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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Several SLC in my DOJ office left (before DOGE) to be partners in Biglaw firms. Both failed spectacularly. Less recently a friend left to be the workhorse partner to a big-gov-name partner; they worked very hard and became quite successful. I know another lawyer who succeeded beautifully as a big law partner post-DOJ, but they were in an high profile appointed position, and had been a partner in a different firm before that.[/quote]

This is excellent info. Some attorneys can pull in business because they had a huge title in govt (e.g. head of DOJ white collar crime, head of an agency).

But most government attorneys affected by Project 2025 and Trump don’t fall into that category.

All of those attorneys are now trying to chart a career path forward. [/quote]

Yes. Your average GS15 would probably struggle mightily, if they could even get a job as a biglaw partner. FWIW, the difference between those I mentioned who failed and those who succeeded? It was social skills. It seems to me that this should be obvious, that in most cases being a good lawyer is necessary but not sufficient for success as a partner given what the job actually entails, but to many it doesn’t seem to be. I was career, but worked with the appointed folks pretty closely, and we would call it “walking and talking.” It was hard to find line attorneys good at both. Those who were brilliant subject matter experts often couldn’t even be trusted to behave normally, and those with great social skills and a sufficient understanding of mores (including what to wear) often didn’t know what they were talking about. The gov is a weird place. But so is biglaw.[/quote]

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