Moving to BigLaw in Boston
Like the Bay Area, the city of Boston has a legal market where there are more opportunities for BigLaw lawyers than there are candidates. There are at least 150 active associate openings at AmLaw 200 firms in the Boston market (compare that with less than 70 for the Philadelphia legal market, a metropolitan area that is 50% larger than the Boston metro area). Many of these openings are in highly skilled practice areas like private equity, finance, health law and intellectual property. These practices require a certain type of training that can only be found at other BigLaw firms. Therefore, the Boston legal market looks to larger legal markets (such as New York) for talent.
Even if you have never lived in Boston, here are a few reasons to consider the market for your lateral move:
Center for finance, life sciences and technology. New York revolves around financial services; San Francisco, around technology. Boston has a growing mix of both industries, in addition to being a true center for health care and life sciences work. This produces a wealth of opportunities in terms of clients and, by extension, in-house possibilities.
Different work/life-style. Unlike Manhattan or downtown San Francisco, Boston is not a 24-hour city. Restaurants and shops close in the Financial District (where the bulk of law firms are located). This does not mean that lawyers never work late in Boston. They definitely do. But you're much more likely to find people that commute in before 9am and then do their work from home in the late evening hours, as opposed to Manhattan where physically staying in the office past 8pm is not uncommon.
Interesting, affordable places to live. Much is said about Boston's lack of housing affordability, and this is certainly true when it comes to rental units. There aren't enough of them. But Boston is a town where professionals tend to own. My husband and I live in a house in the South Shore beach town of Hull, which is just a 25 minute ferry ride into Boston's Financial District. For the cost of our home, you could maybe buy a small 1-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn Heights (and that would mean a 1 hour+ commute to Midtown). There are lots of towns and neighborhoods around Boston like mine, and keep in mind that you're likely to have a New York market salary to spend on your place to live.
Ski in the winter; beach in the summer. From the center of Boston, it takes less than two hours to get to the beaches of Cape Cod, the mountains of Vermont and New Hampshire and more. Boston is a place where it does not take too long to "get away." In addition, it is city rich with history, museums and a theater scene. (I don't go to any "sports games," but you know the town's reputation when it comes to that.)