I am a second year associating working at a law firm that has 180 attorneys total. In our market we are considered big law. I have been thinking about making a move to a larger market for a while now. Any advice on when/how to make the move to a new city that you have no ties in? I’m particularly interested in any thoughts on passing the bar in a new state while still working or transitioning into a new position.

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Two questions. Do you have a particular market in mind or are you just thinking about moving to a bigger pond where you can find work? And why do you want to relocate?

Sorry about the trauma. I was just trying to calm OP’s concerns about his or her situation.

The vacation this is real, especially when people split the summer between our market and another city. And for us it’s a real problem because as a branch office of a V25 we hire only a few 2L summers per year. They almost always all get offers to return and when someone turns us down it materially affects our staffing. It’s a bummer for folks who really want to move here but the result is that unless a 2L has real ties or a REALLY good explanation for wanting to be here, we probably won’t make a summer offer. But we do hire a lot of mid level laterals who are fleeing other markets so it’s not like the door is permanently sealed.

Do you like your practice area and is it something they do where you’re looking to go? I made a similar move, left a midsize regional after little less than a year for a coastal biglaw job where I had no connections. For me personally, practice area was 100% what got me the job. I was doing the same practice (but at a smaller scale) at my midsize regional as the biglaw firm was looking for. Where I moved to is a popular city to move to so they didn’t question me too hard about connections (unlike when I was in law school, when it seemed like I was constantly being punished for being young and single without strong family connections to any biglaw markets...).

I’d say start looking now. It may take a while. 2 full years out is probably when you’ll have more luck, but not outside the realm of possibility to find something sooner. Do not hold back from applying to jobs where, for example, they want 3 years and you have 1-2. Those are just guidelines and worst they can do is say no.

Re taking the bar, your new firm will probably give you 2-4 weeks off (including the bar exam) and should pay for everything. I wouldn’t try to do it before you have a new job, personally, or you’ll be paying for everything out of pocket. I know that timeframe sounds impossible, but I promise laterals do it successfully all the time.

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