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Where do tax seniors go as exit opp?
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Chief
Conversation Starter
Where do tax seniors go as exit opp?
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What agency pays the highest?
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Chief
One of our former partners was JAG (he left recently to go elsewhere). He pitched his trial experience to the firm when interviewing. Even large firms will appreciate all the trial and hearing experience you probably have so I would really emphasize that.
Not that you asked, but I genuinely hated working for this partner. He had very little civil litigation experience in a firm so he had unrealistic deadlines and expectations. He also didn’t know what he was doing and did not want help or advice. Please just know that civilian civil law and law firms will be very different from your past experiences and you will likely need to learn a lot, even from people who are more junior to you. He had a very commanding presence in courtrooms, but so much of big law litigation is not inside the courtroom anymore.
Chief
OP, your in court experience is obviously valued, but keep in mind that your experience at a big firm will be very different from what you’re used to. Civil litigation in big law is 99% discovery, .9 percent more discovery and .1% in court. You almost certainly won’t be first chairing trials at a large firm as a fifth year, and if you haven’t done lots of civil discovery it will take some time to get up to speed. I don’t know if your work is transferable to white collar, but even there there will be a learning curve. So just get ready for a somewhat frustrating learning curve, particularly since you may feel you know more (and may actually know more) about on your feet trial work than many of your seniors.
Echoing this. I've seen skepticism (in the both clerkship and firm hiring) about JAG candidates and whether they can handle civil lit discovery/motion practice.
Another thing to keep in mind is how you describe your experience. For example, saying you worked at Gitmo may be accurate, but can give some people pause.
My big law firm hired quite a few former JAGs and I think what helped them was that we had a partner who was a former JAG/military as well. I think it’s helpful to reach out to some partners in firms with your background and chat them up for advice about the transition.
I greatly appreciate the insights provided! There will definitely be a learning curve and I am receptive to that aspect of professional growth.
This is funny because I’m thinking about going from family law lit to being a JAG
Haha...There will be no shortage of family law issues as a JAG. Many calls to local judges explaining military specific federal laws in custody proceedings and benefits. Good luck to you, it’s a rewarding experience when you’re young, single and willing to take on whatever area of law is asked.
When is your service obligation complete? What is your terminal leave date? Where are you licensed abs where do you want to practice? I have a recruiting firm that works exclusively with transitioning JAGs to match them with positions my law firm and in-house clients are looking to fill. I’ve worked at big law, federal government, and in-house before my current GC position. So, I’m able to translate your military experience into terms my clients understand. Feel free to contact me at bmathews@jagtransitions.com if you’d like to discuss.