Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you open to other locations? the DC market is saturated but I’m getting interviews in house at companies in the Midwest and firms in Baltimore.

Not OP, but am in the same boat and totally game for work outside of DC. Congrats on your interviews! Would appreciate any advice you have on best ways to drum up interest - are you finding success via recruiters or are you proactively applying for positions of interest?

I am working with a recruiter and reaching out to my network via linked in. I practiced in a midwestern state before moving to DC 15 years ago. I’m in the energy/environment/natural resources field.

I took a nonlegal, JD-preferred position at a state agency adjacent to the federal agency I worked at. I was overqualified, but I think had the skills the hiring manager wanted but didn’t otherwise expect to get. (I started applying for jobs on Day 1 of the executive order barrage and had the offer in Feb, well before applications for every job skyrocketed.) Came in senior enough to have a lot of autonomy, but still a big paycut. But still doable for my family’s finances.

Unfortunately, having 20+ years of experience is a huge albatross for lawyers looking or forced to move.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are open to another field, and have relatively niche experience, look at publishing. There are some legal journals that pay their legal editors decently, and there is always Bloomberg.

OP. I'd prefer another field, honestly. I'd be completely open to legal journals, and am an excellent writer, but I'm finding not a lot of jobs are as open to "transferrable skills" when they have so many people with direct experience laid off and also applying.

Look for "legal editor" positions.

Anonymous wrote:Are you open to other locations? the DC market is saturated but I’m getting interviews in house at companies in the Midwest and firms in Baltimore.

Not OP, but am in the same boat and totally game for work outside of DC. Congrats on your interviews! Would appreciate any advice you have on best ways to drum up interest - are you finding success via recruiters or are you proactively applying for positions of interest?

OP, would you consider a corporate role in contracts (assuming that your federal job provided some relevant experience)?

Anonymous wrote:Are you open to other locations? the DC market is saturated but I’m getting interviews in house at companies in the Midwest and firms in Baltimore.

I was going to suggest this also. The legal markets in other parts of the country are better. That being said, even if you’re in a hotter market, if you’re relatively senior, it could take awhile. I’m looking for senior-level in house jobs (after having worked on house for 15 years) and it took me 5 months to get the first interview. I know 5 year attorneys who are getting multiple offers for new jobs in just a couple of months.

Are you open to other locations? the DC market is saturated but I’m getting interviews in house at companies in the Midwest and firms in Baltimore.

Anonymous wrote:If you are open to another field, and have relatively niche experience, look at publishing. There are some legal journals that pay their legal editors decently, and there is always Bloomberg.

OP. I'd prefer another field, honestly. I'd be completely open to legal journals, and am an excellent writer, but I'm finding not a lot of jobs are as open to "transferrable skills" when they have so many people with direct experience laid off and also applying.

Anonymous wrote:I feel you, OP. This is a very hard market with all the people who've lost their jobs. I see lots of people advising everyone to use their network. But what if your network is the same as everyone else's (some of these markets are small/niche) and it's saturated, too?

OP. The other issue is my "network" is other feds out of a job.

They are getting whatever they can. I am seeing senior and talented people getting small law and mid-law roles. Sad because if DOGE didn't happen these folks would have been partners at large firms.

I feel you, OP. This is a very hard market with all the people who've lost their jobs. I see lots of people advising everyone to use their network. But what if your network is the same as everyone else's (some of these markets are small/niche) and it's saturated, too?

If you are open to another field, and have relatively niche experience, look at publishing. There are some legal journals that pay their legal editors decently, and there is always Bloomberg.

Sorry you’re having to deal with this.

IME the higher your level, the longer it takes to land. Don’t aim lower thinking it will be easier, because most people don’t want to hire a mismatched fit like that, Either because they know you’ll be unsatisfied or because they know you’ll eventually take their job. No one wants to supervise someone who should be supervising them. Keep looking for a good match. It’s out there, but it might take longer to land.

This is so incredibly frustrating. I'm either "overqualified" or competing with a billion other folks. I'd be open to other fields (like nonprofit, which I'd love to get involved with) but that field is not panning out either as I'm competing with laid off nonprofit folks who have direct experience in their fields.

Any thoughts or insights?

I've an impeccable resume with superb references. And yes, I know many people do. But not even getting any real bites from very low level legal support positions. I don't need any snark, honestly, so if that's you just move along. I'm not naive to the world and how it works and I knew this would be tough. But it's worse than I thought and it's super frustrating and I'm on the verge of tears (and I'm not a cryer).