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Looking for some guidance in shifting my career path. I am a third year associate at a very small insurance defense practice in NY. I am very unhappy in large part because of the way the practice I work for is run (its a toxic environment with very crazy people and they do not treat employees well, my work is micromanaged to the point where I have simple requests for authorization letters red-lined and the firm is very outdated in the way it operates) but also I have little interest in personal injury defense nor in fighting these fights day in and day out over minute details in each case (4 of almost the same motions to dismiss for failure to provide discovery in a single case for instance) when none of them go to trial and we are just manufacturing billing. I never feel like I am accomplishing anything at work, I am just writing report after report like its book report season at school. My question is where can I go from here? I get a lot of hits from insurance defense firms which I believe will undoubtedly be better in terms of environment but the work won't be much different. What else can I Do with my background and degree?

wonderwall87 wrote:Looking for some guidance in shifting my career path. I am a third year associate at a very small insurance defense practice in NY. I am very unhappy in large part because of the way the practice I work for is run (its a toxic environment with very crazy people and they do not treat employees well, my work is micromanaged to the point where I have simple requests for authorization letters red-lined and the firm is very outdated in the way it operates) but also I have little interest in personal injury defense nor in fighting these fights day in and day out over minute details in each case (4 of almost the same motions to dismiss for failure to provide discovery in a single case for instance) when none of them go to trial and we are just manufacturing billing. I never feel like I am accomplishing anything at work, I am just writing report after report like its book report season at school. My question is where can I go from here? I get a lot of hits from insurance defense firms which I believe will undoubtedly be better in terms of environment but the work won't be much different. What else can I Do with my background and degree?

Try to move up in insurance defense to somewhere that at least tries cases so you can get substantive experience.

Otherwise you're looking to find somewhere that will hire a lawyer who's three years out of school but doesn't have much practical experience to bring to the firm.

Do you think you could land a clerkship? Does your school post open positions for new lawyers?

I'm in a similar situation, but a 2nd year and my ins def firm at least occasionally takes cases to trial. I've been looking at NY state gov openings and solo practitioners in practice areas that fit my background better, I just can't see myself doing ins def long-term.