Any advice for a former federal government conflicts and compliance attorney who wants to pivot to private sector? Over 10 years of experience in this field, but no prior law firm experience is causing me to not be considered for most positions. It’s become so frustrating because I know I can perform the qualifications of the positions and learn the specific databases quickly, but no firm is willing to give me a chance in this current job market.

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Following because I’m curious

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Check out Ward and Berry PLLC - they only do private government work - they are amazing people!

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Thanks so much for the suggestion. I’ll look into them.

You’ve got to network. You can’t just apply. Find some firm attorneys in your field and talk to them. LinkedIn is a great resource for that

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You’ve got to just keep trying. They’re probably swamped with work

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Have you applied to any in house positions or just firms?

I’ve applied to a few in-house positions, but mostly firms. I’m not opposed to in-house. I just don’t know how to go about seeking similar roles for those beyond what’s advertised on LinkedIn and other job sites.

I have had numerous bad experiences with ex-government lawyers, frankly. So have many others. In a space like yours, though, I would not expect as much resistance. I would try networking and just keep looking. You almost always need some kind of connection to go straight into biglaw from gov.

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