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It be like this :
Do you shoe check others at the office?
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Subject Expert
I was in a similar spot. I had a solid setup as a midlevel at a lower Amlaw 100, but I lateraled because I wanted more substantive training and reps, so I moved to a V20. I couldn’t be happier with the decision and honestly think it’s the single best thing I’ve done for my career trajectory so far.
Like you said, it’s a risk because of the unknowns, and starting over is intimidating. But you can mitigate that to some extent by talking to as many people as possible in the target office and practice group (and of course scouring Reddit and fishbowl haha) to gauge the vibe and culture. The jury’s still out on whether my partnership prospects are meaningfully worse, but that seems unlikely, especially since I took a class-year cut and effectively reset to junior associate status, so I’ll be deemed a home-grown associate for all intents and purposes, which I was fine with given the long-term view I’m taking (and it made sense since I was also retooling).
Also worth considering: if you’re well liked and don’t burn bridges on the way out, it may be possible to boomerang back if the new grass isn’t greener. I know several who have done this, and my former firm has approached me several times to try to lure me back (but I’m not going back).
Subject Expert
What year are you and how do you assess the likelihood of promotion at your current firm? The point you make about rebuilding reputation and relationships is critical.
Regardless of whether you leave or not, and that will have to be up to you, you need to have a Personal Legal Brand. Period. Your reputation has to outlive the firm you are in. So I would spend time on that.
May be a hot take, but just testing the waters to see what is out there is never a bad thing. You may find that the new opportunity is so exciting, any reluctance melts away. Or you may decide that the grass isn't necessarily greener - or you're not willing to disrupt the apple cart to find out - and at least you'll have networked and done yourself the justice of exploring possibilities. There's no shame at the end of the day in saying you've decided to stay put for now.
Is it a lateral if comp is below market?
I lateraled as a sixth year from a midlaw firm to BigLaw. Eighth year now. Rebuilding my reputation from scratch was no joke, but I am very glad I made the leap. My partnership prospects may be worse, but I’m enjoying my case load so much more. And the extra money is nice! If I had stayed, I knew I would always be wondering “what if.”
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Yep, it was the “what if” factor that I knew would gnaw at me forever. You can almost always go from biglaw to midlaw, but making the reverse move is usually much, much harder. For that reason alone, it’s usually worth taking the shot when you have the chance.
Having conversations never hurt. You won’t blow up a good thing by exploring options. If the conversations make you realize you don’t want to leave, that’s useful also. It’s hard to assess whether or not you’ll lengthen your partnership trajectory if you lateral without knowing your firm. Explaining that partnership is important to you at the onset of exploratory conversations with new firms is key. Happy to share more. I’ve been doing this for over a decade. DM if you’d like.
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