Leave federal gov't for law firm?

[Anonymous]

A lot of law firms are doing layoffs right now, I’d stick with federal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Switch to another Fed position that allows hybrid.

Agreed. My fed agency (HHS) is doing up to 5 days a week telework right now. As a DOJ attorney, you shouldn’t have too much difficulty lateraling to another agency. If time with kids is more important there is nothing better than the government. But if you want the extra money, the firm job is the way to go. I don’t think it makes sense to do part time( especially in this economy) and you should just embrace full time ad make partner if you choose that option.

[Anonymous]

OP here. The "lower" pay tracks with better work/life balance than other typical biglaw firms with huge PPPs, so it's a worthwhile trade-off. Also, given the field I'd be going to, I don't think layoffs / too little work will be an issue. But if I'm moving for the flexibility, and it turns out there is actual less flexibility because I'm inundated with work, that would be a huge regret. Thanks y'all for the thoughts! I haven't made a decision but will take the many suggestions to look at other federal gov't positions in the meantime.

[Anonymous]

Seriously OP, I have a bridge to sell you too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. The "lower" pay tracks with better work/life balance than other typical biglaw firms with huge PPPs, so it's a worthwhile trade-off.

LOL. You have no idea what you’re getting into. Firms with lower PPP can be just as demanding, except you get paid less. Even if you luck out and end up in a “good” group, clients can still make your life miserable.

[Anonymous]

Who is telling you this stuff? Or are you just assuming? Lower pay does not equal less pressure/better hours - in fact sometimes there is way more business generation pressure at every level bc they don’t have the institutional clients of a Skadden or wherever.

[Anonymous]

I was brought into to a purported lifestyle firm with a "low a$$hole quotient" by a great guy (with whom I previously worked). 1800 billable hours required, but I was told people routinely did not meet it without repercussions. I was also told I would not have to bring in business because I was counsel. Doubled my government compensation.

All lies. I jumped back to government after an embarrassingly short period of time..

If your priority is time with your kids, Biglaw is never the answer. You can move to another section of DOJ with hybrid or another agency. SEC Enforcement is hiring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was brought into to a purported lifestyle firm with a "low a$$hole quotient" by a great guy (with whom I previously worked). 1800 billable hours required, but I was told people routinely did not meet it without repercussions. I was also told I would not have to bring in business because I was counsel. Doubled my government compensation.

All lies. I jumped back to government after an embarrassingly short period of time..

If your priority is time with your kids, Biglaw is never the answer. You can move to another section of DOJ with hybrid or another agency. SEC Enforcement is hiring.

This aligns with EVERY story I have heard, OP. As someone who has did big law and then government, I know plenty of people in both.

[Anonymous]

I thought in-house was the work life balance pay bump over gov?

[Anonymous]

OP here. So that is the other wrinkle: I would have a much better shot at going in-house from this law firm position than the gov't position I'm currently in. Worst-case scenario it's a stepping stone to in-house.

It's people there who told me -- there are a ton of laterals, and they said they could be making more elsewhere but the culture and work/life balance is better. The BigLaw points are well taken though.. at the end of the day it comes down to profits based on rates x hours which doesn't leave much wiggle room. The cautionary tales are helpful, thanks y'all.

[Anonymous]

Just as a devils advocate, I left gov for big law counsel role and find I have way more flexibility. But it really does depend on your practice area - if you have an important niche you can get away with working less. I feel like regulatory is a good niche for example. Litigation not so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just as a devils advocate, I left gov for big law counsel role and find I have way more flexibility. But it really does depend on your practice area - if you have an important niche you can get away with working less. I feel like regulatory is a good niche for example. Litigation not so much.

+1. associate in a regulatory group here. So so much flexibility. If a kid is home sick, I’ll just work from home the whole week. One week I wfh certain days when I need to do bus stop with kids, other days I put in a long day while DH manages at home stuff. But I can change week to week and day to day. I can work in the morning from 5:30 to 7:30 before the kids get up. Or a couple hours at night after they’re in bed which allows me to chaperone a field trip or take them to appointments. I never work weekends aside from a few emails and maybe proofreading a document. I make more than double what I’d make in gov. DH is gov so we still get the favorable health care. I do agree with others on not starting out part time. I’m full time and it’s not an issue if there’s a slow stretch and I basically work part time and end up not coming close to the hours threshold. You have to be ok not getting that big bonus, but there’s no issue for me there at $400,000 base.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. So that is the other wrinkle: I would have a much better shot at going in-house from this law firm position than the gov't position I'm currently in. Worst-case scenario it's a stepping stone to in-house.

It's people there who told me -- there are a ton of laterals, and they said they could be making more elsewhere but the culture and work/life balance is better. The BigLaw points are well taken though.. at the end of the day it comes down to profits based on rates x hours which doesn't leave much wiggle room. The cautionary tales are helpful, thanks y'all.

I’ve been at 4 different firms and truly—they were all wildly different from one another about all this stuff. I know of one firm in town where I think you could really get what you’re looking for, so I’m guessing there are others too. It just might not be easy to know going in if you found the diamond in the rough or not. It’s certainly worth a try.

[Anonymous]

My husband left firm life when we had a child. He took a huge pay cut and has never been happier. You really can't overstate the value of a set number of hours per week, guaranteed federal holidays off, and vacation time without feeling like the billable clock is ticking. I mean when he was still at the firm he was the best man at his best friend's wedding in Mexico and he literally went to the wedding, stayed around an hour for the reception and then went back to the hotel room to fire up his laptop and keep working. It was the wildest thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My husband left firm life when we had a child. He took a huge pay cut and has never been happier. You really can't overstate the value of a set number of hours per week, guaranteed federal holidays off, and vacation time without feeling like the billable clock is ticking. I mean when he was still at the firm he was the best man at his best friend's wedding in Mexico and he literally went to the wedding, stayed around an hour for the reception and then went back to the hotel room to fire up his laptop and keep working. It was the wildest thing.

I did essentially the same thing at my birthday party in Vegas a long time ago. How stupid! I was working for a partner who expected me back online after I got off the plane. I couldn't keep up with the hours, even before kids.