I'm an experienced litigator (almost 20 years out of law school) with excellent credentials and extensive litigation experience, mostly in prestigious federal government litigation offices. I've been caught up in the DOGE nonsense, so I'm having to look for a job in the midst of the worst job market for government lawyers in recent memory. Hiring at my level of seniority without a book of business seems almost impossible in this market, but I've seen many openings for litigation associates at big firms, so there is clearly a need for people to do the work. Do firms ever hire very experienced attorneys as associates or is age discrimination too much of a thing in this profession to allow that? Are there particular firms that would be willing to do this? I realize that joining a firm as an associate at this stage of my career--when my colleagues are literally becoming federal judges--is not ideal, but I don't want this to be the end of my legal career.