Fascinating thread on life in biglaw on a financial forum Forum

[thesealocust]

Full of people who went through it, and gathered on an online forum to talk about investing/retirement. So the experience in law is amusingly common, but not the thrust of the discussion - gets into job prospects, progression, transactional vs. lit, exit options, etc.:

http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtop ... 1&t=112751

A+ would read again. It's like what TLS would be if it were full of experienced attorneys instead of snot-nosed youths.

[Davidbentley]

Thanks for the linkage.

ETA: Some of the Law school related information is inaccurate, but the experiential shit is useful.

[rouser]

thanks for this...obviously a depressing read but if there's one thing TLS lacks, it's this kind of stuff from people 10+ years deep into it.

[stuckinthemiddle]

*tags*

[sc-123]

Christ that was depressing

[jess]

.

[thesealocust]

Christ that was depressing

[somewhatwayward]

Depressing and not that far away for me...

I hate when people on here insist that if we can't suggest an alternative to going to law school, then our opinion that they should not take out six figures to attend Brooklyn Law is meritless. However, I have a little of that reaction in response to this: jobs that pay as well as big law and most professional jobs, many of which pay less, demand long hours and tedious work. MDs might be somewhat of an exception but that's only after 8+ years of hell.

I do wish that I had studied computer science or engineering in undergrad, though. You can actually get a good job that doesn't have as crazy of hours, and, most importantly, you don't need to get a costly grad degree. If you do, you might be able to get your company to pay for it after a few years. I have a brother in seventh grade who I am steering toward these fields. He's started studying programming, and I hope it sticks!

ETA: one additional thing about big law that might make it worse than other professional jobs is the force attrition, though.

[Objection]

Depressing, but accurate.

However, despite how much I despise the big law firm model, I am happy with my decision to become a lawyer and believe I will be happy in my next job(s). I'm much happier in my current position than I ever was in big law (clerking).

Knowing someone is on the other side trying to kick my ass is what motivates me. I don't like to lose, particularly when someone is actively trying to beat me and where winning actually matters. I wasn't going to become a professional athlete or chess player, and law -- trial work in particular -- seems like the next best thing.

[BerkeleyBear]

Christ that was depressing

[shock259]

Spring break ruined.

[moxypoxy]

I didn't see much substance in that thread that hasn't been around in spades on the other law-related forums etc.

Have to keep in mind that there's a huge self-selection going on for people taking the time to write about the misery of biglaw. Not suggesting that it's the rosy wonderland 0Ls may think, but the grim picture painted by people who hated biglaw probably isn't a realistic picture either.

[thesealocust]

I didn't see much substance in that thread that hasn't been around in spades on the other law-related forums etc.

Have to keep in mind that there's a huge self-selection going on for people taking the time to write about the misery of biglaw. Not suggesting that it's the rosy wonderland 0Ls may think, but the grim picture painted by people who hated biglaw probably isn't a realistic picture either.

It's a forum about retirement investment. That's the key difference - you expect people with sob stories to flock to websites like TLS or JDUnderground to stir trouble. You don't expect them to crop up - loudly and unanimously - in a place devoted to discussing asset allocation and the finer points of Roth vs. Traditional 401(k)s.

[Flash]

Fantastic read. Dualincomenodebt killed it.

[84651846190]

Christ that was depressing

[Objection]

I didn't see much substance in that thread that hasn't been around in spades on the other law-related forums etc.

Have to keep in mind that there's a huge self-selection going on for people taking the time to write about the misery of biglaw. Not suggesting that it's the rosy wonderland 0Ls may think, but the grim picture painted by people who hated biglaw probably isn't a realistic picture either.

I don't think it's self selection at all. Just ask people who work in big law when you get there.

[BuckinghamB]

Now I'm sad. Thanks for the link, though.

[005618502]

EDIT: Didnt read first... holy shit that was depressing

[moxypoxy]

It's a forum about retirement investment. That's the key difference - you expect people with sob stories to flock to websites like TLS or JDUnderground to stir trouble. You don't expect them to crop up - loudly and unanimously - in a place devoted to discussing asset allocation and the finer points of Roth vs. Traditional 401(k)s.

The only thing this tells me is that miserable people frequent a wide range of forums. It's not as if there was some insight about the financial merits of a career in law that hasn't been explored ad nauseum here and elsewhere.

I don't think it's self selection at all. Just ask people who work in big law when you get there.

I've been there and I have asked. Again, I'm not arguing that people generally love biglaw, but the general sentiment I've observed in biglawyers is that it's a tough career, but one worth the trade off.

[84651846190]

It's a forum about retirement investment. That's the key difference - you expect people with sob stories to flock to websites like TLS or JDUnderground to stir trouble. You don't expect them to crop up - loudly and unanimously - in a place devoted to discussing asset allocation and the finer points of Roth vs. Traditional 401(k)s.

The only thing this tells me is that miserable people frequent a wide range of forums. It's not as if there was some insight about the financial merits of a career in law that hasn't been explored ad nauseum here and elsewhere.

I don't think it's self selection at all. Just ask people who work in big law when you get there.

I've been there and I have asked. Again, I'm not arguing that people generally love biglaw, but the general sentiment I've observed in biglawyers is that it's a tough career, but one worth the trade off.

Aren't you still in law school? If so, I assume most of your interaction with biglawyers has taken place while they're trying to recruit you. Of fucking course they're going to tell you they made the right career choice when they're trying to recruit you. Even if they weren't trying to recruit you, biglawyers tend to be the kind of people who don't admit their own mistakes, at least not in person (although some may do it anonymously online for catharsis).

[guinness1547]

I need a hug. And possibly a new career path.

[longlivetheking]

ah yes. our daily dose of pessimism.

[thesealocust]

ah yes. our daily does of pessimism.

I do try.

[5ky]

I actually didn't think this was too depressing, which is a reflection on how many horribly depressing things I've read about life in biglaw. I just read an epic screed about life at Latham, back even before the crash.

http://wpwy.org/blog/?p=580

[Anonymous User]

Here is another cheerful account that I haven't seen around here much. I've posted it before: My Life As An Associate

A quick search on the author reveals that the firm in question is Shearman & Sterling, which I had never heard of until this article. Though #23 on Vault, it is oddly absent from the discussions of prestige-obsessed TLS. Go figure.

The article is 15 years old, but disturbingly consistent with everything I have ever read about biglaw - and with parts of what little of it I experienced last summer. Evidently, little has changed since then and while ITE probably hasn't improved matters, the hardships of biglaw life long predate it.