3 Questions Frequently Asked by Corporate Attorneys about Career Changes

 

Harrison Barnes

I am a graduate of a top three law school. My grades from there are average (middle of the class). I went into corporate law because I plan on running my own business someday and I thought a knowledge of corporate law would be useful. On the other hand, I preferred litigation (I worked at a legal aid clinic while in law school, both summers I did litigation work). I have been very disenchanted with corporate work because as a second year associate in a large New York firm, to date I have done very little that would be really useful in running a business. In fact, I feel the most useful things to that end that I have done as a corporate lawyer have been the kind that any good paralegal could take care of.

In any event, things are really slow in the corporate department and I have found myself twiddling my thumbs a lot. The paucity in my corporate position aside, I am not enchanted with corporate work and would like to switch to corporate litigation. My present firm has a pretty good litigation department, but they have sent all of the incoming class into litigation, so there aren't any places. I also want to start afresh somewhere else. Here is what I am wondering before I make the switch:


A. Would I learn anything doing corporate litigation which would be useful if I started my own business?

B. Do litigators ever go in-house?

C. Do I stand a realistic chance of switching to another firm entirely to do litigation?
 

1. You will not learn much useful in starting a business as a litigator unless your goal is to start a law firm.

The job of litigators in large firms involves a massive amount of writing, reviewing documents and learning various procedures for doing this. Certainly you will have the opportunity to speak with the business people who are your clients. You may even get to meet some of these clients in addition to speaking with them. For the most part, though, the majority of the time you will in all likelihood be looking at a computer screen and writing and modifying various documents. Do not forget about being careful with details! Do not forget about meeting important deadlines! Do not forget about billing a lot of hours! Do not forget about making sure the partners like you! Does any of this sound like it has anything to do with the type of business you want to start? If not, you may already have your answer.

With one exception, the work a litigator does has little correlation to the type of work you would do as an entrepreneur starting your own business. Certainly learning how to litigate cases might be useful if you started your own business. But people with their own businesses generally hire attorneys to litigate cases for them because they want to spend their time running their own businesses. Think about this too. In our opinion, if you want to start a business, you should go ahead and do this now rather than waiting. You are going to learn very little in a law firm-whether you are a litigator or a corporate attorney-that is ever going to be of any meaningful use to you in starting your own business.

There is an exception to this. If your goal is to start a business, why not start your own law firm? This is the classic "lawyer business" and, make no mistake about it, a law firm is a business. You can start this business small and grow it over time. As you grow this business, you will be responsible for such decisions as marketing, hiring and firing, payroll-you name it. If you choose a law firm as the business you would like to start, your knowledge of litigation could be quite helpful. As the founder of a small law firm, you would be helped immensely by having training in both litigation and corporate law, and your learning would not be wasted. You could even market this skill if you wanted to.
 

2. Litigators go in-house much more rarely than corporate attorneys.

Litigators do go in house. They go to work for large corporations, insurance companies and a wide variety of other types of employers. As in-house attorneys, litigators most often assist in the litigation of cases, evaluate a variety of claims against the company, do research and give litigation-related advice. In larger corporations, litigators manage outside counsel and work to keep costs down.

Corporate attorneys are in much more demand in-house because they can also do a great deal of corporate governance and other work necessary for the running of a company. It is for this reason that most in-house attorneys have a corporate background. Litigation is less frequent than the activities in-house attorneys must perform in the day-to-day running of a corporation.

If you want to go in-house, the amount of experience you have as a corporate attorney will also determine how useful your litigation experience is likely to be when you seek to go in house. If you have more than three years of corporate experience already, a couple of years of litigation experience could make you a good candidate for an in-house position because you will have an added extra dimension to the work you can perform for your in-house employer.
 

3. You will have a difficult time switching to another firm to do litigation.

Many corporate attorneys are in the process of doing a lot of soul searching right now due to the severe unavailability of work in many corporate departments. At the outset, we should note that switching into litigation from corporate might be a good idea because it could literally save your career if the work is drying up drastically at your current firm. As you may be aware, a tremendous amount of layoffs are occurring in the legal profession right now and the overwhelming number of these layoffs are of corporate attorneys. Can you switch to litigation by moving to another firm?

Switching to litigation is not something that will come easily-despite the fact that you are a graduate of a top tier law school. If you are less than a couple of years out, then it will be much easier for you to switch to litigation. If you have been practicing more than two or three years, it will be much more difficult. The reason for this is that firms are going to want to train you in their own unique style. If you have more than a few years of experience as a corporate attorney, many firms will operate under the assumption that you are now "set in your ways". In addition, you should not expect to be treated at the same class level if you make this switch. In all likelihood, any firm that hires you to do litigation work will expect you to start as a first or second year.

Firms are going to be asking, "Why did you go into corporate law if you wanted to do litigation in the first place?" In the general slowdown in work in the corporate field, most law firms are going to perceive your desire to switch practice areas as being done merely to save your job. Nevertheless, some firms might be open to this. If this is something you want to do, it is certainly worth a try.

In making this switch it is important to note that you are unlikely to end up at as prestigious of a firm as you are currently at. While we are assuming you are currently at a high-caliber firm, most of the firms at this level are not going to be all that open to you joining them after having switched practice areas. A smaller firm, however, will likely view you as a "good catch" and, if we had to guess, this is where you would likely to end up if you tried to do this.
 

• For corporate attorneys navigating job changes, Understanding Red Flags in Long-Term Employment Potential provides additional guidance on balancing pivots with long-term stability.

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This breadth of placements is unheard of in the legal recruiting industry and is a testament to his extraordinary ability to connect attorneys with the right firms, regardless of market size or practice area.

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With over 25 years of experience, Harrison has successfully placed attorneys at over 1,000 law firms, including:

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He has also placed hundreds of law firm partners and has worked on firm and practice area mergers, helping law firms strategically grow their teams.

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Harrison Barnes is not just the most effective legal recruiter in the country, he is also the founder of BCG Attorney Search, a recruiting powerhouse that has helped thousands of attorneys transform their careers. His vision for BCG goes beyond just job placement; it is built on a mission to provide attorneys with opportunities they would never have access to otherwise. Unlike traditional recruiting firms, BCG Attorney Search operates as a career partner, not just a placement service. The firm's unparalleled resources, including a team of over 150 employees, enable it to offer customized job searches, direct outreach to firms, and market intelligence that no other legal recruiting service provides. Attorneys working with Harrison and BCG gain access to hidden opportunities, real-time insights on firm hiring trends, and guidance from a team that truly understands the legal market. You can read more about how BCG Attorney Search revolutionizes legal recruiting here: The Story of BCG Attorney Search and What We Do for You.

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With an unmatched track record of success, a vast team of over 150 dedicated employees, and a reach into every market and practice area, Harrison Barnes is the recruiter who makes career transformations happen and has the talent and resources behind him to make this happen.

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Unlike most recruiters who work with only a narrow subset of attorneys, Harrison Barnes works with lawyers at all stages of their careers, from junior associates to senior partners, in every practice area imaginable. His placements are not limited to only those with "elite" credentials-he has helped thousands of attorneys, including those who thought it was impossible to move firms, find their next great opportunity.

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Harrison believes that every attorney-no matter their background, law school, or previous experience-has the potential to find success in the right law firm environment. Many attorneys come to him feeling stuck in their careers, underpaid, or unsure of their next steps. Through his unique ability to identify the right opportunities, he helps attorneys transform their careers in ways they never thought possible.

He has worked with:

• Attorneys making below-market salaries who went on to double or triple their earnings at new firms.
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For attorneys who think their options are limited, Harrison Barnes has proven time and time again that opportunities exist-often in places they never expected.

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About BCG Attorney Search

BCG Attorney Search matches attorneys and law firms with unparalleled expertise and drive, while achieving results. Known globally for its success in locating and placing attorneys in law firms of all sizes, BCG Attorney Search has placed thousands of attorneys in law firms in thousands of different law firms around the country. Unlike other legal placement firms, BCG Attorney Search brings massive resources of over 150 employees to its placement efforts locating positions and opportunities its competitors simply cannot. Every legal recruiter at BCG Attorney Search is a former successful attorney who attended a top law school, worked in top law firms and brought massive drive and commitment to their work. BCG Attorney Search legal recruiters take your legal career seriously and understand attorneys. For more information, please visit www.BCGSearch.com.