How soon is too soon to bail on BigLaw? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Started biglaw this past fall after a one-year clerkship. Got my signing bonus. Got my bump to second-year salary. And I pretty much hate everything. I hate the city I'm in (big city living doesn't agree with me). The work is dull. I'm not getting many billables, and when I do, they come at 7pm on a Friday.

Considering that I've collected two summers worth of SA pay, a clerkship bonus, and four months of salary for doing fuck all work, how bad is it gonna be if I bail in the next couple months? Has anyone done this? What's the shortest anyone has lasted? I'm considering heading back into government work; the pay cut would be a dick punch, but I honestly think I'd be happier. I realize that with a fourth month stint on my resume, I will probably never get another shot at biglaw. I'm ok with that.

Thoughts?

[Saddle Up]

According to my brother and my sis, both attorneys, the first year is always a bitch. According to them, the second year gets better.

[Jchance]

There's usually a clause on your employment agreement that requires you to work one full year at biglaw to keep your signing bonus/bar reimbursement expenses. Besides that, if you don't ever want to go back to biglaw, there is no such thing is too soon. But if you do want to go back, you need 2-5 years of experience.

[Aeon]

For what it's worth, there is a bit of a transition period, especially if you've just moved to a new city, and the first few months are the worst. If your signing bonus didn't come with any conditions (minimum one year's employment to retain it is typical), you could in principle begin applying for another job as soon as you like. Either way, you might try a wait-and-see approach and give it a year anyway, and if you're still intent on leaving, begin applying for jobs then.

[Lexaholik]

Started biglaw this past fall after a one-year clerkship. Got my signing bonus. Got my bump to second-year salary. And I pretty much hate everything. I hate the city I'm in (big city living doesn't agree with me). The work is dull. I'm not getting many billables, and when I do, they come at 7pm on a Friday.

Considering that I've collected two summers worth of SA pay, a clerkship bonus, and four months of salary for doing fuck all work, how bad is it gonna be if I bail in the next couple months? Has anyone done this? What's the shortest anyone has lasted? I'm considering heading back into government work; the pay cut would be a dick punch, but I honestly think I'd be happier. I realize that with a fourth month stint on my resume, I will probably never get another shot at biglaw. I'm ok with that.

Thoughts?

The shortest stint I've seen post-clerkship is about a year. The shortest stint without a clerkship that I've seen is 3-6 months. I was in a similar situation as you a few years ago. I got a clerkship bonus with no strings attached--I could leave at any moment. When I started I had little work to do, and when it did come it was at the worst times (one time I got a call with an assignment from a partner on Christmas eve). Over time it got better though--although by better I mean a non-stop stream of work. I ended up staying a few years to stack up some money and then move on.

What's your financial situation? Do you have debt? Do you have large expenses coming up, like paying for a wedding or buying a house? The answers to those questions probably should push you in one direction or another. Also--if you can put yourself through the misery for a little bit longer while holding your expenses down, the extra savings will go a long way down the road. (I was able to save up a couple years' worth of living expenses which helped me quit biglaw without having something concrete lined up.)

According to my brother and my sis, both attorneys, the first year is always a bitch. According to them, the second year gets better.

It's true that the first year sucks. It's not necessarily true that it gets better your second year. I got placed on an associate heavy matter so I ended up doing BS work as a third year.

There's usually a clause on your employment agreement that requires you to work one full year at biglaw to keep your signing bonus/bar reimbursement expenses. Besides that, if you don't ever want to go back to biglaw, there is no such thing is too soon. But if you do want to go back, you need 2-5 years of experience.

Not always. I made sure to ask HR about this before I joined and they said there were no conditions whatsoever. However, other firms did have these types of provisions so I would double check.

[Anonymous User]

OP here. Thanks for the feedback so far. I do not have any strings attached to my bonus, which kind of surprised me, but the money just showed up--I never signed anything. I do have student loan debt, and that's a real consideration for me, as is wanting to put away some scratch (I'm a few years behind on retirement saving). Part of my thinking is that if I apply for PI eligible jobs, that would handle a large part of my concern about the loans. Any wedding upcoming would be my second, and thus probably smaller and cheaper. And, FWIW, my s.o./potential fiancee does mid/big law ($125K) and enjoys it, and I'm not above being taken care of.

My clerkship was at an appeals court, and I think appellate work is really what I should be doing. So I'm thinking I might try to get a government appeals position and rack up some experience and wins (let's be real, the government usually wins), get my loans forgiven, then set up a solo practice, take 12 cases a year, and golf all the time.

[Lexaholik]

OP here. Thanks for the feedback so far. I do not have any strings attached to my bonus, which kind of surprised me, but the money just showed up--I never signed anything. I do have student loan debt, and that's a real consideration for me, as is wanting to put away some scratch (I'm a few years behind on retirement saving). Part of my thinking is that if I apply for PI eligible jobs, that would handle a large part of my concern about the loans. Any wedding upcoming would be my second, and thus probably smaller and cheaper. And, FWIW, my s.o./potential fiancee does mid/big law ($125K) and enjoys it, and I'm not above being taken care of.

My clerkship was at an appeals court, and I think appellate work is really what I should be doing. So I'm thinking I might try to get a government appeals position and rack up some experience and wins (let's be real, the government usually wins), get my loans forgiven, then set up a solo practice, take 12 cases a year, and golf all the time.

You got yourself in a nice situation. What I don't like about the PI/debt plan is if you try it out and find that you don't like it. Then you've lost your earning power plus no good solution for the debt. Or you might force yourself to stay at a job you hate for years. Personally I've always valued being financially independent, so it was worthwhile to stick it out in biglaw for as long as possible--especially if you can make it to the end of 2016 given the size of bonuses these days. You would be in a far better position to make the leap a year from now, so maybe it makes sense to come up with ways to cope with biglaw for 11 more months.

I like the government appeals plan. I ended up switching to a smaller firm post-biglaw and now work as a solo. It's been a rough ride income-wise (I make peanuts now) but I never lose sleep because of the money I saved up from biglaw.

[zot1]

You've been there too long already.

[Desert Fox]

You've been there too long already.

Yea a guy who started after a clerkship in October, quit at the end of december in my group.

[Anonymous User]

In my biglaw entering class, 2 people left within the first six months. I left after 1.5 years for another firm. It all depends on the circumstances. For me, I really wanted to break into a specific practice area. So staying longer could only work to my detriment as the substantive gap was growing. When I was interviewing, firms totally understood why I wanted to leave and it didn't hurt me at all.

There is a common saying that you get one free pass in biglaw. Its understood that a firm may just be a bad fit, that you may not be getting the kind of work you want, etc. and that a change at any point could possibly make sense. But you only get that one switch before you look like a serial jumper. Wherever you go after a quick switch, you need to stay for a few years.

So bottom line is that its okay to switch early if its really not a good fit for whatever reason. But make sure you are making the right choice, because you will need to live with it for awhile.

[krads153]

You've been there too long already.

Yea a guy who started after a clerkship in October, quit at the end of december in my group.

What's he doing now?

[Cogburn87]

There is a common saying that you get one free pass in biglaw. Its understood that a firm may just be a bad fit, that you may not be getting the kind of work you want, etc. and that a change at any point could possibly make sense. But you only get that one switch before you look like a serial jumper. Wherever you go after a quick switch, you need to stay for a few years.

This is borderline slave mentality. Who gives a shit how long you stay if you're leaving for something else that you want? Obviously not the person hiring you from your second gig that you also stayed only a year at.

[Anonymous User]

There is a common saying that you get one free pass in biglaw. Its understood that a firm may just be a bad fit, that you may not be getting the kind of work you want, etc. and that a change at any point could possibly make sense. But you only get that one switch before you look like a serial jumper. Wherever you go after a quick switch, you need to stay for a few years.

This is borderline slave mentality. Who gives a shit how long you stay if you're leaving for something else that you want? Obviously not the person hiring you from your second gig that you also stayed only a year at.

You are misunderstanding. I'm saying you are free to jump from your first job literally at any point if the circumstances warrant a quick exit. Its just that you want to ensure you are getting yourself into a situation where you won't have to make another fast jump (since its much harder to justify the second one and it raises resume red flags).

[Desert Fox]

You've been there too long already.

Yea a guy who started after a clerkship in October, quit at the end of december in my group.

What's he doing now?

midlaw back in his secondary/tertiary market.

[Desert Fox]

A guy I went to school with has worked with like 6 firms and he's only a rising 4th year (1L and 2L summers).

[kaiser]

A guy I went to school with has worked with like 6 firms and he's only a rising 4th year (1L and 2L summers).

Wow thats insane that a firm will bother hiring him at this point, since every indication is that he will up and leave after a few months.

[Tls2016]

What government jobs would be open to OP a few months after a clerkship? Just curious what options OP might have right now. My understanding is government appellate work is limited and competitive. But maybe the clerkship is more than enough?

Me, I would try to make it work at my current firm and stay longer. If money truly isn't a concern, then go. You don't sound like a good fit for big law at all given your lack of interest in money or working long hours.

[Cogburn87]

A guy I went to school with has worked with like 6 firms and he's only a rising 4th year (1L and 2L summers).

Wow thats insane that a firm will bother hiring him at this point, since every indication is that he will up and leave after a few months.

It's almost as if firms don't care anywhere near as much as people on this bort think...

[Abbie Doobie]

You've been there too long already.

Yea a guy who started after a clerkship in October, quit at the end of december in my group.

i know of a guy (not at my firm) who did the same thing

[DELG]

I know a COA clerk who applied for bigfed (and not something highly sought after like appeals) then took a firm job, worked there almost a year, then he got the offer from the fed gig and took it, based on the original app a year and a half prior. Point being, apply and see what happens. You may very well be forced to stay a respectable stint in biglaw.

[krads153]

A guy I went to school with has worked with like 6 firms and he's only a rising 4th year (1L and 2L summers).

Wow thats insane that a firm will bother hiring him at this point, since every indication is that he will up and leave after a few months.

It's more common than people think. I know a 6th year who quit his first firm after less than 2 years for no job. Was unemployed for awhile, then went back to firms, and kept switching firms every year or so. He's still at a firm now...

[BarbellDreams]

The shortest stint I've ever seen was one day. A friend of mine who graduated a few years before me came into biglaw, got a ton of assignments with no instructions and crazy deadlines, called her dad crying at 11pm that first Monday and after talking to him decided biglaw wasn't for her. The firm mailed her a prorated check for 1 day of work.

To answer your question, there is no "shortest". Its whenever you are 100% comfortable with leaving and know you are making the right decision + when you have another job lined up. Biglaw kind of sucks, and everyone I know with the exception of a few IP attorneys are absolutely miserable. The 4 months gap won't much matter if you line up a job you like and flip there.

[kaiser]

The shortest stint I've ever seen was one day. A friend of mine who graduated a few years before me came into biglaw, got a ton of assignments with no instructions and crazy deadlines, called her dad crying at 11pm that first Monday and after talking to him decided biglaw wasn't for her. The firm mailed her a prorated check for 1 day of work.

To answer your question, there is no "shortest". Its whenever you are 100% comfortable with leaving and know you are making the right decision + when you have another job lined up. Biglaw kind of sucks, and everyone I know with the exception of a few IP attorneys are absolutely miserable. The 4 months gap won't much matter if you line up a job you like and flip there.

Wow, thats intense. I don't think I touched an assignment until about the 3rd or 4th day once all orientation programs were finished.

[krads153]

The shortest stint I've ever seen was one day. A friend of mine who graduated a few years before me came into biglaw, got a ton of assignments with no instructions and crazy deadlines, called her dad crying at 11pm that first Monday and after talking to him decided biglaw wasn't for her. The firm mailed her a prorated check for 1 day of work.

lol this is like most assignments in biglaw - crazy deadlines and no or bad instructions. her dad sounds like the protective type. i think my parents would just tell me STFU and deal with it (which is what i've done for a few years now).

what is she doing now?

[Desert Fox]

I love how purposefully misleading Summer Associateships are.