How bad would it be to quit without a backup plan? (first year in biglaw) Forum

[Anonymous User]

OP here. Thanks for the advice, everyone! While I can see the value in sticking it out for another year or so (money and resume), I just don't think it's worth sacrificing my health. I put in a lot of time/effort/money recovering from a long-term medical condition and have backslid since working in biglaw because of the stress. I'm also in a very small office where doing a mediocre job and coasting by isn't super feasible without being noticed and actively pissing people off. I've also been put on two new matters today in addition to my already bad workload (LOL, this is going to be a fun weekend).

I think what I'm going to do is tell the firm what's going on and see if they'll work with me to give me some time to transition out while working a reduced caseload. That way I'd have time to look for a new job with more predictable hours. Worst thing they can say is no and then I'm still no worse off than I am now.

You are making the wrong decision, but it's not my debt.

Nor is it your physical health.

No one has died from having to write a motion to dismiss.

This is the worst take on earth. Science has proven time and time again that a lack of sleep and stress are not physically healthy. The big law lifestyle of working into the wee hours of the morning and constantly being under stress is generally not particularly healthy and OP has made it clear that they also have pre-existing medical conditions that have been worsened.

OP, I'm another miserable first year who feels very mentally and physically ill in a way that I have never felt before starting this job. Health should come first. Big law is not compatible with health or even a minimally fulfilling life for many and I have come to terms that I am one of this people and will not be ashamed about it.

[Anonymous User]

OP, I was in your same position 6ish months in. My gut knew that the job was slowly killing me, but I took the [valid] advice you’ve likely heard and decided I might as well make a bunch of money while I figured out my next step and padded my resume so it had the golden 2 years. In the process, I became incredibly depressed, developed bizarre, crippling ailments that doctors couldn’t explain, and, in the words of my family, completely withered away. I stuck it out for 3 years before I finally listened to my instincts and left biglaw for public interest work.

If any of this sounds familiar or you can relate, I’m here to encourage you to trust your instincts. This doesn’t mean leaving law necessarily, but either (1) aggressively applying to NON-BIGLAW jobs, such as smaller firms or government positions, and waiting for an offer, or (2) map out the risks and quit if you feel it is best. Take it from someone who learned the hard way that if your body is telling you to run, you will pay the consequences if you don’t.

Obviously this take is colored by the fact you have no debt and good savings, so don’t sell your soul for money unless you genuinely enjoy the work.

[Anonymous User]

OP, I was in your same position 6ish months in. My gut knew that the job was slowly killing me, but I took the [valid] advice you’ve likely heard and decided I might as well make a bunch of money while I figured out my next step and padded my resume so it had the golden 2 years. In the process, I became incredibly depressed, developed bizarre, crippling ailments that doctors couldn’t explain, and, in the words of my family, completely withered away. I stuck it out for 3 years before I finally listened to my instincts and left biglaw for public interest work.

If any of this sounds familiar or you can relate, I’m here to encourage you to trust your instincts. This doesn’t mean leaving law necessarily, but either (1) aggressively applying to NON-BIGLAW jobs, such as smaller firms or government positions, and waiting for an offer, or (2) map out the risks and quit if you feel it is best. Take it from someone who learned the hard way that if your body is telling you to run, you will pay the consequences if you don’t.

Obviously this take is colored by the fact you have no debt and good savings, so don’t sell your soul for money unless you genuinely enjoy the work.

This is OP. Thanks so much for sharing your story - I can definitely relate to the "mystery ailments." I've luckily never struggled with depression (anxiety is a different story), but I can easily see how it could creep up on you in this job, especially as the hours/unpredictability make it harder to pursue healthy coping strategies (for me, the main ones are uninterrupted time with friends and family and time in the outdoors unplugged from technology, both of which are incompatible with biglaw). I acknowledge that everyone's situation is different, but I'm fortunate enough to be in a financial position where I don't need the biglaw salary and I think this makes the choice somewhat easier. I'm also considering that the monetary benefits of biglaw are partially offset by the amount of money I've had to pay for medical bills and therapy.

Have your mental and physical health improved since you left biglaw? I definitely want to get out before I get to a point from which I can't bounce back.

[NYCValeoftears]

OP here. Thanks for the advice, everyone! While I can see the value in sticking it out for another year or so (money and resume), I just don't think it's worth sacrificing my health. I put in a lot of time/effort/money recovering from a long-term medical condition and have backslid since working in biglaw because of the stress. I'm also in a very small office where doing a mediocre job and coasting by isn't super feasible without being noticed and actively pissing people off. I've also been put on two new matters today in addition to my already bad workload (LOL, this is going to be a fun weekend).

I think what I'm going to do is tell the firm what's going on and see if they'll work with me to give me some time to transition out while working a reduced caseload. That way I'd have time to look for a new job with more predictable hours. Worst thing they can say is no and then I'm still no worse off than I am now.

You are making the wrong decision, but it's not my debt.

Nor is it your physical health.

No one has died from having to write a motion to dismiss.

What a painfully idiotic thing to say.

[obamalaw]

My advice is to try and stay for an entire year. As others have alluded to, coast for a few months and start looking.

If you don't stay at a job for a year, it will look bad on your resume. If you have seven months of no employment on your resume, it will look bad.

[nixy]

Eh, I think it is usually easier to get another job while you're employed, but if someone decides to leave law completely, I don't think non-law employers are going to care about the difference between 7 months and 12 months. Again, one short term job isn't an issue - it's having multiple short stints that looks bad.

I get the advice to coast, but I think psychologically (and sometimes just logistically) it can be tough actually to back off and disengage enough to make a difference. But I agree that if OP can negotiate some kind of reduced load, or leave of some kind (like approach them about medical leave on the basis of your health condition?), that will help in taking the steps to find another job/field.

[Idontwanttomakeaname]

OP here. Thanks for the advice, everyone! While I can see the value in sticking it out for another year or so (money and resume), I just don't think it's worth sacrificing my health. I put in a lot of time/effort/money recovering from a long-term medical condition and have backslid since working in biglaw because of the stress. I'm also in a very small office where doing a mediocre job and coasting by isn't super feasible without being noticed and actively pissing people off. I've also been put on two new matters today in addition to my already bad workload (LOL, this is going to be a fun weekend).

I think what I'm going to do is tell the firm what's going on and see if they'll work with me to give me some time to transition out while working a reduced caseload. That way I'd have time to look for a new job with more predictable hours. Worst thing they can say is no and then I'm still no worse off than I am now.

You are making the wrong decision, but it's not my debt.

Nor is it your physical health.

No one has died from having to write a motion to dismiss.

What a painfully idiotic thing to say.

Painful idiocy is Sparty’s speciality.

[Anonymous User]

OP here. Thanks for the advice, everyone! While I can see the value in sticking it out for another year or so (money and resume), I just don't think it's worth sacrificing my health. I put in a lot of time/effort/money recovering from a long-term medical condition and have backslid since working in biglaw because of the stress. I'm also in a very small office where doing a mediocre job and coasting by isn't super feasible without being noticed and actively pissing people off. I've also been put on two new matters today in addition to my already bad workload (LOL, this is going to be a fun weekend).

I think what I'm going to do is tell the firm what's going on and see if they'll work with me to give me some time to transition out while working a reduced caseload. That way I'd have time to look for a new job with more predictable hours. Worst thing they can say is no and then I'm still no worse off than I am now.

You are making the wrong decision, but it's not my debt.

Nor is it your physical health.

No one has died from having to write a motion to dismiss.

What a painfully idiotic thing to say.

Painful idiocy is Sparty’s speciality.

I feel like the silly one for constantly engaging this troll. Given the dumbness of the things he says it's highly likely he's laughing at us all, but for whatever reason I can't ignore him.

[Anonymous User]

OP, I was in your same position 6ish months in. My gut knew that the job was slowly killing me, but I took the [valid] advice you’ve likely heard and decided I might as well make a bunch of money while I figured out my next step and padded my resume so it had the golden 2 years. In the process, I became incredibly depressed, developed bizarre, crippling ailments that doctors couldn’t explain, and, in the words of my family, completely withered away. I stuck it out for 3 years before I finally listened to my instincts and left biglaw for public interest work.

If any of this sounds familiar or you can relate, I’m here to encourage you to trust your instincts. This doesn’t mean leaving law necessarily, but either (1) aggressively applying to NON-BIGLAW jobs, such as smaller firms or government positions, and waiting for an offer, or (2) map out the risks and quit if you feel it is best. Take it from someone who learned the hard way that if your body is telling you to run, you will pay the consequences if you don’t.

Obviously this take is colored by the fact you have no debt and good savings, so don’t sell your soul for money unless you genuinely enjoy the work.

This is OP. Thanks so much for sharing your story - I can definitely relate to the "mystery ailments." I've luckily never struggled with depression (anxiety is a different story), but I can easily see how it could creep up on you in this job, especially as the hours/unpredictability make it harder to pursue healthy coping strategies (for me, the main ones are uninterrupted time with friends and family and time in the outdoors unplugged from technology, both of which are incompatible with biglaw). I acknowledge that everyone's situation is different, but I'm fortunate enough to be in a financial position where I don't need the biglaw salary and I think this makes the choice somewhat easier. I'm also considering that the monetary benefits of biglaw are partially offset by the amount of money I've had to pay for medical bills and therapy.

Have your mental and physical health improved since you left biglaw? I definitely want to get out before I get to a point from which I can't bounce back.

This is the original Anon - I'm really happy to hear my story resonated. We sound pretty similar -- being unplugged in nature is one of my core necessities, and it was nearly impossible to do in biglaw. I could go on for paragraphs with absurd anecdotes, but I imagine you have the same.

To answer your question, yes! I only left a few months ago, but the improvements were tangible. Within the first few weeks, I had several friends and family separately comment on how much healthier I looked. Variations of "you look way better, dude," "you're starting to seem like yourself again," etc. It was pretty remarkable, and I do often wonder whether I would have bounced back even quicker (still gradually recovering) had I left sooner. And now that I'm a few months into my new job, the absurdity of the biglaw environment becomes more apparent by the day. The best analogy I can give is that it's like being unplugged from the matrix.

I don't want to be the domino that causes you to quit, as we all have different experiences, and I found a new job that I had been interested in doing (but was dissuaded from doing by biglaw elitists) for years. But I'm happy to be a sounding board and share my experiences if it would be helpful. Above all, don't worry - it'll get better!

Also, your comment about enjoying law school makes me think you might enjoy clerking. That's probably been mentioned in this thread, but it could be up your alley. The hours are better, and you actually learn something. One of my least favorite parts of biglaw was realizing that I was sacrificing my life to do doc review and non-substantive administrative work for superiors. Clerking scratches the intellectual curiosity itch and also makes you a better writer.

[Anonymous User]

My situation was a bit different than yours, but not financially. I too had no debt and realized that biglaw wasn't for me (no health issues, just was bored and stressed at the same time). I quit and then spent the next six months job searching. It was a hard time, but looking back now-- some years later, still a lawyer, and much better off than I was back then-- it was by far the best decision of my life to quit. I don't regret it one bit. Moving forward, when I inevitably leave my current job, I'm not going to settle for a job that isn't something I love. And yes, if I need to spend some time unemployed that's fine too. Life is too short to do work you hate.

[Dcc617]

One of my friends just lateraled, from applying to clearing conflicts, in 8 days. You can go somewhere else immediately if you want.

[Anonymous User]

One of my friends just lateraled, from applying to clearing conflicts, in 8 days. You can go somewhere else immediately if you want.

A first year?

[Dcc617]

One of my friends just lateraled, from applying to clearing conflicts, in 8 days. You can go somewhere else immediately if you want.

A first year?

Second year, so a junior.

[Anonymous User]

I would be very careful about quitting without having something else lined up. I once worked for a small firm (pre-law school) that had to downsize not long after I joined. I was back on the job market, outside of the normal recruitment channels, and it was very tough to find something, even though I had great grades from a very prestigious undergrad.

I ultimately was unemployed for like 7 months and kind of got lucky when I finally found something. You don't want to put yourself in the position of not knowing when's the next time you're going to get a paycheck.

A lot of people have terrible experiences in big law. You could try to get a quick exit through clerking and use that time to figure out what's next. Or you can stick it out a year and then reassess. But I would not quit a few months in, have it on your resume that you worked somewhere and summarily quit, and enter the job market with that on your resume hoping that it works out.