2017 law grad who took a non-law job...wondering what my options are Forum

[Anonymous User]

Graduated in May 2017 from a T14 with okayish grades.

I never really liked law school, but I figured since I was there I might as well finish. I summered at a 2 firms over two summers (not biglaw) and realized I didn't like practice much either, so spent my 3L year looking for other options and found a job in a legal adjacent area (regulatory compliance advising). Good pay, good hours, good team...I'm pretty happy here but I don't see myself here long term and I don't want to dig myself into a niche I'm not comfortable is, so as the 2 year mark of my job comes up I've been looking for places to jump to.

The thing is I can't really think of what to do next. Most of the in-house jobs I'm seeing in my field are either undergrad entry level or require a few more years of experience (but also don't require a JD, can I swing 3 years of law school as experience?). I looked for entry level in-house legal jobs but i'm not sure that exists. I thought about trying to look for a legal firm job for a minute, but I'm not sure if that door is closed for me, and I feel that I will still hate practicing (the thought of putting together a writing sample annoys me to a level I havent been in 2 years). I know some of my law school friends who are tiring of their jobs are thinking of clerking in order to jump to somewhere else...I guess that could be an option if it's possible but would run into the same issue of hating legal writing and research. I'm thinking about jumping into straight consulting, but I don't know how feasible that is.

Anyone here have experience going non-law and then trying to get other JD advantage jobs or going back to legal jobs?

[Npret]

Clerking is a disastrous idea if you hate egal research and writing.
What specifically do you dislike about your current job?
What makes you think you might enjoy practice now?

[Anonymous User]

What specifically do you dislike about your current job?

I'm worried that if I stay in this job for too long I will close door that may be open now but won't be in a few years. I currently work in a firm environment, and I don't see myself making partner here or being here for very long, so I figure I might as well move while I have more options than less (since I think the compliance niche I'm in is a little limiting). I also feel like my pay and position are a bit stagnant and will be for the next few years, which is fine FOR NOW but I don't know if I want to be 2-3 years older making the same salary with the same title.

What makes you think you might enjoy practice now?

Not much really, however I was K-JD and I wasn't prepared for the long hours and tedium of "working." Working at this flexible and friendly job has "eased me into it" and so while I may not ENJOY practicing now, I could probably tolerate it for a couple years, at which point I will have some very legitimate work experience (with both jobs combined) to jump off to another position.

[dabigchina]

Take it from me, op - working at an "easier' job doesn't really prepare you better for biglaw lifestyle.

I have no idea what you are doing now, but it sounds sweet. If it pays you well enough to live comfortably and put some money in the bank, you should stay, imo.

[RedPurpleBlue]

Why not just try to climb in the compliance world? Chief Compliance Officers are a thing these days.

[Anonymous User]

Hello! I went into compliance straight out of law school and hated it. I left recently for biglaw, and am much happier BUT I wanted to practice. I know other people who took regulatory-focused spots at firms, went to consulting, went to thinktank/advisory/lobbying type places, and went to competitors or parallel companies.

When I was doing compliance, I got regular pings from recruiters but I hated compliance and wanted to move to a different market too. That said, you could make decent money and there is definitely room for advancement, including a big enough market for other options if you're not happy (and moving elsewhere is the best way to get title/salary bumps).

Why not find a similar role at a different company? Being too siloed isn't a bad answer to the interview question of why you're leaving.

[Anonymous User]

I went into compliance straight out of law school and hated it. I left recently for biglaw, and am much happier BUT I wanted to practice. I know other people who took regulatory-focused spots at firms, went to consulting, went to thinktank/advisory/lobbying type places, and went to competitors or parallel companies.

Can I hear more about your career progression? What kind of compliance role were you in, and what steps did you take to transition to biglaw?

[Anonymous User]

I went into compliance straight out of law school and hated it. I left recently for biglaw, and am much happier BUT I wanted to practice. I know other people who took regulatory-focused spots at firms, went to consulting, went to thinktank/advisory/lobbying type places, and went to competitors or parallel companies.

Can I hear more about your career progression? What kind of compliance role were you in, and what steps did you take to transition to biglaw?

Financial. I applied to a ton of stuff and basically had patience and kept trying. I have a decent background (T14, median GPA, strong geographical ties to the area) and had professional experience prior to law school related to the area in which I now practice. And I kept applying, told people I was applying, talked to anyone who had advice, expanded my target practice area. It sucked, but it worked out.

[albanach]

OP, if your main concern is not progressing in the field, will your work pay you to get a compliance certification. I think that's usually available after a couple of years of experience. After that, you'd be more mobile in the compliance field, assuming you can't negotiate a raise after your certification.

[Anonymous User]

OP, if your main concern is not progressing in the field, will your work pay you to get a compliance certification. I think that's usually available after a couple of years of experience. After that, you'd be more mobile in the compliance field, assuming you can't negotiate a raise after your certification.

OP here. At my company they will pay for any additional certifications I want to seek, however as far as they are concerned my bar passage is good enough in terms of certifications needed for job progression. I wonder if getting an additional certification is worth it, since a JD is pretty powerful in this world as far as I can tell. That being said, the compliance based certifications my coworkers get seem to be fairly easy to obtain, so it could be a good thing to have in my back pocket anyway.

[frankis72]

I went straight into consulting from law school. Specifically data privacy consulting with a big4 firm.

With 2 years of regulatory experience, you could come in as a Senior Associate. Idk what your salary is now, but don't expect biglaw money out of consulting. A first year SA will make between $100-$130k, depending on the market and practice.

Career progression at most big4 consulting practices is 2-3 years at the associate level, 3 years SA, 2-3 years manager, sometimes a year or two at Senior Manager, then director until you make partner.

Salary levels and raises vary drastically between firms. Happy to chat more if you have any specific questions.

[chruck]

I went straight into consulting from law school. Specifically data privacy consulting with a big4 firm.

With 2 years of regulatory experience, you could come in as a Senior Associate. Idk what your salary is now, but don't expect biglaw money out of consulting. A first year SA will make between $100-$130k, depending on the market and practice.

Career progression at most big4 consulting practices is 2-3 years at the associate level, 3 years SA, 2-3 years manager, sometimes a year or two at Senior Manager, then director until you make partner.

Salary levels and raises vary drastically between firms. Happy to chat more if you have any specific questions.

Could you elaborate on your experience with consulting? I have an interview with a big 4 firm for a regulatory consulting role. While the position sounds interesting, I am concerned about comp versus going to a legal in-house job or gov. (think FDIC, FRB, OCC, etc. w/ these agencies paying above the traditional GS scale). Also, how bad is the travel? How much different is the work from traditional legal work and what do you think of it?