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Being too late for going in house is usually a matter of seniority, not age. There’s generally a sweet spot between 4-7/8 year before you get too expensive (and even prior you are often taking a pay cut). Even if willing to work for less pay, there’s a feeling that you’ll be unsatisfied or end up wanting to go back to more $$.
Similarly there’s the stereotypical government lawyer who is honored to work for a particular administration for a while, but then needs to go back to private practice bc they can’t afford the kids’ private school.
Same for changing practice areas. Completely depends on the amount of overlap in the areas, but generally the more junior you are, the more willing people are to retool.
Haven’t noticed any issue with lateraling between firms. I’ve been practicing over 20 years and didn’t even go to law school until my 30s
Pro
Oy! I am so sorry that was your experience. At 38?? How awful, misguided, and short sighted. Was that for summer associate positions and/or just out of law school?
I am a woman and I graduated at 33 from a T3 law school. I was first in my class at the end of 1L and was very lucky to interview for summer associate positions during a robust hiring market, so had many offers and chose a V10 firm.
Having that firm on my resume is, I am sure, what helped grease the wheels thereafter. That and I do look younger than I am. At 33 people thought I was 26 like everyone else. Now at 54, I get early 40s, which is not as good as 30s, but I’ll take it! I also took my time getting my undergrad degree so my graduation date didn’t reveal my age.
My last BigLaw firm discriminated based upon age so I successfully switched to another firm just before my 60th birthday. Now so much happier (and earning 3x more because I no longer support young under-performers!).
It's not just in the law. Age discrimination is a thing. There's a reason why people who are 40+ are a protected class...
I pivoted from a firm to in-house work when I was in my 40s, but to do so, I knocked off the first 10 years of experience off my resume, as I noticed that jobs that I interviewed for were ultimately offered to younger, less experienced candidates. Once I looked like a candidate with 10 years experience rather than 20, I got a job offer. As a poster above said, age discrimination is real.
Thank you for your great support!
If they finally got to see you in person, were they concerned?
I assume you didn’t do sth to make yourself look 10 years younger?
I think it is more of an issue that at 40-50, if you have no book of business, you are less likely to develop anything significant in your remaining years.
Chief
This is absurd. Lots of attorneys don’t develop significant books until their 50s. They also don’t start to inherit big clients until they’re very seasoned, at least 15 years in. Lawyers practice into their 80s. 40s is still early in a lawyer’s career.
I think the thing is when you are an attorney in your 40s and 50s you’re used to making really good money, and if you’re going to be pivoting practice areas you would probably need to take a pay cut. But changing firms isn’t a big deal, especially if you have a book of business.
I think that depends on the firm and the situation. Changing practice areas is more difficult, but certainly not impossible. My current firm hired me at age 44, because I had a skill set they needed and I was single and able to move across the country. I’ve been happier there than at any of the previous three. And if my practice area were to disappear tomorrow, I think they’d invest in my learning a new area, because I’m good at what I do and endlessly curious.
Lateral moves at a later stage are difficult because attorneys are deemed too expensive at that point. That said, I got out of the practice of law entirely at age 48 and it was the best thing I ever did.
Age discrimination exists - depends on the individual and practice area (and demand for that work) perhaps. I changed jurisdiction in my 40s, am in a niche practice area, and had pivoted practice area in my late 30s. Optics are also a thing, at least to get the offer, it may help not not come across/look older
Age discrimination is baked into the legal profession. Consider: We call lawyer with 8-10 years experience “senior.” That’s a K-JD person who’s in their mid-30s! Yet the system assumes they’ll continue working another 30 years till retirement.
People don’t talk about it openly but working in biglaw or fast-moving in-house roles, especially in tech, is a young person’s game. I mean actually grinding out work and creating work product. It’s another thing to develop business or manage people.
This is the reality.