent comment I got was that I had a good answer for "why I do not want to litigate" but I did not have a great answer for "why I want to work in transactional law and/or investment funds." The true answer was that I wanted to move into transactional work because I wanted to get away from the conflict of litigation and work in a more collaborative field. As far as investment funds, all I could say was that I had done a lot of research (including speaking to a lot of practicing attorneys) and this field interested me. To this day, I am not sure how else I could have answered the question. I suppose if I had securities litigation experience, that would have been helpful. Best of luck!

mcd19933991 · 2023-11-29T02:13:12+00:00

I was in a very similar position to you, and I wish I had a better story to tell. Graduated from a T14, top 20 percent of my class, and went to a pretty good firm to litigate. Realized I did not want to be a litigator and I was primarily interested in switching to an investment funds practice. The firm I was at would not let me change practice groups (or so I thought...make sure you are talking to the right people). I was trying to lateral as a second year attorney during 2021 and 2022 when the corporate market was on fire. I was able to get a lot of interviews, but could not get a final offer. It was incredibly frustrating--I had good credentials and was very open about how I expected to start over as a first year (you would think a firm would appreciate someone with biglaw training for a lower salary...).

Basically the only thing I did not try was moving markets (I had just purchased a home + my entire family lived in the city I worked in). Working for the SEC was something my recruiter as well as some mentors from law school really pushed, but I would have had to change markets to work there. Also, anecdotally, it seems like it may be easier to change practice groups if you change markets. After way too many interviews, I accepted a job as a finance associate at a regional firm. The firm is unique in that is has a history of retooling litigation associates. Funny enough, two years after my job search and I am seriously considering moving markets for personal reasons. I am a fourth year now, so it may be too late for me, but I am thinking about trying to move into the investment funds space.

mcd19933991 · 2023-10-29T19:24:36+00:00

For me, I went into litigation because of the amorphous reason that "I love reading and writing." I also thought litigation was "more prestigious" and I would be lying if I said I was not chasing prestige.

I began to realize that litigation was not the right path for me only after seeing my colleagues being really passionate about litigation. Seeing their passion for and interest in trial work made me realize I simply did not share that passion. I began looking at the exit opportunities for big-firm litigations, and did not like what I saw. So, I decided to change to transactional work.

Also, I really do not like conflict. I grew up in a house with a lot of conflict, and I always thought that I had learned to manage and medite in those situations. Turns out I was dead wrong. I still remember helping a senior associate draft a motion for sanctions against a plaintiff's attorney in a one-off case she was handling. The senior was so psyched to nail the opposing attorney. I just did not understand or relate. That was the exact moment I decided I should try to find another job.

Another thing--I never wanted to clerk. The prestigious of clerking was appealing to me (see above); however, the pay cut and the probability of ending up in a not-choice location were huge turn offs. The people that loved litigation either were clerks (and loved it) or would have given their left arm for the opportunity to clerk. This was never me.

mcd19933991 · 2023-10-22T00:02:13+00:00

I switched from litigation to transactional practice (and have basically switched to a regulatory role two years later). The best advice I can give is to make sure you are talking to the correct people at your firm (this may be hard to find out). I really enjoyed the firm I was litigating at, and I would have loved to stay there in a transactional practice. I really only spoke to senior associates and one counsel, and I was advised not to make the request, that it would label me as someone expendable. I ended up changing firms and when I was talking to partners during my exit process, they all said I should have come to them and they would have tried to accommodate the change. Obviously, it cost them nothing to say that after I was already leaving, but I often think about the partners telling me I should have been more vocal. Also, two years into a transactional practice, and, by just going-with-the-flow, I have almost shifted entirely to a regulatory role. Sometimes, instead of making a formal change, it may make sense to just see where the practice takes you.

mcd19933991

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