Change practice group

[99problems]

How can I change my practice group? From securities to finance.

Every firm I reach out to wants me to have relevant finance experience, which I won't have until I get work from finance group (nothing has come out of the finance group in my firm). It feels like a life sentence.

[Dinsdale]

You might have to move down a level or two in firm status / size.  That is, find a firm where the mere fact you're a [Sister]-trained lawyer is impressive enough for them to hire you, irrespective of your lack of specific experience in finance.  That's about all I can think of, assuming an internal move is off the table.

[WhoKnows]

On 4/23/2024 at 4:13 PM, 99problems said:

How can I change my practice group? From securities to finance.

Every firm I reach out to wants me to have relevant finance experience, which I won't have until I get work from finance group (nothing has come out of the finance group in my firm). It feels like a life sentence.

You're going to have an uphill battle because securities doesn't have a lot of overlap on the realities of day to day financing practice. The good news is financing groups are hard up for associates right now. 

If I were you I'd look to build some skills that are more transferrable. See if you can hop on an M&A deal or two. Perhaps you can hop on a bond or other debt offering on the securities side to try to meet some contacts. 

Otherwise, it's going to be a matter of finding a firm to take a chance on you, and like Dinsdale said, that likely means a firm a step down from where you are. 

[PzabbytheLawyer]

I find publishing in an area you're not directly practising in often helps to bridge the gap of switching areas.

Of course, make sure you're right in what you say 🙂