Associates: How's life? Forum

[JiveTurkey]

In light of the "which partners suck to work for" thread, I figured crowd-sourcing general QOL would be useful.

Heard bad things from STB M&A

I had a V30 corporate associate cold call me and tell me how much their life sucked at the moment lol

[LittleRedCorvette]

In light of the "which partners suck to work for" thread, I figured crowd-sourcing general QOL would be useful.

Heard bad things from STB M&A

I had a V30 corporate associate cold call me and tell me how much their life sucked at the moment lol

Why did a V30 corporate associate cold call you to tell you how much their life sucked?

[Anonymous User]

It's terrible but the money helps

[Anonymous User]

this is going to sound absurd but tbh wish i could go back to law school living. at least at an HYS it was a humane ~45 hours a week

[Anonymous User]

this is going to sound absurd but tbh wish i could go back to law school living. at least at an HYS it was a humane ~45 hours a week

Yea, I really enjoyed law school lifestyle. I am a junior in biglaw. But I am clerking soon (so I don’t worry at all about hours, regularly do under 40/week), and I still can’t wait to go. Junior lit work just isn’t that interesting.

[JiveTurkey]

In light of the "which partners suck to work for" thread, I figured crowd-sourcing general QOL would be useful.

Heard bad things from STB M&A

I had a V30 corporate associate cold call me and tell me how much their life sucked at the moment lol

Why did a V30 corporate associate cold call you to tell you how much their life sucked?

I had sent a networking email several weeks before and didn't get any response...so not totally out of the blue, but definitely unexpected.

[JiveTurkey]

this is going to sound absurd but tbh wish i could go back to law school living. at least at an HYS it was a humane ~45 hours a week

Not absurd, I've heard that before. Where do you work if you don't mind sharing? ("VX + corp" is fine if you don't want to be too specific)

[NYto202.5]

Corporate 6th year at a lower Amlaw 100 firm, secondary market. On track to bill about 2800, about 8 months into my firm's financial year. This is supposed to be a lifestyle firm, so that kind of sucks, but on the other hand they are very worried about losing me to a market paying firm and have promised me a full special bonus, a large end of year bonus (without any specifics) and are talking about a pay raise, so that all helps. I have excellent partnership prospects here so I'll probably stick around until then at least.

[Anonymous User]

Lit associate in tertiary market making just over 100k in second year (~50 atty firm in one office). Loving the 1800 requirement. working about 50 hours a week and as long as I don’t blatantly fuck up partnership is a real possibility. Partners are between 250k-1m a year, and compared to big law my salary and partner comp is trash, but QOL is great and I live in low cost of living area (think 250k for average 3bd home price). Covid has not affected work - in fact, we’re prob busier and bringing on 3-4 associates within the next two months.

[Anonymous User]

this is going to sound absurd but tbh wish i could go back to law school living. at least at an HYS it was a humane ~45 hours a week

Yea, I really enjoyed law school lifestyle. I am a junior in biglaw. But I am clerking soon (so I don’t worry at all about hours, regularly do under 40/week), and I still can’t wait to go. Junior lit work just isn’t that interesting.

are people just not giving you work because they know you are clerking soon? I'm clerking next year so I hope the month or two leading up to it I get to just hard chill

[Anonymous User]

this is going to sound absurd but tbh wish i could go back to law school living. at least at an HYS it was a humane ~45 hours a week

Yea, I really enjoyed law school lifestyle. I am a junior in biglaw. But I am clerking soon (so I don’t worry at all about hours, regularly do under 40/week), and I still can’t wait to go. Junior lit work just isn’t that interesting.

are people just not giving you work because they know you are clerking soon? I'm clerking next year so I hope the month or two leading up to it I get to just hard chill

Idk. I think it’s a combo of WFH and never actively seeking out any work.

[Jta7877]

What is the word on STB M&A?

[Anonymous User]

It's terrible but the money helps

My twin brother, a second year neurosurgery resident in cleveland, works the same hours as i do (v5 m&a junior) for 30% of the salary.

[JiveTurkey]

What is the word on STB M&A?

Basically that it’s miserable. To be fair, that’s the case with many M&A groups, I’ve just heard directly that their group in particular burns through your soul. Think getting a call at 10pm every friday that requires you to work until 2-3. stuff like that, but often. other groups will offer either slightly lower hours or more predictable hours, or both, and in m&a (correct me if i’m wrong associates) you’re generally doing a lot more DD and the really grunty work for a longer period.

[CHEESEISLYFE]

I am deeply perturbed at someone at a third tier firm paid undermarket and billing 2800.

That's actually sick. I would hand in my notice, and find somewhere else asap. I wouldn't even bother to find somewhere else ahead of time.

[Anonymous User]

What is the word on STB M&A?

Basically that it’s miserable. To be fair, that’s the case with many M&A groups, I’ve just heard directly that their group in particular burns through your soul. Think getting a call at 10pm every friday that requires you to work until 2-3. stuff like that, but often. other groups will offer either slightly lower hours or more predictable hours, or both, and in m&a (correct me if i’m wrong associates) you’re generally doing a lot more DD and the really grunty work for a longer period.

As a 4th year M&A associate in a satellite office of a V20, I confirm that's the case in all major M&A groups. I lateraled as a 3rd year in NYC, and it was like that there, and it's like that here. Even as a partner, you will get to at least review and comment on juniors' or midlevels' dd report. Unpredictability plus DD - these things I will never really get to like about M&A.

[Anonymous User]

I’m expected to be in the office most days now and I’m honestly too busy to go in, so the commute/getting ready time is cutting into my sleep. I hate it here.

[Anonymous User]

this is going to sound absurd but tbh wish i could go back to law school living. at least at an HYS it was a humane ~45 hours a week

Law students work hard but there is no comparison: it's an infinitely better lifestyle because you are in control of it. When I was in law school, other than going to class for like 4-5 hours a day max, usually less (and I skipped my share of classes to boot), the rest of the day was entirely on my own schedule and there never was a person who could pop up and claim my time. That freedom is both thrilling and fleeting. In biglaw, you simply do not live that way.

[theswisswereright]

First year in litigation here. I had an hours deficit from onboarding that I still haven't been able to make up, and this last month I've been telling people almost every day that I'm slow and need work, and I'm told not to worry about it or given a very short-term assignment. I'm going on medical leave in a couple days, so at least it won't be my problem for a few weeks, but I've been constantly anxious about not hitting hours (which is apparently a Big Damn Deal at this firm) and annoying people by begging for more hours.

[Anonymous User]

First year in litigation here. I had an hours deficit from onboarding that I still haven't been able to make up, and this last month I've been telling people almost every day that I'm slow and need work, and I'm told not to worry about it or given a very short-term assignment. I'm going on medical leave in a couple days, so at least it won't be my problem for a few weeks, but I've been constantly anxious about not hitting hours (which is apparently a Big Damn Deal at this firm) and annoying people by begging for more hours.

So wanted to quote this but kind of in the opposite boat feeling wise. Also a first year and finally have a “slower” week I.e. my deadlines are all doable and I don’t feel rushed to get anything done/don’t really have a crazy amount of work for once.

But I still feel so weird. Anyone have advice for a Type-A, perfectionist type first year on how to actually relax during weeks like this? Btw, I am already above my hours minimum for the month and am coming off three months of 165, 175, 200 hours.

[stickershocked]

Midlevel at V20ish corporate. Seems like almost everybody here, including many partners, are miserable and have been for months. We've lost scores of associates and the work seems to be coming in faster and faster every day.

[Joachim2017]

Law students work hard but there is no comparison: it's an infinitely better lifestyle because you are in control of it. When I was in law school, other than going to class for like 4-5 hours a day max, usually less (and I skipped my share of classes to boot), the rest of the day was entirely on my own schedule and there never was a person who could pop up and claim my time. That freedom is both thrilling and fleeting. In biglaw, you simply do not live that way.

Yup. The sad thing is that we don't fully appreciate or understand how great that lifestyle is until we're out into the work force and can't go back. And for many, when you're a student, you want to hurry up and graduate and get that $$$ and be an adult in an adult apartment in an adult city doing adult things. It's one of the great ironies of life.

[Anonymous User]

Bad. Mid-level in a V10 lit department. We're so understaffed, more work keeps coming in, and we're losing associates left and right (even a first year recently). Don't know how we get out of this spiral.

[Idontwanttomakeaname]

Midlevel at V20ish corporate. Seems like almost everybody here, including many partners, are miserable and have been for months. We've lost scores of associates and the work seems to be coming in faster and faster every day.

This part has always gotten me… I get that being a big law associate sucks but seeing how miserable all of my partners seem really blows my mind. You’d think that they would do something to make their own lives better?

[jotarokujo]

Law students work hard but there is no comparison: it's an infinitely better lifestyle because you are in control of it. When I was in law school, other than going to class for like 4-5 hours a day max, usually less (and I skipped my share of classes to boot), the rest of the day was entirely on my own schedule and there never was a person who could pop up and claim my time. That freedom is both thrilling and fleeting. In biglaw, you simply do not live that way.

Yup. The sad thing is that we don't fully appreciate or understand how great that lifestyle is until we're out into the work force and can't go back. And for many, when you're a student, you want to hurry up and graduate and get that $$$ and be an adult in an adult apartment in an adult city doing adult things. It's one of the great ironies of life.

the queer thing is at t14s, most folks have worked before law school, yet many of them still can't wait to be done with law school.

i suppose law school is worse than most "normal" jobs, but better than biglaw