Transcript
"For the past 10 years, I've split my time between private practice and working for my state assemblyman. He's a member of the New York state legislature. I don't want to continue working in either position, but haven't had any success finding a new job. My strengths are legal research and drafting, motions, briefs, et cetera. I'm looking to relocate to London or Washington DC. Can you help me? What am I doing wrong? What can I do to improve? I've read a few of your articles online, and I would appreciate your opinion."
One of the things I would say is it's very difficult for people with a litigation background, especially, to relocate to London, just because that's a different... It is a common law legal system, but you won't be admitted to the bar there. Another thing I would say is that Washington DC is one of the most competitive legal markets there is. Especially for people with litigation backgrounds, because lots of people want to work there. That's very difficult, especially if you're in New York. I don't know what kind of work you're doing in private practice, and if you don't like it, that's probably a problem. Most law firms want to see someone who's committed to a certain geographic location and a certain type of work. The way you're going to get hired by another law firm is by demonstrating some sort of commitment to where you're living specifically or what you're doing. You either need to choose working for an assemblyman, or you need to choose working in private practice.
If you like legal research and drafting motions and briefs, and you worked in the government, my advice and what I would say, probably if I spoke to you would be, you might be actually very well suited to be a career law clerk, even for a federal judge or a state judge or something. Those are actually very good jobs in my opinion. There's a lot of employment stability. And for people that like to read and write, are just great jobs, because you can write and think and all sorts of things. So that would be my advice.