Anonymous wrote:dunno about DOL, but the regional attorneys at the NLRB who investigate and try cases tend to be very high quality. I think it's also harder than shit to get hired at the NLRB. I have a decent amount of NLRB trial experience and have to guess I'd have to try for a while to get a gig there (and even if I did, it might not be in this area).

OP here -- I am well aware that it is a terrible time to be looking, but I have some time, and I am also aware that many agency jobs are more prestigious than biglaw. I am also obviously prepared to take a pay cut. I had a second child very close to my first, unplanned, and had planned to continue to practice, so its also not an issue of poor planning. I really was just wondering if any agencies are moving at all, and will continue post shutdown.

I have reasonable education credentials, good firm experience, but not great on any level. I am really average, and have not committed myself to volunteering. I am honestly really just looking for a job right now -- I need to get paid a reasonable salary. So maybe the post office thing is a good idea.

The quality of the lawyers at places like Labor, HUD and HHS, in comparison, is really low. Some of those people are astoundingly stupid and could never have gotten a foot into the door at a BigLaw firm.

Anonymous wrote:I assume you are OK with a huge paycut and don't need to make seventh year associate pay?

The postal service is often hiring for people to litigate contract disputes. The work is deadly dull and the pay is lower than the GS scale (you will probably start around 80-90k).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here. Slight hijack -- curious what fed opportunities an experienced management-side labor/employment associate should explore (other than the most obvious agencies).

I am not a labor law attorney, but AFAICT, every agency needs management-side labor law attorneys because every agency has its own HR dept and own employment law issues. EPA, or Interior, or Ag. all have thousands of employees and the agency management need counselling on labor law issues (union and non-union). It's actually one of the few areas where there's some mobility from agency to agency.

Anonymous wrote:I've worked at one BigLaw firm and one regulatory agency. The "private firm b.s" I saw came in the form of shameful condescension toward non-attorneys, and flagrant taking credit for the work of those below one in the hierarchy. At my agency job now, everyone is kind to everyone, and those at the top freely acknowledge when someone below them is an expert or has a good idea. For me at least, the non-financial benefits are enormous; I can imagine nothing worse than returning to that firm.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't waste your time. The attorneys who will screen your resume will often be the types who couldn't hack it as a second or third-year associate, so they'll look for reasons to find fault with someone who is smarter than they are and lasted until they were a senior associate.


With a general litigation background, I'd look for an in-house position in MD or VA.

First paragraph spoken like a true moron based on my 26 yrs. in fed service after private practice... most of the hiring people I dealt with and saw were easily as good as the private practice types I know and dealt with and in many cases better, as far as substantive expertise (but may have chosen to avoid the private firm b.s.). Your stereotype is easy and snarky and maybe it works somewhere, but not with the people I worked with at my agency & others.

So tell us, how many federal applications have you put in and been rejected for? You sound angry and entitled.

Thanks for proving the point. It's why the OP will probably have a hard time. The government hiring attoneys don't want talent, but instead mostly younger lawyers even dumber than they are whom they can boss around while claiming they are above the "private firm b.s."