Has anyone made the move from private practice litigation to the DOJ or USAO and can tell me a little bit about what stands out to them, or if they are even interested in such laterals?

like
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

It’s not considered lateraling if you go to a USAO or DOJ. It’s a very common thing. Apart from DOJ honors, many USAOs and DOJ sections only hire experienced attorneys, and much (most?) of the time that is former biglaw associates.

like

That’s great to hear because that is more or less my background!

I have applied for or been asked to join a USAO on 3 occasions. Politics got in my way, but many of the prosecutors there came from private litigation.

Part of why I was in demand was my state level prosecution and investigation experience, which the private practice folks didn’t have. However, I came to learn what USAO valued (and I lacked) was the quality of written product and “big law” competitive hours of seeing who can be chained to their desk longer.

Following! Especially interested in which jurisdictions people have done this.

Yeah that would be helpful. I’m located in Miami.

I worked as a SAUSA and clerked for a federal district judge. Been in private practice at a nice boutique since. I’ve seen folks transition to usao and doj from all three. Interestingly, I saw more folks get in from a sausa position than I did moving over from a clerkship, or a boutique. That may have been specific to where I was (Midwest). But sausa is a good way to do it, if you can find a paid sausa position or if you can handle going uncompensated for however long it takes. I loved it fwiw.

Related Posts

What is your best classroom management trick?

like

YYY, aren’t you on my level?

Post Photo
like

Leased a new Mercedes and the dealership filed for new registration two months after the purchase. Now the temporary tags have expired and they won’t send me a new one. What can I do in this situation?

like

What is your ambition, motivation for your work??

like

I just changed my role to project management...I start to hate this when I'm doing the detailed plans. I have never been a detailed oriented person and it takes too much of my mental energy when working on very details. I guess I'm happy about the change I made but still need to find something I want to do in long run.

likefunny

Hi IBM sharks 🦈

So I got interviewed for a project by the IBM team. The interviewer told me that its a go ahead from their end, now the client will assess my profile and if they too are fine with it, I will be onboarded?

Is it true that we have client interview as well? If yes then after how many days of interview by IBM team, client interview takes place?

Or its just that if the IBM team is fine with it, we are selected for the project?

Any inputs on this will really help :)

like

Hey Fieshes ,

Got an offer from PWC a week ago,

Location given in offer : Bangalore

Hr says you need not come to Bangalore and work from Hyderabad

But saw another offer of my friend whose location is Hyderabad in offer letter.

Questio here should I ask for change in location in offer letter ?? or is it fine since mostly it is wfh ??

like

Took my first two rounds of SAP functional interview yesterday with PwC. Two questions.
1. Usually when will the Hr team get back with the result for 2nd round as i am waiting since yesterday.
2. What kind of questions are usually asked in director round?

like

Sorry for the delay, was sick yesterday. And yes, when I say sick, I really mean hung over. Been a few years since that happened. Anyway, good luck. I personally don't see any plays this week.

Post Photo
like

What is the market like now at big law firms after the salary increases? I am getting ready to leave my state clerkship and start applying to firms in NYC. I really don’t want to push it back any further but don’t want to waste my time networking and applying if it ultimately won’t yield anything.

like

I have been applying for jobs for exactly one month, prolly sending over 15 applications a day, with or without referrals, not a single lead, not a single interview, not a single follow-up from any recruiter. My profile is prolly not as competitive as I thought it was, given that I moved from a foreign country to the US, but I do have some good experience and I graduated from the one of the best unis in the US. What am I doing wrong? Help!

like

A senior associate in my group just found out her spouse has cancer. I am a first year, and she has been an amazing mentor to me since I started (and before when I was a summer associate). Any advice on how I should offer support? A card feels insignificant in light of the situation, but I'm sort of at a loss for how else to show I'm thinking of her and her family during this time.

like

Does Amazon have a company who does employee background verification? Or Amazon directly does the background verification?

like

Anyone from IHS Markit give referral? Have Job ID.

Are there any tech or DEI related networking groups that anyone utilizes or finds helpful when sourcing?

like

HCL Technologies I recently joined hcl and I did not like my project is there any option I can change that. Hoping a positive answer.

like

Favorite plain t-shirt brands? Looking for something soft but durable, both v-neck and crew-neck.

like

Hello All,

I hope everyone is doing well.

Is anyone here, who switched company from India to Germany?
Do they consider only German speaking candidates or English speaking is ok for them?
Also, anyone have experience with EU Blue card.
Can we directly apply for EU blue card from India if there is a job offer? Anyone got visa sponsorship directly from German employer?

I have seen most of companies need German speaking candidates.

like

Hello Fishes,


I recently received offer from IBM for band 06B.
Designation: Senior Technical services specialist.
Can someone please help me understand the designation name? Also, will I get a project in the same technology for which I was interviewed?

Additional Posts in Litigation & Arbitration

It's that time...🦃

What's one thing you're super grateful for in your life or career at the moment?

Drop it below! 👇

like

Anyone have a good website vendor? My firm is looking to change the website design

like

Chewing Out New Guy - I got chewed out today because a disclosures deadline was not calendared in one of my cases and although I don’t handle the calendar, it’s my job to be aware of all deadlines and procedures. I got lectured for about 20 minutes. For context. I live in Texas and we just had a hell of a week. Is my management awful or am I sensitive rn?

like

When OC is rude/aggressive/uncivil in an email (and the behavior is unprovoked), what’s the best way to respond? I usually ignore it and respond normally, but I won’t allow older attorneys to think that, just because I’m a young lawyer, they’re going to walk all over me. I’m still a lawyer with the same degree and younger lawyers know A LOT of stuff that many experienced attorneys do not (technology, doc management systems, how to edit and mark docs without cutting down the Amazon etc.)

like

Junior litigators, how are you all doing? Am I the only one finding it impossible to manage my own caseload, take on new urgent assignments from partners, and not be burnt out right now? Getting to the point where I’m so behind that I sometimes feel too overwhelmed to even start on my task list. Doesn’t help that partners take forever to review my work so i can get the product to the client. Looking for commiseration & encouragement that things will look up lol!

like

I would appreciate any advice on how to stay on top of non urgent tasks. As a 2nd year, I’m often tapped to handle tedious tasks that need to get done quickly. Tbh, I like urgent matters. It motivates me and helps me focus. I admittedly struggle to care about checking in on DWQs, record requests, OC’s discovery, scheduling matters, etc. Especially with so many cases. I definitely rely heavily (maybe over rely?) on the paralegals for these sort of things. Any tips?

like

I will never spell subpoena right the first try

likefunny

I want a book to help me think more critically about structuring sentences, paragraphs, and legal arguments - and to eradicate poor grammar. I want to improve my legal writing. Any recs? I’m a litigator.

like

Friday is the best day to serve some RFAs in all your cases

likefunny

Do you put all your legal and record citations in footnotes or within the body of the brief? Which do you think is better for the judge?

likesmart

I’m a current biglaw associate thinking of lateraling to Quinn Emanuel. Looking for a more dynamic and trial-focused litigation practice, but I’m a little put off by how poorly Quinn seems to invest in support (tech, paralegals, etc) and generally seems to nickel and dime its associates. Curious how these issues feel for Quinn associates on a day to day basis.

like

At what point do you begin to feel numb (if ever) when you’re done trial and prepping for another trial in a span of 3 months, while mains full caseload of other active litigation cases? Should I be worried that I’m going from engaged and stress to numb and slightly indifferent? Or is this what it feels like to power through? I can’t gauge it anymore? And can’t impose judgment one way or another either.

like

In general insurance defense for about two years. Have some second chair trial experience and a sleuth of other great experiences. Any tips on transferring to entertainment transactional work?

I recently started my own firm. We primarily do ID. I want to give our attorneys flexibility and a work life balance so I’m considering giving them a higher % of every hour billed/collected as the basis of their compensation rather than a set salary. This would eliminate any billing pressure and give attorneys the freedom to decide how much they want to work/earn. Anyone have any thoughts on whether this would be fair and/or a good idea?

like

Just started at a new firm today. Yearly billables are 1900. Since I started 2 months into the year, do I need to hit the 1900? To recoup the first two months of the year means billing 190 a month.

like

Anyone taking the ride share (Uber, Lyft, etc.) misclassified as Independent Contractors mass arbitration cases? I have 150+ people to refer. I need to find a home for these folks. 😑 Thank you!

like

Tips on snacks/drinks that keep you going during trial?

like

How do you approach collecting documents from a client in response to discovery requests? Particularly with broad and vague document requests that leave you guessing about what the other side is looking for, even after you meet and confer. I’m realizing no one ever taught me a systematic approach to this problem. And that big, name-brand companies are absolutely terrible about record-keeping or even knowing what records they have.

like

Salary for first year worker comp at a midsize PI firm? I’m currently in law school in Arizona and they are paying me $25 an hour and want to hire me on but I don’t know the salary.

like

What firm(s) do you hate being across from?

like

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Send download link to your phone

OR

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Messaging rates may apply

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal