Biglaw lateral question

[Anonymous]

I currently am a senior Biglaw associate. My firm is OK but there is no path to partnership for me because we lost a few key rainmakers. I am on a long matter that will definitely wrap up in June. Was planning to start looking for other jobs then. This week, I got a call out of the blue from a smaller (I guess midlawish) firm that I have long admired. They want me to come in to interview. I would feel bad about leaving my firm before this matter is complete. Would it be totally unreasonable for me to tell the new firm that if I were to get an offer, I could start in June? Or will such a long lag time kill my chances?

[Anonymous]

If you were talking about a matter of weeks, sure, but you are talking about nearly a year. I doubt your current firm would feel the same sense of loyalty to you if things went downhill there. If I were you, I'd jump ship while you have the opportunity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you were talking about a matter of weeks, sure, but you are talking about nearly a year. I doubt your current firm would feel the same sense of loyalty to you if things went downhill there. If I were you, I'd jump ship while you have the opportunity.

OP would not have to tell the old firm immediately, even if she accepted the job. The bigger question is whether the new firm would hold a job open for eight months. Not unheard of but also not ideal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you were talking about a matter of weeks, sure, but you are talking about nearly a year. I doubt your current firm would feel the same sense of loyalty to you if things went downhill there. If I were you, I'd jump ship while you have the opportunity.

OP would not have to tell the old firm immediately, even if she accepted the job. The bigger question is whether the new firm would hold a job open for eight months. Not unheard of but also not ideal.

PP here. I'm saying go since this opportunity fell into your lap. You aren't burning bridges by not hanging around for EIGHT months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you were talking about a matter of weeks, sure, but you are talking about nearly a year. I doubt your current firm would feel the same sense of loyalty to you if things went downhill there. If I were you, I'd jump ship while you have the opportunity.

OP would not have to tell the old firm immediately, even if she accepted the job. The bigger question is whether the new firm would hold a job open for eight months. Not unheard of but also not ideal.

PP here. I'm saying go since this opportunity fell into your lap. You aren't burning bridges by not hanging around for EIGHT months.

Other PP. i generally agree with you. But if she is the lead on a big matter, it is understandable that she would not want to just drop the ball in the middle. In terms of ethics codes, I think there are no issues. But it is understandable to feel loyalty to a client. Also might be good business sense if she wants that client to follow her to new firm.

[Anonymous]

Lol. No client is following OP from a big law firm to a smaller law firm. And loyalty to a client or a firm? There are some stupid people in this thread. OP, if you lose the job opportunity because of shortsightedness, that's on you. You're assuming your firm has no plans to shit can you before June. As a senior associate with no path to partnership and no book of business, you are a fungible good and have no business assuming you will make it to June.

[Anonymous]

You would be crazy not to fully pursue this opportunity. Do you really think your firm would ever put your interests above its own? What happens if in June after they no longer need you for this big matter they say you should move on and the new position is no longer there (which it won't be)? Your sense of loyalty and responsibility is admirable, but loyalty is a two way street.

[Anonymous]

The posters above have it right. If the big project at the current firm were so important to the current firm, you'd be on partner track. Screw feeling like you have to get the job done. However, the deeper you get into this project, the harder it will be to extricate. Make sure you have it documented for hand off so you don't burn any bridges and walk away.

[Anonymous]

I was in your position and my firm laid me off literally a week after my case settled. One day I was flying around taking depositions and billing crazy hours, the next i was out on my as s. Unlike you, I had no other offer.

Go. Go now. Don't look back. Your current firm will be just fine.

[Anonymous]

How can you be so sure the matter will (a) last until June and (b) definitely end then? If it is lit, it could settle before then, or if you are basing it on a trial date, those get pushed all the time. Similar issues for a corporate matter. Maybe regulatory deadline? But even those aren't set in stone.

Unless you think you will get some unique and valuable experience on this matter that would be bad for you to pass up (for your career) I don't think you should forgo this opportunity. (For example, if you are a litigator and you thought you would get actual trial experience - not just trial team - but a bunch of witnesses, maybe you think about it, since that experience is hard to come by. But you better be sure that it will really happen and that it will be worth it to you, since exit opportunities for senior associates from ok firms don't always come up all the time.)

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the advice. Now-another question. The firm that is recruiting me is considered a boutique. Very few associates. I would come in as counsel with expectation of becoming partner in a few years. They have a great reputation in a very niche litigation field. They pride themselves on being family-friendly, low billables, etc but also are open that partners do not get biglaw-level compensation (which I don't want).

Do some boutiques actually work like this? Or will I still be a slave to my iPhone 24/7?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the advice. Now-another question. The firm that is recruiting me is considered a boutique. Very few associates. I would come in as counsel with expectation of becoming partner in a few years. They have a great reputation in a very niche litigation field. They pride themselves on being family-friendly, low billables, etc but also are open that partners do not get biglaw-level compensation (which I don't want).

Do some boutiques actually work like this? Or will I still be a slave to my iPhone 24/7?

Op, you seem quite naive for someone who has been practicing law for so long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the advice. Now-another question. The firm that is recruiting me is considered a boutique. Very few associates. I would come in as counsel with expectation of becoming partner in a few years. They have a great reputation in a very niche litigation field. They pride themselves on being family-friendly, low billables, etc but also are open that partners do not get biglaw-level compensation (which I don't want).

Do some boutiques actually work like this? Or will I still be a slave to my iPhone 24/7?

Op, you seem quite naive for someone who has been practicing law for so long.

And you seem like a nasty person who doesn't get the concept of "advice." People who have been in biglaw for so long often do not know about the qol of other options.

I made switch from a biglaw regulatory practice to a boutique five years ago. Best move I ever made. Didn't take a big salary hit as a senior associate, but now as partner I don't make much more (around 300-350k usually). My hours are great. In the office from about 8-5 and then a little work after kids are in bed. But NOTHING like biglaw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you were talking about a matter of weeks, sure, but you are talking about nearly a year. I doubt your current firm would feel the same sense of loyalty to you if things went downhill there. If I were you, I'd jump ship while you have the opportunity.

OP would not have to tell the old firm immediately, even if she accepted the job. The bigger question is whether the new firm would hold a job open for eight months. Not unheard of but also not ideal.

PP here. I'm saying go since this opportunity fell into your lap. You aren't burning bridges by not hanging around for EIGHT months.

Other PP. i generally agree with you. But if she is the lead on a big matter, it is understandable that she would not want to just drop the ball in the middle. In terms of ethics codes, I think there are no issues. But it is understandable to feel loyalty to a client. Also might be good business sense if she wants that client to follow her to new firm.

Lol, biglaw clients don't follow associates (even senior associates) when they switch firms.

[Anonymous]

others have pointed this out, but OP, you should feel no ethical or moral obligation to stay at the firm until June. you would be foolish to pass up a good opportunity.

the firm will, without hesitation, unload you when things get slow or give you "the talk" (great work product, but you aren't going to make partner; maybe it's time to start looking...)

give whatever notice you think is necessary for your current firm to transition the work, whether that be two weeks, a month or two months, as long as your new firm is OK with that. fact is, you aren't 100% essential to this matter. that's the nice thing about biglaw - always plenty of bodies to step in and take over.