Career switch: law to IB. How to make it happen?

I’m a 2L (second year law student) and will be working at a top corporate firm this summer (think Skadden, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Paul Weiss, etc.) doing M&A work. In all likelihood, this will result in an offer to return full time after graduation. However, I’m looking to transition into IB ASAP.

What’s the best way to make this happen? I know that I probably won’t be able to land a BB associate spot right out of law school because I don’t have any pre-law school work experience. I’ve been reading Rosenbaum & Pearl and taking relevant classes at my law school’s business school (not an M7, probably considered a semi-target).

Is it common for biglaw M&A attorneys to make the switch to IB after a few years on the job? Another issue I foresee is that I’ll be working in a city with basically no IB presence, but a heavy PE/HF scene.

1 Comments
 

Vitae unde cumque aliquam aperiam eaque incidunt. Impedit inventore quo dignissimos et officia in exercitationem facere.

Distinctio deleniti et ducimus esse nihil. Molestiae fugiat necessitatibus nam.

Vel quod earum veniam. Necessitatibus temporibus est voluptatibus rerum. Et quidem dolorum facilis ab. Omnis rem sunt et dolorem animi voluptates dolores. Omnis eum quod praesentium quam veniam.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”