Originally Posted by Unregistered

It honestly depends on quite a few things. First, how long you leave for. From what I hear, if you departure doesn't go beyond a year and a few months, generally you can return without any PQE discount. But this is at the discretion of the hiring partner. Second, your job scope when you leave. If you go into a job which is highly relevant to the practice area, you might even be able to gain some PQE when you return (e.g. you are in M&A, go to work in SGX for a while). This, your area of practice itself. It is highly unlikely to return with no PQE discount for liti.