<p>I am a third/fouth year biglawyer in a big city and am feeling burned out. There's only so much I can take of 80/90+ hour weeks, working for crazy people. I have been sort of looking for jobs, but haven't had the time to dedicate a lot of time to it. Should I quit biglaw with no job lined up or is that suicide? At this point, I am not even sure I want to be a lawyer anymore. I just really, really hate this job. I have some loans left, but I have the savings to pay them off. However, I would be at net worth zero if I do that. Advice? I need more time to look for jobs. And working long hours and having to deal with fire drills all the time means I have no life or time.</p>
<p>Been there, done that, many years ago. Believe me, I do sympathize. That said, I would line up a new job before quitting. Your BIGLAW credentials could help you land a smaller, friendlier position, whereas being unemployed is a red flag in a profession full of overly suspicious personality types! Start looking now before you are ready for a nervous breakdown! Is there any chance you have clients who would go with you - that would help you tremendously - although 3/4 years out from a big firm usually means big institutional clients with whom you have not really been allowed to develop your own connections. </p>
<p>I would rather not go to another firm (even small). I have had limited client contact. I have been looking at non-profit/government type jobs. Federal government is almost next to impossible to get (from what I can tell) without connections. Non-profits pay very little, but I would consider these if the work is much more interesting than biglaw (not hard to compete with that) and the hours are strictly 9 to 5 (the latter I am not sure about).</p>
<p>I know a few people I worked with who quit with no job, and are now fine and on their feet. Not to say that’s the norm, but it has happened. Frankly, I am at the point where I am not sure I want to be an attorney anymore (yeah biglaw is that bad).</p>
<p>I’d say in general, try a smaller firm or non profit experience. Don’t use your savings now to pay your loans, you may want to live on them for a while. Start small. Get your resume up to date, and start putting out feelers and looking at job sites. Make a switch and try it for a while before chucking the profession as a whole.</p>
<p>There are many people with law degrees working at non-law jobs. At 3/4 years out, you are young and will certainly land on your feet, do not worry about that. Reach out to your colleagues who have done what you plan to do. Get your network going. At this point, I would not worry about the starting pay; with time and experience your pay will increase if you find yourself in an industry or field better suited to you. </p>
<p>Think about what it is at the current position that you do not like. Is is just the hours? Is it the confrontational nature of litigation, or the boring nature of prosecuting patents? Narrow down what you do and don’t like, and pursue positions that do/don’t have those traits. </p>
<p>What I don’t like about biglaw:
- The hours - unpredictable so you might be in the office 100 hours a week but only bill 70
- The soul-selling - work is more important than everything else in your life, including your children (based on what I can tell from associates I work for)
- The type of work - I don’t see how working on and for intangible entities is all that interesting
- The personalities - if you make a typo in an internal document, beware of associates who go batshit crazy
- The expectations - pull 3 all nighters in a row? duh, that’s part of the job. That’s why we get paid “so much”…</p>
<p>Oh wait, we don’t actually get that much money because COL is insane (much higher than ten years ago while salaries are not comparably higher), the cost of tuition has skyrocketed in the past 10 years and the interest rates are through the roof, and the government takes half our paycheck. /rant</p>
<p>Oh, also forgot, the constant “being on call.” Getting 2 am emails from crazy people you work for, after you worked an 18 hour day. </p>
<p>Look for in-house work. The pay is not at the BigLaw level but you will actually have a life. It doesn’t have to be a non-profit or government job. </p>
<p>All the in house jobs I have seen are looking for “5+” or “10+” years of firm and/or in-house experience…not sure where I am going to find an in-house job looking for less experience. </p>
<p>BigLawLawyer, you are actually at the sweet spot for a lateral move. If you wait to five or ten years out of school, your fate will be sealed. Be confident that you are able to handle the job with less than 5/10 years experience.</p>
<p>Get a good headhunter. These people have the inside on what’s out there when it comes to in-house type jobs and will advocate for you. Let your closest colleagues (NOT in your firm) know your intentions and plant seeds with them. </p>
<p>I do feel for you. Biglaw is a tough gig. As you are finding out, all the sh*t rolls downhill - the associates you work for are taking out their unhappiness on you, because they are taking it from the partners above them. Kids in law school have no idea - everyone is gunning for the biglaw jobs, and then fighting like mad to escape those jobs after a couple of years. The kids who went straight to government/nonprofit/inhouse (usually for less starting pay) were the smart ones in the end.</p>
<p>Remember, it is infinitely easier to land a job when you already have a job.
I have friends who had no problems getting jobs while working for Biglaw and they were mid-level associates and graduates of top 10 law schools. I believe they went through headhunters.
Good luck.</p>
<p>Yeah, I emailed a couple friends who were unemployed post-graduation but now in sweet jobs (government/in-house). The opportunities are far and few between though. </p>
<p>It’s weird. The senior associates I know who are looking are having a hard time finding other jobs, yet all the in-house jobs want “5+” or “10+” years of experience…wtf. So they want people with these years of experience who have worked multiple jobs then?</p>
<p>My only issue with using headhunters is that they mainly look at other firms and then in-house. </p>
<p>OP, just keep looking for the in-house jobs. If you are in a big city, they’re out there. Search Indeed.com and just plug in your city and “in house attorney” and you’ll eventually find one. Apply even if you don’t think you qualify on paper. You never know. </p>
<p>If you are in healthcare, then look at the American Health Lawyers Association website. If general corporate, look at the website for the Association of Corporate Counsel.</p>
<p>Call the headhunters anyway and be firm with them that you are not interested in another law firm. They want their commission; to get it, they need to find a position that you are willing to take. You may be a little short on the experience, but you are possibly more trainable than someone who has been out 5/10. Lead with your strengths. Anyone who can get hired by, and then survive, Biglaw has marketable and valuable skills.</p>
<p>It sounds like you’re in a tough spot; that said, I’d agree with the others that it’s better to look for work while you have a job. It appears that the toughest part of things for you will be for you to decide whether you still want to be a lawyer; if the answer is yes, in addition to the above advice, I’d suggest that you look at your state Attorney General’s office. When I worked there years ago there were a lot of former BigLaw associates employed there.</p>
<p>I think the bottom line here is, cast a wide wide net. AG office, headhunter, colleagues/networking, small nonprofit, etc. If you are willing to quit with no job prospects at all (which I think nobody recommends), then you should be willing to take a lower paying job as a stepping stone to a new direction in your career. It need not be your final resting place, it just needs to be something you can live with and grow from. </p>
<p>BigLaw Lawyer, I’d look for another position in law- and ideally in a big firm- before calling it quits.</p>
<p>I worked in several large law firms. 2 of them were experiences like yours. The other still had long hours, but the people were as nice as possible and it was a very enjoyable experience. I do miss it. (The UK-based firms are “nicer” places than the NY-based ones, and some NY-based ones are fine; headhunters and friends at other firms can guide you.)</p>
<p>If you go to a smaller firm, you won’t (necessarily) have the same hours or crazy people, but it’s not a piece of cake, either, and going to a smaller firm can limit your options to go to a prominent in-house job.</p>
<p>In-house jobs are tough to get; I had one, and it was a total nightmare; the boss was a madman and the stress was unbearable, although it actually paid better than the big law firm (AmLaw top-10) that I came from. Not worth it, however.</p>
<p>In this market, DO NOT quit your job without finding another one first. Maybe take a sabbatical- unpaid if need be- to de-stress?</p>
I sympathize greatly. I’m an in-house corporate attorney for a Fortune 500 company and BigLaw alumnus who loves his job. Like many, I was a litigator and found it hard to go in-house, so I took a state government job and huge pay cut to become a transactional lawyer with a compliance background. After three years I was able to get an in-house job and was on my way. That was ten years ago. My advice, be willing to move anywhere to start over, consider working for a small cap company or taking them on as a client, take corporate CLE courses, and find a corporate attorney as a mentor. And if your job is truly unbearable ( i.e., it’s affecting your health), get any job, even non legal to survive, begin freelancing as a solo, and find start up companies that need help. Live under your means and don’t be afraid. Doors will open.
Thanks. Right now I’m not sure about going in house because of the subject matter. Doing nothing but contracts for corporations does not sound like that much fun. Or it could be that working long hours makes any subject matter unbearable.
I found out that a buddy developed a serious autoimmune disease from working too much in biglaw. Beware law students - this is what happens when you work too much - you literally kill your body.
Biglaw isn’t the only industry like this. The large consulting companies and Wall Street treat their employees in a similar fashion. MANY people just do it for a couple of years, then move on. Most move on within the same profession, some leave it altogether. Don’t be afraid to make a change. I’d say try one more law related position before you throw away your investment in law school.