u/Recent-Pipe-7519

I am in a smaller legal market where there are only two BigLaw firms with major offices there and they frequently work across or with each other on deals. I already accepted my return offer after summering at one of the firms.

Is there any risk to my career/reputation if I apply for an post-3L entry-level position at the other firm? Is it easier or less controversial if I tough it out at this firm for a few years first before trying to lateral to the other firm?

EDIT: Since many people are asking, here are the facts:

• My law school limits me to this city.
• I had a bad summer at Firm A through no fault of my own.
• I maintained professionalism and hid my discomfort and got a return offer.
• My return offer gave me less than two weeks to accept so I accepted.

Surely Firm A doesn't want to retain an associate who is miserable and doesn't want to be there right off the bat. Other summers loudly talked about how terrible this summer program was and still got return offers...so Firm A would clearly not be offended or surprised if they left to Firm B. And yet somehow my reputation is at risk solely because I chose to be professional?

Another summer associate at my office was really creepy, made me uncomfortable, and repeatedly hit on and made condescending disparaging comments about/to myself and other summer associates.

But he never did it in front of any attorneys, and while I know some of us summers have told a handful of attorneys about it, it doesn't seem like it's ever been brought to the attention of HR or treated seriously. It also seems like he manages to act relatively normal (if a bit weird) around attorneys so he's certainly getting a return offer.

It's not like it exactly rises to the level of sexual harassment. He's just a weird creep. But it makes me dread accepting this return offer knowing I'd have to be in the same office/work with this person for some number of years. I obviously haven't reported anything but so many of the things he did made me so uncomfortable this summer that I feel like I might end up just rejecting the return offer and doing 3L recruiting solely because of how unpleasant this summer was. I already know of two other summer associates who are definitely not returning because of him, so I wouldn't be the first. I don't think anybody's said anything to HR though.