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What to Expect in a Lateral Move [Kevin Quinn] Lateral moves are becoming more common by the day among attorneys. There are obstacles in your way if you are planning on it, but there are also benefits that can make it all worthwhile.
For most attorneys fresh out of law school,
lateral hiring director in the human resourc-
you are really good at explaining things away
associate status is the most obvious way to
es department that specializes in looking
(which can be a large part of being a lawyer,
start a legal career. You sign up with that
for qualified attorneys that were raised by
anyway, so it should be a good test for you),
firm you clerked at during school, practi-
other firms to join their firm. Many of these
this could be a huge bump in the road. Life
cally kill yourself trying to bill 60 hours a
lateral hiring directors hardly have to look
experience outside of the law can be seen as
week, yet, at the same time, you pull in pay
very hard, though, as any large firm will have
a positive thing, however, depending on how
checks that make all those sleepless nights
lateral associate candidates climbing up the
you frame it.
bent over your “Evidence” law books thinking
walls to get a chance to see what life is like
“Why me?” worth the trouble.
in a different environment. What differenti-
If you are currently an associate in good
ates those attorneys who get the new jobs
standing at a top firm, they will want to know
Of course, things change for many attor-
from those that are stuck where you are?
what kind of progress you have made in
neys. Maybe around your second or third
Several factors:
your position and what kind of impression the partners in your firm have of you. If a
year, when you are still stuck with the same ridiculous standard for billing hours that you created when trying to show off in the first few months, your attitude about your new job may start to sour. You could realize that what you are doing is incredibly tedious, perhaps you want to remove the futon from the office and start sharing your nights with your family, or maybe the partner you are assigned to is just a relentless jerk. Well, these are all perfectly valid reasons to start consider making a lateral move. The questions you have to ask yourself, however, are whether you can find something better based on your experience, whether now is the time where you can get the best position, and what a new position can do for you. It used to be unheard of for attorneys to
Academic Performance -- To some firms, you could be 15 years removed from law school, worked at the most prestigious firms in the country, and they will still demand to see your transcripts. While it is mostly more of an East Coast phenomenon to place a huge emphasis on education, where you went to law school and how you performed there is going to be considered in the decision to hire you. If you recently got a decent job out of an average performance at a fourth-tier law school, you might want to hang onto that for a while, especially in an economy like this one. Additionally, if you have done anything else in the academic realm - such as write an article that was respected in the legal community or get an L.L.M -- that certainly helps your cause.
has become more the exception than the rule. The need to relocate, recession-related cutbacks, unhappiness with a work situation -- anything can contribute to the need to move to a new firm. In fact, most of the larger firms in the country have a special
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probably won’t be asking for letters of recommendation, so you will have to show your worth to your current firm in other ways. One way to do this is to emphasize the amount of responsibility given to you, within what time frame you were granted significant responsibility, and how that relates to other associates of your year. If you are in your first year at a large firm, for example, and you were allowed client contact or you are billing one of the firm’s largest clients, that shows that they respect and trusted you (or that they are incredibly short-handed). It never hurts to have billed an obscene amount of hours, either - but don’t emphasize that as a selling point if you are trying to move to work less, as a new firm will probably expect the same effort of you if allow that firm to.
switch firms. Recently, an entire career spent working within the same four walls
job search is being conducted covertly, you
Work Experience -- Obviously, firms that are looking to hire will want to know what you have been up to since you graduated from law school. If you did not choose to go into the legal profession immediately after graduation, firms may think you lack the motivation it takes to be at a top firm. Unless
Portable Clients -- Did you do some work for Microsoft and they loved you so much that you have vowed to never ever let you go? Well, take them with you and any firm would be glad to have you. If you are a first year associate, a lateral hiring director will prob-
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CAREER COUNSELOR’S CORNER
ably not expect you to show up with a million
Is now the time to move?
you can handle a lower salary.
dollars of business in your pocket. If, however, you are a partner or a senior associate, it
If you have a secure job in a firm that doesn’t
may be difficult to find a position if you can’t
treat you too badly, then why throw that away
promise to bring in any new business. Besides bringing in money to your firm, bringing old
just as bad (or worse)? The grass may always
clients to a new firm gives you the endorse-
seem greener on the other side, but right now,
ment of satisfied customers.
Your attitude - Not coming off well in the interview process is certain death to any job hopes. It may sound trite, but no one will want to hire you if they don’t like you. Even the stodgiest law firm, where you could walk the halls
What are the advantages of a lateral move?
for a chance at another firm that could be Believe it or not, there are many reasons to
if your firm is not laying you off, the green-
consider a move that may actually make your
est grass might be the stuff under your feet.
career more viable. Besides the obvious - un-
The job market is not great right now, with a
happiness, the hours are too long, that you are
lot of qualified attorneys who just got walking
working at a firm that does not like the work
papers searching for their next career op-
you do, thereby making career advancement
portunity and a lot of firms not really looking
impossible, there are several other reasons to
to take on extra bodies, so staying where you
move to another firm where your talents may
for hours and hear nothing but typing behind
are may be the best option. If you feel like you
be better appreciated.
closed doors, will pretend (and maybe even
may never make partner there or that you are
believe) that the firm emphasizes collegiality,
under-appreciated and overworked, well, as
Erasing failures - If, in your first few months
at least on some level, and they want people
bad as it is, you might want to just ride it out
of work at your current firm, you made some
who will at least give an appearance of fitting
until the economy gets better.
sort of snafu that did no real damage except
might want to let the firm know that nothing
That being said, it never hurts to look, as long
not get you fired, the partners may be less
makes you happier than staying up until 2 a.m.
as you are covert about it. No attorney looking
inclined to advance you. While you could just
working on case files (especially if it is true).
for a new firm should ever let anyone know at
in. Enthusiasm is also important to show. You
to your reputation within the firm, and did
his or her current firm know as it could lead
remain there, hoping to erase the memory of past errors by working like a dog, you can
Being in the right practice area - There may be little you can do about it now, but in tough economic times, what practice area you are in is the major factor deciding which attorneys are going to get a job. If you are currently working in a variety of practice areas without specialization, then you should start playing the hand that is getting the most work at the time to find a new job. As it stands, quality litigators are always in style, while the recession has absolutely destroyed the market for
to disaster if you don’t get hired somewhere
simple erase these things by starting over
else. Partners want to think that you love it
with a clean slate. Minor errors don’t usually
corporate attorneys. There is hope for anyone
Many firms are, in fact, still hiring. Lateral
with great credentials, but a lot of firms are
hiring has overtaken law school recruiting in
laying off highly qualified attorneys that they
many firms across the country as firms seek
are loathe to let go of, so they will not be likely
to take on more experienced attorneys. In
to hire replacements, no matter the quality of
order to be hired in a down market, you need
the attorney. It all comes down to how much
to have excellent credentials, or you have to
work a firm has in a certain practice area,
be willing to settle for less. A rainmaker is
and you might want to investigate that before
welcome anywhere, so if you have business
you approach a firm, as you do not waste your
of your own that you can carry to a prospec-
time pitching yourself to a place that is about
tive hiring firm, the chances for finding a new
to gut itself.
position increase exponentially. If you are
there, and if there is evidence that you do not,
follow you, unless you are prone to making
you will either be let go or buried in the most
them again.
menial tasks. You wouldn’t tell your current mate or any of his or her friends that you are going to cruise the bars, hoping for something a little better - don’t fool yourself that your commitment to your firm is taken any less seriously by the higher-ups.
looking to move after your first year of hell at a giant firm, you might try looking for smaller
Higher compensation - One of the main reasons to move jobs is, of course, more money. A salary structure may already be in place at your current firm, and it can be a more daunting task to try and renegotiate that than to just go out and find someone who will pay you more for your skills. More interesting work - Most firms seeking lateral hires will want someone who can jump in and take on work that is more advanced than the entry-level tasks that you may still be doing at your current firm. Of course, an associate is not likely to come into a new firm as a partner (unless he was close to making the leap at his old firm), but you can significantly increase your responsibilities, depending on the firm you choose.
firms or maybe even government positions, if
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Switching practice areas - Perhaps the nature of your current practice area no longer appeals to you. It is usually easier to switch gears when you are moving than with your current firm. It is hard to re-establish oneself as a litigator in your firm when you have been doing corporate work for years. These tips are, of course, not the final say in lateral movement decisions. Occasionally, attorneys move to firms that many would consider out of their league. Other attorneys move into situations that are seemingly no better than the one they were trying to get out of, or even into worse situations. Only you can decide whether a move is a prudent decision given your background, marketability, and current situation. Whatever you decide, it is perfectly natural now to try out a few firms before you find one that seems like a permanent fit.
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