<p>OP - you will get a job; try not to freak out (I know it’s hard). I would try to approach new opportunities not with the thinking that “I should have chosen the corporate dept.” at your NYC firm, but with the mindset that your litigation experience in a large multi-faceted law firm has exposed you to a real variety of work. And it has. I suspect you know a lot more about the corporate and business side of things than you realize. And don’t be afraid to play up Wharton and the “commercial” side of your commercial litigation experience. It’s not like you have been chasing ambulances!</p>
<p>I would recommend focusing on in-house positions. I can tell you from years of experience that your interest and motivation to be involved in the business side of things will be of great benefit if you can find a spot in a mid-to-large in-house legal department of a publicly-traded corporation. You might find that you eventually transition out of the legal stuff altogether. You don’t have to be afraid of really playing up your business acumen and desire to become involved in the business/finance stuff when interviewing at a large company; they will embrace it.</p>
<p>I’m not clear on how you’re going about your job search, but if you haven’t hooked up with a good legal recruiter in a few different cities, I would highly recommend you do so. They are always looking for top quality candidates, and you definitely are one. (If you PM me, I can give you the name of a terrific recruiter in the Boston area). The employer pays them, not you. Your willingness to relocate and not necessarily be in a major city (but somewhere near one, usually, for the big companies) is a huge plus. Also make sure you are perusing multiple states’ Lawyers Weekly issues; I also have found great listings on a few employment websites I am happy to share with you by PM as well.</p>
<p>Keep smiling! It’s nice that you at least still enjoy being a lawyer, and don’t want to toss it all and go surfing! (well, maybe you do, but that’s okay) :)</p>