Navigating Biglaw Lateral Career Transitions

How do I transition from Biglaw to in-house?

Focus on transferable skills like contract negotiation, compliance, risk management, and regulatory work. Highlight any business-facing experience, even if it was supporting partners, and demonstrate your ability to work cross-functionally with business teams.

Target companies in industries where your practice area expertise is valuable. For example, if you did M&A work, consider tech companies that frequently acquire startups. If you did IP litigation, target companies with significant patent portfolios.

Emphasize your ability to provide practical, business-oriented legal advice rather than just theoretical analysis. Show you understand the balance between legal risk and business objectives.

Can I switch practice areas mid-career?

Yes, but it requires strategic positioning. Many practice areas have overlapping skills: corporate lawyers can transition to employment law (both involve contracts and compliance), litigators can move to regulatory work (both involve advocacy and writing), and transactional lawyers can pivot to real estate or finance.

Emphasize transferable skills: research, writing, client management, negotiation, and analytical thinking. Seek relevant training, certifications, or CLE courses in your target area. Consider lateral moves to firms with strong practices in your target area where you can learn on the job.

Your existing client relationships and business development skills remain valuable. Firms often value lawyers who can bring in business, even if they're learning a new practice area.

How do I explain a career gap?

Be honest and frame it positively. Whether you took time for family, pursued further education, traveled, or explored other opportunities, focus on what you learned and how it enhances your value as an attorney.

Demonstrate you stayed current: mention CLE courses you completed, bar association activities, pro bono work, legal writing or blogging, or consulting projects. Show you remained engaged with the legal profession.

If the gap was for personal reasons, you don't need to provide extensive detail, but be prepared to address it briefly and move the conversation forward to your qualifications and enthusiasm for returning to practice.

How do I move from a smaller firm to Biglaw?

Emphasize the sophistication of your work, even if the matters were smaller in scale. Highlight complex legal issues you handled, significant client wins, and your ability to work independently with less supervision.

Demonstrate you can handle the pace and volume of Biglaw work. Mention your experience managing multiple matters simultaneously, working under tight deadlines, and handling high-stakes matters.

Show you understand Biglaw culture: billable hour requirements, team collaboration, and the expectation of excellence. Consider getting a referral from someone who knows both your current firm and the target firm.

How do I transition from government to private practice?

Your government experience is highly valuable. You understand how regulators think, what they look for, and how to navigate complex regulatory frameworks. Emphasize your subject matter expertise and your ability to help clients avoid regulatory pitfalls.

Highlight your writing and advocacy skills, your experience with high-stakes matters, and your understanding of policy and enforcement trends. Many firms actively seek former government attorneys for their expertise and credibility.

Be prepared to discuss your transition to a client-service model and your comfort with billable hours and business development, though many firms understand this is a learning curve for former government attorneys.