Pls Hndle Thx: The *Other* Gang Bang

Ed. note: Have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com.

ATL –
I am a first-year litigation associate at a large law firm. Although I never really had any interest in doing transactional work, it has recently dawned on me that working in litigation severely limits my ability to transfer to my firm’s (or any firm’s) foreign offices. I don’t really care at this point whether I would prefer/be more suited for one practice area or the other, as it is becoming increasingly clear to me that, regardless of which I choose, the work will be boring and the hours will be long. Being able to spend my little free time in Paris, let’s say, as opposed to my current location, would make it that much more bearable.
My firm supposedly allows transfers between litigation and transactional work, but considering the current economic climate, I am a bit nervous about tinkering with the status quo. Is this an idea worth pursuing or should I just hold out for a clerkship on some South Pacific island?
Shipwrecked

Dear Shipwrecked,
Hallelujah! Finally, someone who realizes that there IS no difference between litigation and transactional. You’re just shoveling the same s*** into two separate piles.
The problem here isn’t the transfer request itself. You’re not asking the practice group head to be the guarantor on your apartment or to massage your bunion. You’re asking to look at different types of papers, and bill for doing so. They’ll either say yes or no, but there’s a 0% probability that they’ll fire you just for asking.
It’s what happens after the transfer that should worry you. Litigation and transactional is like Sharks v. Jets, and neither gang group takes to it kindly when associates defect for the other. At my ex-firm, a midlevel associate in my ERISA group once defected from our separatist military organization to join (gasp) litigation. Many from the brotherhood shunned her for turning her back on colleagues and the tax code. For a time, she also had to “transition off” several deals while also taking on a caseload.
The point is, if you want to leave litigation, prepare to be jumped out…and jumped in to transactional. It all comes down to whether Paris at night and on the weekends is worth a knife fight in a red leather jacket. WWMJD?
Your friend,
Marin

Forget Paris. This recession is global. Living under Pont Neuf might be more scenic than the George Washington, but at the end of the day you’re still a troll living under a bridge making interrogatories of innocent travelers.
The only thing you should be worried about is what practice is stronger/busier at your firm. You need to get to the practice where people are busy so you can keep your job.
Your problem, which I’m sure you would have recognized if you weren’t so focused on getting your cheese on, is that business is a cyclical proposition. What’s hot today can be cold tomorrow, and some firms won’t let you ride out the bad times on their dime. You’re not going to really be able to predict which area will be “safe” years down the line.
And so what you really need to do is to find some legal area that you actually enjoy — or sack-up, quit and follow your dream. It’s really that simple. If you truly look out on the legal landscape and see nothing but piles of dung, then you need to get out as soon as possible. Go design overpriced women’s apparel or learn to taunt people a second time or do whatever it is that Parisians do these days.
Switching practice groups just so you can move out of the country has to be one of the silliest ideas I’ve ever heard. If you want to move, move. If you want to switch, switch. But don’t confuse the two.
There. I’ve answered your question, now please let me pass.
— The Gruff Goat.

Plenty of people use law firms as a way to see the world. And why shouldn’t they? Firms pay moving expenses and gross up for COLA (Employee Benefits, represent). You get to be an American lawyer in Paris, and in return, you give up your friends, family and freedom to pursue a fulfilling career. Faust called and he wants his deal back.
Do you have a question for next week’s Pls Hndle Thx? Send it to advice@abovethelaw.com.

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