This is a question for the AUSAs on here: how long did it take for your background investigation to clear? I just heard from the OARM regarding a clarification they had for me, which was resolved but I haven’t heard anything else since. Any advice / insight is appreciated.

Any coat recommendations? Looking to spend under $400 mid/long length in a dark grey or black. Never bought a coat before looking for something good quality that won’t break the bank

Any thoughts on Back Bay Life Science Advisors?

Anyone willing to chat about what a role in transaction advisory looks like? What exit opportunities are available, is it a good stepping stone for business school, etc.?

Hi Fishes, I have two offers
One from PWC INDIA and another from Accenture..
Salary is more or less the same from both
Which one should I join as a developer? Please suggest

1st time going to Spain in May. Thoughts on the itinerary? Barcelona 4 days -> Seville 3 days -> Cordoba 1 days -> Grenada 2 days -> Madrid 3 days

Looking for referrals at MBB/S&/OW/Kearney in their Dubai/Doha/Riyadh offices for my sister since she can’t join Fishbowl. She graduated from top Canadian uni (UofT/McGill/UBC), grew up in ME and has an impressive academic background and work experience. Happy to connect with her directly.

Is the transition to electric vehicles going to cause a lot of changes for civil engineering? Seems like city planning might be affected

How’s Golin Chicago?

Hi Fishes,
I have completed with my 2nd round of interview in Bain (BCN group,), healthcare Associate position. Wanted to ask about WLB, average annual hike %, career advancement opportunities (higher education funding), trips and off sites. Any insights would be great

Do New Business roles pay higher than traditional account roles?

The future of the TV industry is not looking too bright, what is the best way to adapt to the rise in popularity of other types of media?

I got promoted a while ago and still feel like I’m not qualified. Have you ever experienced this? Is it bad to tell your boss you don’t think you should have been promoted?

How would I go about finding a recruiter for a career switch? I have a finance background and am currently a mid level in big law. Looking for a hybrid position, but I only have experience with recruiters who recruit for other big law positions. Any ideas for how to start looking?

Is there an easy/efficient way to figure out how much you've contributed to vs earned in your Roth accounts? I started contributing >20 years ago to my employer's Roth 401k and have rolled it over to a Roth IRA and moved it between multiple custodians, e.g. Fidelity, Vanguard, UBS, Personal Capital, etc. It is unclear to me how much I contributed vs how much I earned by investing it.

The purpose of doing this is I want to use $10K of it, but want to prove that the $10K is from my contribution.

I already sent my scores to Sloan through ETS but decided to not submit scores. I see a “delete” option in the app- will that ensure adcoms doesn’t know that I ever sent in a score?

Had a lateral interview back in January. Looked at the firm’s website and the posting was taken down. I had emailed two weeks ago, and they were still moving through the process. What do I make of it?

Does anyone know the typical timeline for hiring more junior legal policy positions in a new administration? Is March the norm for junior hires?

Has anyone signed a contract to work for X amount of years with the government and then broken that contract? Are there repercussions? The contract was two sentences that said I would work for X years. That’s it. I cannot find any information online about what happens if you hate your new job so much that you quit. Anyone?

Does anyone feel like they’re selling themselves short by working in government? I graduated from a regional law school in 2018 and clerked for 2 years before moving into a GS-13 agency counsel role in DC back in October 2020. I love the work, and I love the work-life balance even more (I rarely work more than 45 hours per week, and almost never on the weekends). I’m 29, no kids, and no real responsibilities outside my student loans. (Continued below)…

Did anyone in this group apply for PSLF?

SOS, I got a govt offer & was let go from my current job. I was not given a clear reason for termination but it was not misconduct. How do I phrase this in a disclosure statement for background check

Is NYC currently hiring ICE General attorneys? I applied in January and haven’t seen any updates since the referral to the local hiring manager.

I graduated in 2016, did a state court clerkship, and then was hired as a hearing officer. I’m looking to apply for an attorney advisor position but wonder if my lack of ‘traditional’ legal work will harm my chances. Thoughts?

Any guidance on evaluation for GS-13/14 level attorney-adviser positions? Matching resume but credentials aren’t insane.

Any suggestions for AUSA interviews? Entry Level?

Anyone recently apply for a position with HHS and the background check is taking ages??

I applied for two positions at a district court that say ‘open until filled’. I’m going on a cruise in a few weeks and don’t want to miss hearing from HR.
The posting says due to the high number of applicants do not follow up, you will be contacted if chosen for an interview.
How much will it hurt me to email and explain that I will be unavailable from 9/5 to 9/16 but I am extremely interested and don’t want to miss hearing from them if I have a chance for the position?

What’s the most valuable “soft skill” for any government lawyer? Looking to emphasize it in a cover letter

Could anyone speak to what it’s like to work for HHS as an attorney advisory? Culture, substance of the work, would be interested to hear anything really. Thank you.

After completing 20 years as a Law Enforcement Officer with the Feds and on the way getting a JD and passing the Bar… trying to transition to an Immigration Attorney position… easier said than done!

For those that lateraled private practice to gov’t, what was the lag time between referral of your application to interview process?

Is it normal to wait a month after submitting an application before the application status changes from “received”?

Anyone have insight how long it will take after a panel interview to get word on whether the position is going to be offered or not? Recommendations on follow ups with HR to find out status?

For folks that went from big law to DOJ or SEC as a junior to mid level attorney, was it difficult to get traction on your applications? How long were you applying before you got bites on your resume?

Anyone have experience at the FTC?

Any pros/cons in taking a 3 year term appointment? I am curious if this would make me any more or less marketable when positioning for other federal positions down the line? TIA!