Former Transactional Biglaw Associate, AMA Forum

[Anonymous User]

Website was a huge resource for me so I would like to pay it forward, ask away!

[Mad Hatter]

firm vault rank/specific area/year left/why left

thx
Pathern

[Anonymous User]

firm vault rank/specific area/year left/why left

thx
Pathern

V100/Real Estate/4th year/ Burned out

[sopranorleone]

Do you at all regret doing transactional over lit, and what did you leave biglaw for?

[Anonymous User]

How did your real estate practice differed from run of the mill M&A (I've heard most real estate practice is just M&A involving real estate but please illuminate me) and the assignments given associates especially during the first couple of years? What are you doing now or plan to do now?

[Anonymous User]

Do you at all regret doing transactional over lit, and what did you leave biglaw for?

No, I found transactional more interesting than litigation. The hours are insane but overall I found the work to be enjoyable. I did not leave biglaw with a job. I am currently working a seasonal retail job while I try search for a better firm job or in house job in my area but the search has gone on for around 9 months (had a few interviews here and there). May apply for another graduate degree and spin off into another area if nothing pans out soon. My living standard is so low that I am able to float myself for quite a while even with a menial job.

[Anonymous User]

Do you at all regret doing transactional over lit, and what did you leave biglaw for?

No, I found transactional more interesting than litigation. The hours are insane but overall I found the work to be enjoyable. I did not leave biglaw with a job. I am currently working a seasonal retail job while I try search for a better firm job or in house job in my area but the search has gone on for around 9 months (had a few interviews here and there). May apply for another graduate degree and spin off into another area if nothing pans out soon. My living standard is so low that I am able to float myself for quite a while even with a menial job.

Now that you're in retail have you noticed that you have little or no patience for mediocrity?

[Anonymous User]

How did your real estate practice differed from run of the mill M&A (I've heard most real estate practice is just M&A involving real estate but please illuminate me) and the assignments given associates especially during the first couple of years? What are you doing now or plan to do now?

I did pure real estate. See post above for what I do now. Not sure where you have the idea that real estate practice is just M&A. Any real estate companies being merged are handled by the corporate folks, I have no idea how any of that works. I think real estate practice is at least 10 times more interesting than M&A and I took a lot longer to burn out than my M&A classmates. Real estate is 100% different than corporate other than that both involve writing contracts, no idea how people think they are at all similar.

[sopranorleone]

Do you at all regret doing transactional over lit, and what did you leave biglaw for?

No, I found transactional more interesting than litigation. The hours are insane but overall I found the work to be enjoyable. I did not leave biglaw with a job. I am currently working a seasonal retail job while I try search for a better firm job or in house job in my area but the search has gone on for around 9 months (had a few interviews here and there). May apply for another graduate degree and spin off into another area if nothing pans out soon. My living standard is so low that I am able to float myself for quite a while even with a menial job.

Thanks! Hope something comes up soon!

[Anonymous User]

Do you at all regret doing transactional over lit, and what did you leave biglaw for?

No, I found transactional more interesting than litigation. The hours are insane but overall I found the work to be enjoyable. I did not leave biglaw with a job. I am currently working a seasonal retail job while I try search for a better firm job or in house job in my area but the search has gone on for around 9 months (had a few interviews here and there). May apply for another graduate degree and spin off into another area if nothing pans out soon. My living standard is so low that I am able to float myself for quite a while even with a menial job.

Now that you're in retail have you noticed that you have little or no patience for mediocrity?

Not really, it's really nice to work in an environment where somebody does not persecute you for making non-consequential errors. The people are much more pleasant than they were at the firm. I have little or no patience for people who put others down for making understandable mistakes now.

[Anonymous User]

Do you at all regret doing transactional over lit, and what did you leave biglaw for?

No, I found transactional more interesting than litigation. The hours are insane but overall I found the work to be enjoyable. I did not leave biglaw with a job. I am currently working a seasonal retail job while I try search for a better firm job or in house job in my area but the search has gone on for around 9 months (had a few interviews here and there). May apply for another graduate degree and spin off into another area if nothing pans out soon. My living standard is so low that I am able to float myself for quite a while even with a menial job.

Thanks! Hope something comes up soon!

Thank you!! Something will always come up. People may think I'm insane but then I call my friends at my former firm who start crying and saying they wish they had the courage to leave and pursue something better like I did. The money is addicting and it is better to escape if you possibly can.

[Neff]

How long did it take you to pay off school loans and save up for a down payment (assuming you bought a house)?

Was it hard to just quit without a law job lined up -- or was the goal to take a break from law altogether? Are in-house positions really hard to get where you are?

[LAsonic]

Would you say that, in your experience, real estate transactional work was more predictable than some of the other transactional practices?

[deepseapartners]

Was there a specific breaking point which caused you to quit before you had another legal job lined up?

[Anonymous User]

How long did it take you to pay off school loans and save up for a down payment (assuming you bought a house)?

Was it hard to just quit without a law job lined up -- or was the goal to take a break from law altogether? Are in-house positions really hard to get where you are?

I never paid more than the minimum and accumulated cash so I still got 150k in loans. I could have paid off my loans, but the way I did it I am able to take extensive time off. Buying a house in my city will never happen financially, I will be a lifetime renter.

In house positions can take 8-10 years of experience and I did not have that in the tank. I had so much work that I could not take it anymore.

[Anonymous User]

Would you say that, in your experience, real estate transactional work was more predictable than some of the other transactional practices?

Less predictable. Had some 50 hour months followed by consecutive 300 hour months. This makes hitting 2000 extremely difficult.

[Anonymous User]

Was there a specific breaking point which caused you to quit before you had another legal job lined up?

My significant other told me to either quit or our relationship was over. It was obviously not a smart decision to leave since I got dumped by that person a few months later.

[Anonymous User]

Were you randomly put in the firm's real estate practice group, or did you have prior experience / target the group specifically?

[Anonymous User]

Was there a specific breaking point which caused you to quit before you had another legal job lined up?

My significant other told me to either quit or our relationship was over. It was obviously not a smart decision to leave since I got dumped by that person a few months later.

Dude that sucks. Did you tell your SO about biglaw and it happened anyway? I already explain to my SO what being in Biglaw entails but I don't know that she fully understands.

[Anonymous User]

Were you randomly put in the firm's real estate practice group, or did you have prior experience / target the group specifically?

I had extensive prior experience in real estate. This was back in the days when getting real estate law was impossible and the practice was dead. Now the same firms are begging uncommited associates to do real estate.

[Anonymous User]

Was there a specific breaking point which caused you to quit before you had another legal job lined up?

My significant other told me to either quit or our relationship was over. It was obviously not a smart decision to leave since I got dumped by that person a few months later.

Dude that sucks. Did you tell your SO about biglaw and it happened anyway? I already explain to my SO what being in Biglaw entails but I don't know that she fully understands.

Of course I did. I do not blame my SO whatsoever either. The break point happened at my SOs 30th birthday party where 40 people were there including my entire SOs extended family and friends. A big closing got delayed at the last second to that night and my firm demanded I stay and finish the closing saying it was more important than what I had planned. It was obviously embarassing for my SO to not have me show up. Not fair to blame my SO on this one. No matter how much you explain, things like this are not understandable to anyone outside of the biglaw world.

[almondjoy]

Of course I did. I do not blame my SO whatsoever either. The break point happened at my SOs 30th birthday party where 40 people were there including my entire SOs extended family and friends. A big closing got delayed at the last second to that night and my firm demanded I stay and finish the closing saying it was more important than what I had planned. It was obviously embarassing for my SO to not have me show up. Not fair to blame my SO on this one. No matter how much you explain, things like this are not understandable to anyone outside of the biglaw world.

Damn that is rough.

[Anonymous User]

Of course I did. I do not blame my SO whatsoever either. The break point happened at my SOs 30th birthday party where 40 people were there including my entire SOs extended family and friends. A big closing got delayed at the last second to that night and my firm demanded I stay and finish the closing saying it was more important than what I had planned. It was obviously embarassing for my SO to not have me show up. Not fair to blame my SO on this one. No matter how much you explain, things like this are not understandable to anyone outside of the biglaw world.

Damn that is rough.

It is, but I dont want you to think I am a special flower. I have seen deals derail honeymoons, weddings (yes even the associates own wedding), anniversaries and birthdays. My good friend got divorced after missing two consecutive Christmases at his V10 firm. I am not the exception, I am the rule.

[PennBull]

If a deal derailed an associate's wedding/honeymoon it's because he didn't take vacation far enough in advance/secure the proper coverage. And if that's not possible, then the partners he work for suck.

[WillitBlend]

If a deal derailed an associate's wedding/honeymoon it's because he didn't take vacation far enough in advance/secure the proper coverage. And if that's not possible, then the partners he work for suck.

nature of the assignment