Advice from the Lawyers on the Board

[FormerHoya]

I know that a good number of attorneys spend some time here, so I was hoping someone might be able to give me a little advice.

I graduated from a top 25 law school last May, passed the Illinois bar the first time, and started working for a small commercial litigation firm. I was told yesterday that due to departing partners, loss of clients, etc they will have to "downsize" me in 30 days.

While this isn't good news, I'm not totally devastated. I had never really desired to be in litigation, I was struggling to get enough hours, and the principle partners have told me that they will give me "glowing" letters of recommendation.

I guess what I am asking is for tips, clues, hints, strategies, etc. on how to get the transactional (anything from real estate to securities to contracts) job that I wanted from the beginning. Tips from anywhere, but especially from Chicago, would be welcome.

Thanks board...

[showcase]

Tough break, FH, but it's good to see you're looking at this as an opportunity.

Cracking law firms can be tough (esp. the bigger ones), and that's where most of the compelling transactional work lies. Off the top of my head, I think your best bet is to put your resume and other materials in the hands of a head-hunter. These people routinely cold-call lawyers at big firms to see if they're inclined to move to another big firm, so that's where they make their living. Additionally, they're always willing to take on new names, on the off that one of them will be of interest to a recruiting coordinator.

Other than that, I'd give a call to the office of career services back at law school. Generally, there should be someone assigned to assist alums (particularly recent grads), and maybe they have some leads. I would consider the mass-mailing approach a last resort, since the yield on that type of effort has always been depressingly low and it only seems to be getting worse (to the point that it's honestly not even worth the costs of paper and stamps).

As it happens, my term ends in August, and as an Illinois licensee myself, I too am considering the Chicago market, so if I learn of anything transactional, I'll be sure to let you know. I still have friends at various firms, so I'll ask around.

Good luck to you.