how difficult is it to lateral transfer as an associate?

[dubsy]

let's say you end up graduating from an HYSCC with latin honors, but summered and spent your first post-grad year or two working at a mid-sized law firm, then clerk for a year or two... is it somewhat easier to get a V10 than if you tried getting one of those as a mediocre-GPA'ed 1L?  (clearly i am talking about a hypothetical "friend" of mine.)

[dubsy]

can anyone recommend a better forum to post this in?  i guess this question's more tailored for practicing lawyers rather than current law students.

[nealric]

It depends on the mid-sized firm and the clerkship is (and of course the economy).

Insurance defense firm ---> state court trial clerkship = They won't be interested
Elite boutique firm ---> Fed Cir. Clerkship = They will likely be interested

[hooloovoo]

let's say you end up graduating from an HYSCC with latin honors, but summered and spent your first post-grad year or two working at a mid-sized law firm, then clerk for a year or two... is it somewhat easier to get a V10 than if you tried getting one of those as a mediocre-GPA'ed 1L?  (clearly i am talking about a hypothetical "friend" of mine.)

what would be the point of moving into the V10 after all that? 

[xxspykex]

let's say you end up graduating from an HYSCC with latin honors, but summered and spent your first post-grad year or two working at a mid-sized law firm, then clerk for a year or two... is it somewhat easier to get a V10 than if you tried getting one of those as a mediocre-GPA'ed 1L?  (clearly i am talking about a hypothetical "friend" of mine.)

This scenario doesn't make any sense. Typically you clerk right out of school, if at all, and it is looked on as favorable because you just saved X biglaw firm a ton of money in training and learned a shitton on your own. Then, typically after a couple years of biglaw people move to smaller/midsize firms or government (basically just do biglaw because working a prestigious firm had great exit options. It really makes no sense to go to a mid-size firm, then clerk, and then go to biglaw.

[Burning Sands, Esq.]

let's say you end up graduating from an HYSCC with latin honors, but summered and spent your first post-grad year or two working at a mid-sized law firm, then clerk for a year or two... is it somewhat easier to get a V10 than if you tried getting one of those as a mediocre-GPA'ed 1L?  (clearly i am talking about a hypothetical "friend" of mine.)

Not sure I understand the question.

You graduate from a good law school, you then work for a "mid-sized" firm, then from there you clerk, and then from there you want to go to a V-10 law firm after the clerkship?

I guess my first question would be what do you mean by "mid-sized?"

My second question would be where did you clerk?

[dubsy]

by mid-sized i mean a V100 firm that is on the relatively "smaller" scale (vs. V10 firms).  Clerkship in a federal district court in a major city. 

[nealric]

It should be very possible, but it will probably depend a lot on your department and the particular expertise you have acquired.

[goaliechica]

let's say you end up graduating from an HYSCC with latin honors, but summered and spent your first post-grad year or two working at a mid-sized law firm, then clerk for a year or two... is it somewhat easier to get a V10 than if you tried getting one of those as a mediocre-GPA'ed 1L?  (clearly i am talking about a hypothetical "friend" of mine.)

This scenario doesn't make any sense. Typically you clerk right out of school, if at all, and it is looked on as favorable because you just saved X biglaw firm a ton of money in training and learned a shitton on your own. Then, typically after a couple years of biglaw people move to smaller/midsize firms or government (basically just do biglaw because working a prestigious firm had great exit options. It really makes no sense to go to a mid-size firm, then clerk, and then go to biglaw.

This.

[hooloovoo]

i agree with the above except for the "typically you clerk right out of school, if at all" bit, which i think is actually incorrect.  but generally people are transitioning out of the top firms, not into them.