Who do you give your 2 weeks notice to as a first year in biglaw? Forum

[Anonymous User]

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[avenuem]

Well. Can’t say I didn’t see this coming since I even hated being a summer associate, but I’m ready to quit biglaw after just having started this fall. I started applying to other jobs basically the week after orientation and am now weighing a public interest job practicing law and a non-legal opportunity that’s riskier but has been my dream for a while now (just didn’t realize it soon enough to avoid going to law school in the first place). I have savings to cover a year’s worth of expenses, federal loans in forbearance (on IBR), a supportive SO and no kids or golden handcuffs or really anything tying me to the money. I just want out.

What’s the most courteous way to go about this? I like the people that I work with and want to leave on good terms—not for professional reasons so much as personal. I’m new enough that I still have a close relationship with the recruiting coordinator—should I let her know first and have her advise? Should I tell the mid-level I work closest to who’s been like a mentor to me? Or just call up one of the partners in my group who I don’t have a lot of contact with? If I give 2 weeks notice, what’s the likelihood they’ll actually want me to awkwardly stick around those two weeks being this junior?

I’m so ready to leave but the actual act of doing so is such a mental roadblock for me. My conflict avoidance might actually keep me here longer than the money could.

Tell a recruiter if you want, chances are they will forward your email before or immediately after acknowledging it.

Don't dump it on the mid-level if you're indecisive, because then you're forcing them to keep a secret between first-year and the entity that pays them. To clarify, it would be different if you knew you wanted to leave for sure and just wanted advice. But it sounds like you're not sure and there's more at play than not wanting to upset people, although you write "conflict avoidance might actually keep me here longer than the money could."

Congrats on finding something to make you happy.

[Anonymous User]

As with any job, you should be prepared to be terminated immediately upon giving notice. This rarely happens in biglaw but usually because associates with more experience have built trust and need time to wind-down matters; you might not be there yet. You should be prepared for that in the event you have personal items saved on the work laptop or cell phone, etc.

You should inform the partner(s) that you work with first. Even if they don’t know you very well, this is good form. Give them a call; in most situations I would say to leave a voicemail only asking for them to call you back, but you probably could get away with telling them you’re leaving by voicemail and then following that up by email.

Then either wait until they acknowledge you (if you didn’t speak live) or 24 hours to do the same with the mid-levels you work with and the recruiting office if you feel like it, but I would include your office’s HR director as well once you have told all the attorneys you’ll be breaking news to. It would be good form to ask the midlevel what you can do to help transition your project(s) to other associates in the next two weeks.

[Anonymous User]

If you're the fellow miserable first year I've talked to in some other threads, just want to say congratulations! You give me hope.

[Anonymous User]

Send an email to HR and then simultaneously reach out to any partners you work closely with and want to tell personally.

[papermateflair]

Tell the partners first (call them, and leave a brief message asking them to call you back if they don't answer), starting with the one that's highest up the food chain or your closest mentor. Ask them to give you the next couple of hours to inform the other partners so they don't undercut you with the other partners, and then ask them how they would like to communicate it to the rest of your group - they may not want you telling other associates if they want to control the story, for example.

AFTER you have told the partners, then tell HR - if you tell HR first, they may start the off-boarding process before you talk to the partners. Recruiting isn't relevant any more, but you should certainly reach out to anyone at the firm you have connections with if that feels genuine to you.

Keep your story for leaving consistent and positive - you had an incredible opportunity to come up that's your dream job and you had to take it, or you really want to give back to your community full-time in the public interest position and you had to take it. Not "I hated big law from the moment I was a summer and have been desperately looking for anything since" but "this is an opportunity I could not pass up, I am so grateful for the chance to work here and I would love to stay in touch."

Congrats!!!!

[Anonymous User]

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[Anonymous User]

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