Attorney Career Transition Resources

Are you considering leaving the big city for a secondary market? Find out the 5 factors you should consider when deciding if making the move is right for you. READ MORE >

Learn more about which US states and territories allow foreign attorneys to waive into the bar and what their requirements are in this comprehensive guide. READ MORE >

Learn 9 reasons moving to another market as a law firm attorney is the ultimate way to get ahead in your career. READ MORE >

Want to be at the top of the legal profession? You should work at a major New York City law firm if you want to learn how to get there. READ MORE >

Thinking about leaving your current firm? Read this article before you do. READ MORE >

Find out if getting an LL.M. degree will help or hurt the future of your legal career in this article. READ MORE >

Have you passed the bar in one state and want to work in another? Find out what your options are in this article. READ MORE >

Question: When should a job offer be considered a "firm" offer for the purpose of giving notice to your current employer?

When the offer is first made, it is usually contingent upon successful conflicts, reference and background checks. The necessary information and authorizations to do those checks are usually provided when the offer is accepted.

If neither the candidate nor the firm anticipates any problems, should the candidate assume the offer is firm at this point? Or should the candidate wait to hear back from the firm before giving notice? If that's the case, how long should the candidate wait, and how many follow-up calls should he/she make? READ MORE >

Question: I graduated from Columbia and have been working as a corporate lawyer in a big downtown firm for the last six months. For personal reasons (my significant other, whom I met only a couple of months before graduating from law school), I want to move to the Bay Area as soon as possible. I have several questions: READ MORE >

Question: I am currently a second-year associate at a national firm in Boston. Though my grades were very average, I interviewed with the firm when the economy was booming, and was hired as a summer student. I should also mention that I graduated from a very high ranking law school.

I recently became engaged to an investment banker in New York. I asked the managing partner of my Boston firm about the possibilities of transferring to the New York office. He said not to worry, and set me up with the New York office for a round of interviews.

Unfortunately, the New York office will not hire me. I have not been given any reasons, either by the New York office of my firm, or from anyone in Boston.

The immediate fallout from this is that some of the partners in my own department have stopped giving me assignments, saying that they do not want to waste their time with me since my goal is to be in New York. A few partners insisted that I be kept on because my work is good. So, for the moment, I still have a job.

I still want to move to New York, and have been quietly looking at other firms there. However, the few interviews that I have had with large national firms have not been successful. Everyone asks me why I do not just transfer to the New York office of my Boston firm. My response is that the firms don't, as a matter of practice, transfer junior associates around that easily. This answer is difficult to swallow for firms that do, in fact, transfer people around. What should I tell firms when they ask why I just don’t transfer to the New York office of my current firm? READ MORE >

Question: I am trying to help my husband make the right decision. He was let go from his firm last week. Come to find out he was pretty much brought in to "back up" (turned out to be more like undermine) a partner who didn't want to be backed up.

Anyway, he's in tax and T&E, small firm background (two firms with top lawyers), 15 years of experience and only $70,000 in portables. As you can imagine, the firms either want someone with a lot less experience or a lot more business.

This past weekend, we talked about his options. I asked him where he wants to be in 5 years and he said he wants to be in a small firm bringing in about $200,000. I then asked how does he get there from here and his answer was to go out on his own. He is confident that he can make it work. He is developing a good referral base – accountants, other lawyers, and financial planners.

In your opinion, is this a smart move?

READ MORE >