I work in a large satellite office of a law firm and I don’t feel like I’m getting the kind of work I’m looking for, work that seems to be done almost entirely out of the main office. I’ve tried reaching out to folks in other offices but it hasn’t really worked. Should I consider a lateral move? What are my options?

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I would consider lateraling. Satellite offices are notorious for this kind of thing. They dump shit work on you, and when it comes time for promotions etc not many people really know you (especially personally) so not enough people have your back. If you’re going to work for a satellite office find one that has a few power partners who generate enough business to feed associates in that office (including you) on their own. Better yet, find a firm that has a large office or HQ where you live so you can pick and choose among partners to work for.

January is a great time to start the lateral process.

In the meantime, I would think/hope WFH has actually made things better in this regard, since everyone else is in the same “out of sight out of mind” boat. See about setting up zoom hellos just to chat with partners you’d like to work with (rather than just asking for work), ask them about what they do and express genuine interest, tell them about your work ambitions and interests (e.g., you really would love to grow in x area), ask them about who else you should be talking to (and then when you send the next email you can say “hey partner x thought you might be a good person for me to talk to”.

You may get ignored by a lot of folks and I know this is additional work on top of your busy schedule, but it pays off.

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Very good advice! Thanks!

If you aren’t getting the work you want, fix the situation, including by potentially lateraling (I would try to raise concerns internally first, though). It is very easy to simply go with the flow in firms and end up 3 years later pigeonholed in a practice you don’t want to be in. As long as you’re billing and doing quality work they will think everything is OK. What you do now will strongly influence your career trajectory (in house options, government options, potential partnership, etc.) so don’t let someone else determine that trajectory for you.

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The odds of you making partner are higher generally speaking at a main office. But if you do not care to make partner then I say ride it out in the low key satellite office

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The thing is it’s not really low key. I still work a TON of hours. But I’m just not getting the work experience I want. I’m not getting staffed on the matters I’m interested in and I don’t feel I have much mentorship.

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I’m going to a satellite office (Chicago) for a large firm and I think there will only be 3 partners in the group there. Any advice on how to succeed, especially since I’ll be working with people across the country?

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