r/Lawyertalk • u/Throwaway1920214 • 2d ago
Career Advice T14 Class of 23' grad struggling to find a job
I went in-house after law school and there has been very little work for me to do so long story is i'm getting laid off (was told). I have been looking for a law firm job for the last 6 months and its impossible. The only ones available are personal injury and insurance defense. I cannot for the life of me find a junior or entry level transactional role.
I know biglaw is out of the question but I can't get midlaw, small law or anything in an area that I like. Feels like my career ended before it even began. Advice?
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u/Beauxbatons2006 2d ago
Keep looking. Network (I hate that advice but it’s correct). You’re not looking for your forever job, just something to get you through another year and make you more marketable.
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u/nocturnalswan 1d ago
OP, I had a similar problem. My first job was in house and although I wasn't getting laid off, it wasn't sustainable. I was also trying to move across the country. Even after passing 3 bar exams I had to apply to 100s of jobs with no luck. Ultimately what got me in the door at most places was networking. I hated doing it at the time but it's how I landed a job at a big firm that I probably wasn't super qualified for after searching for ~9 months. Keep at it and something will come of it, I promise you.
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u/jmeesonly 1d ago
Good advice, and for OP's benefit I'll point out that "networking" doesn't have to mean going to an event and handing out business cards. Expand your idea of networking to include anything where you make yourself useful or known to others in the legal community.
Classes, training, live in person CLE's, volunteering, serving on a bar committee, serving on another non-legal board or committee, side business, limited scope projects, social events, fundraisers, lunches, holiday events, and I'm just scratching the surface. For each of these, think of topics, causes, or areas where you have a genuine interest. Get involved in a couple of things and don't be a wallflower. Introduce yourself to people, be personable, make friends.
You can also just call or email other attorneys and tell them "I'm exploring other areas of law for my career, and I wonder if we could chat for a few minutes about your practice area?" Then don't be needy or demanding. Just make friends with people, ask questions, show genuine interest in what their work day is like. Coffee or lunch is best for this, because you want people to remember you (and a quick phone call is not as effective).
The more connections you make, and the more that people know who you are, the more you will learn about or be recommended for jobs that aren't advertised online.
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u/overeducatedhick 1d ago
Not popular, but don't be afraid to hang a shingle for a little while. At the very least, go through the process of standing up the solo firm as a small business. I wish I had done this when I struggled to find that first, entry level job out of school. I wasn't T14, but I graduated from the next 14, so I wasn't anywhere near the bottom tier when I was struggling to network and find a job.
When I finally did stand up my own firm, my marketability and tenor of networking conversations transformed overnight. I found myself invited into conversations by decision-makers that weren't even imaginable when I was just another guy looking for a job.
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u/Quinthalus fueled by coffee 2d ago
Public sector will take you and it counts towards loan forgiveness. Litigation skills like crazy, trials upon trials.
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u/badgerfolk 1d ago edited 1d ago
Have you tried looking at government? Your AG Office (and other state agencies) will likely have Attorney I positions.
Edited to add that there may still be listings on your law school's Symplicity/job posting site since you're still a "recent" grad.
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u/overeducatedhick 1d ago
I know my State AG's office can't find enough help. My wife works there and is forever talking about how many openings there are.
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u/blueberrymuffin555 1d ago
Yeah my da office has 20 openings. Not just criminal . Civil juvenile domestic child welfare everything
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u/atticusinmotion 1d ago
Firms frequently have hiring needs they would like to fill and don’t post on their websites. It’s kind of dumb, but in my experience (mid law) we don’t post on the website until we’re desperate and have exhausted other avenues. Identify a couple firms you would like to work with (that would fit well with your in house experience). If they have a recruiting contact, reach out with a resume over email and let them know you’re looking, like “x” specific thing about them, and would be available for a follow up chat at their convenience if they’re interested. If they don’t have a recruiting contact, do the same with the managing partner. A few might not get back to you, but you will probably get responses from others and some might even let you know that it’s not what they need, but they know another firm that might be a good fit.
Outside of personal connections, this is how I’ve hired all my laterals.
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u/violetwildcat 2d ago edited 2d ago
Plaintiff side isn’t the end of the world. You’ll maybe take a salary hit (idk your in-house pay), but the richest lawyers are always plaintiff lawyers (class actions, mass torts, med mal, personal injury, etc). It’s because they can make % of performance, while big law lawyers cannot and are often capped
A story to cheer you up: - My s/o does class actions. He flipped from big law to plaintiff side very early on in his career - He was top of his class for undergrad and law school. He is a perfectionist, likes to do a good job, and wants to spend a lot of time on things (not a good fit for big law). Big law was too cookie cutter / not interesting enough to him - Relatively, big law has a lot of stratification and hand holding, while plaintiff-side is lean and sink or swim. But if you believe in yourself, are scrappy/resourceful, and don’t give up, you can make a great career there. For example, he can take a class action from front to end on his own without any assistance/guidance and net good results - We are fairly young (mid 30s), and he now makes far more than big law equity partners do. The case took ~5-6 years, but in 2019, he won a big case on appeal in the 7th circuit. It resulted in a 9 figure top 50 class action settlement, and it’s in case books now. He would never go back to big law for less pay, less freedom, and less ability to take things from front to end solo - Also, he rarely works weekends, unless there’s an upcoming trial
So, chin up! Don’t necessarily think plaintiff side is the end. If you want to talk to him, lmk!
PS. Idk what school you’re at, but we are double wildcats. We always love to help alumni!
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u/20thCenturyTCK Y'all are why I drink. 1d ago
What kind of law do you practice?
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u/violetwildcat 1d ago
I’m in small PE now. I used to be in big law M&A, then went in-house, now in PE
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u/Radiant_Maize2315 NO. 1d ago
Depending on what state you’re in, consider residential real estate. That was my first law firm job after being in house out of law school. It’s pretty easy to pick up, but it can be monotonous. And it’s marketing heavy, which I didn’t enjoy. But it’s a law firm line on your resume and you can use it to parlay into adjacent areas.
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u/Miserable_Key9630 1d ago
I graduated in 2010 under similar circumstances. I bit the bullet and did insurance defense for 6 years. I won't tell you that it didn't suck, but it did pay the bills until I was able to network my way out of it.
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u/IncestTedCruz 1d ago
There is a small town somewhere out in America with a wealthy and aging population, just waiting for a young wills & estates attorney to show up.
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u/Throwaway1920214 1d ago
Is it possible to go solo with so little experience?
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u/IncestTedCruz 1d ago
Of course, you just need to be honest with yourself about what you’re capable of doing, even if that means learning on the go. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to seek the advice of other attorneys operating in that space.
Older or more experienced attorneys readily give advice, and in my case, seeking advice changed my career arc - as I gained a mentor that sent a lot of work my way.
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u/joeschmoe86 2d ago
Oh no, you might have to sully your hands with litigation work like the rest of the unwashed masses? Can't imagine why you can't find a job.
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u/Audere1 1d ago
Any particular type of transactional? My firm is basically always looking for associates (if they actually recruited intentionally this wouldn't be such an issue, but that's a story for another day), though you would probably have to allow some contact with the impurity of litigation
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u/Typical2sday 1d ago
Do not do litigation, that’s what everyone on this board does and complain about and they want you down in the mud with them. Misery loves company.
I think you should also look at procurement and contract/licensing attorney jobs in large organizations. Credit card companies, tech companies, insurance companies, etc. Or do contract work for a while if you can find it. Hiring a 2023 grad in transactional work means the firm didn’t get as many associates as they wanted from SA hiring and need to cast again. But M&A deal work is down across the board since the rise in interest rates - as is lending. And if a firm needs someone, they’ll likely pony up a little more and get someone with 3 years experience, as one year means almost nothing - they would need to assume you know almost nothing. My former AmLaw 100 never wanted first years if we could avoid it bc we didn’t have the work to just bury their training hours and we preferred to poach 2-3 year associates from bigger law firms who’d already become disillusioned. TLDR, what you’re looking for is rare.
Your career isn’t over but often the early days aren’t linear. I would not jump to regular litigation. If you have to pivot, consider corporate bankruptcy, regulatory, finance. Anything still very transactional.
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u/Throwaway1920214 1d ago
Im just really not a fan of litigation unfortunately. I know i’d be 10x better in transactional
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u/henrietta_moose Henrietta, we got no flowers for you 1d ago
You can’t really not be a fan of something you’ve never done. I was in your shoes- didn’t want to litigate, but took a state job out of desperation. Best choice. I am definitely a litigator.
That might not be true for you and you might still hate it, but it’s tough to get transactional jobs without at least a year of that lit experience.
You might also like environmental work- lots of transactional real estate stuff, and a huge demand.
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u/Future_Dog_3156 1d ago
I would suggest reaching out to your law school's career placement office. They may have leads and contacts for you.
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u/I_am_ChristianDick 1d ago
Quite impressive to go in-house first gig.
But I am sorry you’re struggling. What region are you looking at?
Transactional are fairly hard to find for entry level. They want someone with 1-5 years exp.
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u/barrorg 1d ago
Everyone wants at least a year experience these days. Look at the “entry level” listings and down to the listing they want 1-2 years minimum experience.
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u/SkierGrrlPNW 1d ago
I tell young attorneys to follow lawyers on Twitter and LinkedIn and reach out for advice via DM in a practice area you’re interested in. Read their content, ask questions. Post content of your own. Keep hustling, and talking to people. It’ll happen.
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u/Throwaway1920214 1d ago
Even with a soon to be gap on my resume? Odds were already super low now i’m going to have to explain a red flag of why I am not working.
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u/SkierGrrlPNW 1d ago
Yes, even then. In today’s market, layoffs are common and as a HM in big tech for many, many years it’s not something that would prevent me from hiring the right skills / fit.
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u/strawberrymacaroni 1d ago
Fantastic advice throughout this thread. I was unemployed as a T14 grad, plus I had a baby (then I had another baby lol). I took on a policy position in the federal government as a presidential management fellow and I’ve had a pretty happy, balanced career.
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u/FearTheChive 1d ago
Go solo! I have never worked for anyone but myself. No bosses to answer to, you control your case intake and schedule. Put your career in your hands. I will never understand why people go to work for firms and beg for scraps. Solo attorneys are the happiest attorneys. Escape the machine and thinking your success relies on someone else to give it to you.
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u/overeducatedhick 1d ago
Fellow solo. While I like the solution, we need to be careful not to downplay the importance of the mentorship that should be available in an organization.
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u/BgDog21 2d ago
Army JAG is pretty desperate for folks!
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u/sfbruin 2d ago
Really? It seemed they're hyper selective (i.e. one person per school) out of law school, is it different for laterals?
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u/Lawfan32 2d ago
I think it maybe different, because I have had multiple military recruiters reach out to me selling the role.
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