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$1.3 million net worth in this bull real estate and stock market (and rising fast). Worked hard at times over the last 7 years but strategically lateraled / took parental leave several times so got long breaks in between. Basically checked out of work now -- can find another gig in about 4 hours if anything happened. Coasting until FIRE in a 2-3 years so I can do something I actually want to do with the remaining ~25 years of my career. Biglaw (corporate in a secondary market) has been great to me and I'm grateful for that.

Meh; have about 1.1m NW as a senior in NYC and feeling pretty burnt out about it all. Have billed 2400+ the past three years. Looking at in house jobs out of misery/curiosity but none are really appealing given (i) sizable pay cut, (ii) I might get a promotion this year (to counsel lol) and (iii) am planning for kids, etc. the next few years and so it feels like no amount of money is ever enough.

Sir, this is a Wendy’s

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 19, 2022 12:31 pm

Meh; have about 1.1m NW as a senior in NYC and feeling pretty burnt out about it all. Have billed 2400+ the past three years. Looking at in house jobs out of misery/curiosity but none are really appealing given (i) sizable pay cut, (ii) I might get a promotion this year (to counsel lol) and (iii) am planning for kids, etc. the next few years and so it feels like no amount of money is ever enough.

Unsolicited advice, but hundreds of millions of people manage to have kids with less than a 1.1m net worth--I mean even a significant number of students have kids. Working a biglaw lifestyle will be a far bigger impediment than having "just" an upper-upper-middle-class income in-house.

I echo OP's mood.

My main concern at this point is how long my firm (or another) will let me ride the gravy train. I'm C/O 2014, so technically an 8th year, but I lost a year b/c of a clerkship. My peers are theoretically up for partnership for the first time this year, and in theory I should be up next year. I have no interest in partnership--I'd rather be a senior associate for the next 4 years and then bail. But I don't know if my firm will let me hang around that long without going for partner. I guess counsel is a theoretical option, but it's not really the waystation that it is at some firms.

I originally predicted I would last 18 months in this industry; now I'm at 5.5 years. I have a lot more money than I thought it would be. My only long-term problem from a career trajectory standpoint is that they pay me so much money it's going to hard to walk away. I have no significant reason to complain. I will anyway.

I'm a junior in a finance group. So far I've tried to be conscientious about the work I get, haven't turned down work but also haven't actively sought it out. My billings are not high, but I haven't gotten much blowback. I also signed up for bk work if it ever materializes as insurance against a downturn. Can I expect to try and last ~5 years in biglaw?

I am crazy superstitious, and I read this post as practically asking for a terrible rush assignment requiring a month of all-nighters with a psycho partner and client.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 20, 2022 6:07 pm

I'm a junior in a finance group. So far I've tried to be conscientious about the work I get, haven't turned down work but also haven't actively sought it out. My billings are not high, but I haven't gotten much blowback. I also signed up for bk work if it ever materializes as insurance against a downturn. Can I expect to try and last ~5 years in biglaw?

Low hours will *eventually* catch up with you everywhere. How quickly varies by firm and group. But you can get around that by working at 2, 3, 4 firms if you had to. In ~5 years there are some people even in corp who never crack 1500.

The issue is that generally, you'll miss out on major bonuses by Year 2 unless you're at one of the ~15 large no-minimum firms, which tend to be the ones where low hours are hard to consistently pull off because (a) guaranteed bonus means a shorter leash and (b) there's usually just more work to go around anyway.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 19, 2022 12:31 pm

Meh; have about 1.1m NW as a senior in NYC and feeling pretty burnt out about it all. Have billed 2400+ the past three years. Looking at in house jobs out of misery/curiosity but none are really appealing given (i) sizable pay cut, (ii) I might get a promotion this year (to counsel lol) and (iii) am planning for kids, etc. the next few years and so it feels like no amount of money is ever enough.

I'm a 4th year M&A associate in NYC and legitimately cannot contemplate how some of you have lasted so long. Feeling incredibly burnt out (particularly with how bad things were last year).

Monochromatic Oeuvre wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 20, 2022 5:54 pm

I originally predicted I would last 18 months in this industry; now I'm at 5.5 years. I have a lot more money than I thought it would be. My only long-term problem from a career trajectory standpoint is that they pay me so much money it's going to hard to walk away. I have no significant reason to complain. I will anyway.

+1

I never thought I would make it past two years. Then my first full year was 2400 hours, and I revised my goal downward to 18 months. Then it gradually got better (2100-2200 per year), and now I'm comfortably numb until they show me the door.

Monochromatic Oeuvre wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 20, 2022 8:22 pm

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 20, 2022 6:07 pm

I'm a junior in a finance group. So far I've tried to be conscientious about the work I get, haven't turned down work but also haven't actively sought it out. My billings are not high, but I haven't gotten much blowback. I also signed up for bk work if it ever materializes as insurance against a downturn. Can I expect to try and last ~5 years in biglaw?

Low hours will *eventually* catch up with you everywhere. How quickly varies by firm and group. But you can get around that by working at 2, 3, 4 firms if you had to. In ~5 years there are some people even in corp who never crack 1500.

The issue is that generally, you'll miss out on major bonuses by Year 2 unless you're at one of the ~15 large no-minimum firms, which tend to be the ones where low hours are hard to consistently pull off because (a) guaranteed bonus means a shorter leash and (b) there's usually just more work to go around anyway.

All else equal I'd rather get a bonus. But I see so many people get burnt out from too many hours and I'd rather last longer with sanity intact even if I miss bonuses. While hopefully maintaining my value to the partners by doing good work.

But if my viability at the firm requires that I demand more work (or if I'm staffed on a lot without asking for it), that changes my calculations.

8th year lit.

Great reviews and I really like litigation. When my matters and partners/juniors on them are good and interesting and winnable, I feel like I’m the king of the world career-wise given the comp (consistent with what OP is saying).

But then I’ll go through stretches where I don’t like at least one major aspect of a case (partner, opposing counsel, client) or maybe even several of them, and I’ll be absolutely miserable and counting the days.

During one such recent stretch, I put in an ap for criminal ausa in my own fairly competitive district (major/semi major city market). I’m pending and am likely to get an interview or two for reasons I won’t go into. But even that decision has me feeling second thoughts sometimes (I make so much this is so silly how can I do that to my family, etc.).

Partner chances by straight promotion probably a coin flip or a bit less at this point. Day to day I go back and forth on whether I’d even want it.

Some days yes, but many days no.

Anybody else peruse Reddit-anti work when they feel down to get reminded of how good we (as market biglaw mids/seniors) actually have it?

Like some jobs/managers/career situations are actually a thing of my nightmares. I worked in one of those “I’m in a cubicle and I have a middle manager and what I do doesn’t require tons of thought”-type jobs for a year before law school and I hated it so much that I quit several months before law school even though it was a horrible idea financially.

Anyway, I am grateful for the anecdotes on anti work because it’s kept me here longer and therefore kept $$$ in my pocket that otherwise wouldn’t be there. Hopefully that’s not a super dark thing to say; I doubt that’s what the site was intended for.

TatteredDignity wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 20, 2022 10:12 pm

Monochromatic Oeuvre wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 20, 2022 5:54 pm

I originally predicted I would last 18 months in this industry; now I'm at 5.5 years. I have a lot more money than I thought it would be. My only long-term problem from a career trajectory standpoint is that they pay me so much money it's going to hard to walk away. I have no significant reason to complain. I will anyway.

+1

I never thought I would make it past two years. Then my first full year was 2400 hours, and I revised my goal downward to 18 months. Then it gradually got better (2100-2200 per year), and now I'm comfortably numb until they show me the door.

+2 to this. I was just hoping not to be so miserable that I couldn't stick it out to pay off my student loans, but here I am 9 years later. I will say that having significant savings from big law and a niche expertise that's fairly marketable are key to feeling this way (maybe folks who have family money or a partner who can provide a safety net don't need these two things, but I don't have that), and that a lot of the anxiety I felt as a new associate has faded because of that (I don't feel like I have to say yes to everything, or that one minor typo is going to end my career). I think I could coast on 1900-2000 hours a year until either I'm so dissatisfied with my comp stagnating and I leave for something else (like everyone else in my practice group who are 2-5 years ahead of me) OR until the firm decides they can do better than me (always possible if not likely in the short term). The money is great, I usually feel pretty good, but I have plenty of complaints about big law and especially nonbillable work for anyone who wants to listen.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 21, 2022 5:19 am

Like some jobs/managers/career situations are actually a thing of my nightmares. I worked in one of those “I’m in a cubicle and I have a middle manager and what I do doesn’t require tons of thought”-type jobs for a year before law school and I hated it so much that I quit several months before law school even though it was a horrible idea financially.

Maybe It's because I'm not a senior yet, but that's how I've felt the last few years in BL: rote work with zero intellectual challenge aside from how figuring out how far I have to crawl up people's asses in order to stop new work from coming out, but also to ensure old work isn't coming back down.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 20, 2022 10:10 pm

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 19, 2022 12:31 pm

Meh; have about 1.1m NW as a senior in NYC and feeling pretty burnt out about it all. Have billed 2400+ the past three years. Looking at in house jobs out of misery/curiosity but none are really appealing given (i) sizable pay cut, (ii) I might get a promotion this year (to counsel lol) and (iii) am planning for kids, etc. the next few years and so it feels like no amount of money is ever enough.

I'm a 4th year M&A associate in NYC and legitimately cannot contemplate how some of you have lasted so long. Feeling incredibly burnt out (particularly with how bad things were last year).

I burned out around year 4. Then I started taking meds for my anxiety and now I'm a 6th year who feels great about his job again.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 21, 2022 11:07 am

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 20, 2022 10:10 pm

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 19, 2022 12:31 pm

Meh; have about 1.1m NW as a senior in NYC and feeling pretty burnt out about it all. Have billed 2400+ the past three years. Looking at in house jobs out of misery/curiosity but none are really appealing given (i) sizable pay cut, (ii) I might get a promotion this year (to counsel lol) and (iii) am planning for kids, etc. the next few years and so it feels like no amount of money is ever enough.

I'm a 4th year M&A associate in NYC and legitimately cannot contemplate how some of you have lasted so long. Feeling incredibly burnt out (particularly with how bad things were last year).

I burned out around year 4. Then I started taking meds for my anxiety and now I'm a 6th year who feels great about his job again.

Solely because of the meds, or also because of some other shift?

Jinxed it. Markets going to tank now. Real estate bubble going to burst. We'll all get fired and no ones going to hire. I'll have to sell my Tesla and buy a Nissan Leaf. At least my PS5 will keep me warm at night.

Sad248 wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 21, 2022 11:21 am

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 21, 2022 11:07 am

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 20, 2022 10:10 pm

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 19, 2022 12:31 pm

Meh; have about 1.1m NW as a senior in NYC and feeling pretty burnt out about it all. Have billed 2400+ the past three years. Looking at in house jobs out of misery/curiosity but none are really appealing given (i) sizable pay cut, (ii) I might get a promotion this year (to counsel lol) and (iii) am planning for kids, etc. the next few years and so it feels like no amount of money is ever enough.

I'm a 4th year M&A associate in NYC and legitimately cannot contemplate how some of you have lasted so long. Feeling incredibly burnt out (particularly with how bad things were last year).

I burned out around year 4. Then I started taking meds for my anxiety and now I'm a 6th year who feels great about his job again.

Solely because of the meds, or also because of some other shift?

Excellent question, and really hard to say. A lot happens in life over 2 years. I think it's probably 50%+ the meds but also a combination of other factors, few if any really having to do with the work. If anything, the big non-med factor is still kind of the meds, in that I'm now able to view the work as my work, not as my identity. Like, yes, I'm a biglaw associate so I'm "always" available, but the meds allow me to see an email at 11:30pm and tell myself it'll keep until the morning if that's actually the case (it almost always is). I check out for a bit every day, no matter what, to put my kid to bed - which is also therapeutic, but is something I honestly probably couldn't do without the meds because I'd be too preoccupied by work.

Meds aren't the answer for everybody, but I tried for years to handle my issues without them (and previously tried a few prescriptions - meds to treat the symptoms like sleep medications, or weaker anxiety meds - that didn't work) and by my fourth year in biglaw I just couldn't do it anymore. Then I started taking a prescription that works for me and I feel like myself again. I don't want to go into too much detail to preserve anonymity, but suffice to say that I'm former military and never saw myself as an anxious person (I used to tell people, "Don't worry! Worrying doesn't solve anything so just don't do it!") until age and other factors, largely the grind of biglaw, brought a family history of anxiety into play. The meds are a big part of what got me back to how I used to view life, and I'm very grateful for them.

glitched wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 21, 2022 11:57 am

Jinxed it. Markets going to tank now. Real estate bubble going to burst. We'll all get fired and no ones going to hire. I'll have to sell my Tesla and buy a Nissan Leaf. At least my PS5 will keep me warm at night.

There is no real estate bubble. If anything there's a severe shortage.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 21, 2022 5:03 am

8th year lit.

Great reviews and I really like litigation. When my matters and partners/juniors on them are good and interesting and winnable, I feel like I’m the king of the world career-wise given the comp (consistent with what OP is saying).

But then I’ll go through stretches where I don’t like at least one major aspect of a case (partner, opposing counsel, client) or maybe even several of them, and I’ll be absolutely miserable and counting the days.

During one such recent stretch, I put in an ap for criminal ausa in my own fairly competitive district (major/semi major city market). I’m pending and am likely to get an interview or two for reasons I won’t go into. But even that decision has me feeling second thoughts sometimes (I make so much this is so silly how can I do that to my family, etc.).

Partner chances by straight promotion probably a coin flip or a bit less at this point. Day to day I go back and forth on whether I’d even want it.

This is me. 9th year lit in major market. Three years ago I got to a final interview round for a competitive AUSA gig, which I would've said was my dream job when I was clerking. For the six months prior, we cut our living expenses to match a government salary just to make sure it wasn't completely crazy. And then I didn't get hired, the pandemic happened, and we never changed our lifestyle (mostly out of there being nothing to do, rather than intentional cutbacks). Not getting that job turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Given the multiple raises and bonuses, crazy stock market and real estate market, we have had a ~75% net savings rate for three years and seen our NW grow to $2.5M+.

We have a kid now, and the idea of leaving $400k on the table to go to government seems crazy.

I would put partner chances at about 20%, but counsel feels like a decent landing spot. Most days I like my job. Go through ruts here and there with BS doc-heavy cases or feeling spread thin, but I still love writing a great brief and enjoy the mentoring aspect. I will probably try to keep it going for as long as I can and get to a spot where my kid's education is paid for, we have a comfortable retirement secured, and I can take the next job purely out of interest.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 21, 2022 3:06 pm

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 21, 2022 5:03 am

8th year lit.

Great reviews and I really like litigation. When my matters and partners/juniors on them are good and interesting and winnable, I feel like I’m the king of the world career-wise given the comp (consistent with what OP is saying).

But then I’ll go through stretches where I don’t like at least one major aspect of a case (partner, opposing counsel, client) or maybe even several of them, and I’ll be absolutely miserable and counting the days.

During one such recent stretch, I put in an ap for criminal ausa in my own fairly competitive district (major/semi major city market). I’m pending and am likely to get an interview or two for reasons I won’t go into. But even that decision has me feeling second thoughts sometimes (I make so much this is so silly how can I do that to my family, etc.).

Partner chances by straight promotion probably a coin flip or a bit less at this point. Day to day I go back and forth on whether I’d even want it.

This is me. 9th year lit in major market. Three years ago I got to a final interview round for a competitive AUSA gig, which I would've said was my dream job when I was clerking. For the six months prior, we cut our living expenses to match a government salary just to make sure it wasn't completely crazy. And then I didn't get hired, the pandemic happened, and we never changed our lifestyle (mostly out of there being nothing to do, rather than intentional cutbacks). Not getting that job turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Given the multiple raises and bonuses, crazy stock market and real estate market, we have had a ~75% net savings rate for three years and seen our NW grow to $2.5M+.

We have a kid now, and the idea of leaving $400k on the table to go to government seems crazy.

I would put partner chances at about 20%, but counsel feels like a decent landing spot. Most days I like my job. Go through ruts here and there with BS doc-heavy cases or feeling spread thin, but I still love writing a great brief and enjoy the mentoring aspect. I will probably try to keep it going for as long as I can and get to a spot where my kid's education is paid for, we have a comfortable retirement secured, and I can take the next job purely out of interest.

Quoted anon. So just like that, you’ve decided you won’t try for ausa again? Very interesting. Good for you though that’s great.

I would not rule it out, but I think it would be at least 3-5 years out before I tried again. We will likely have a second kid, and the parent leave benefits are tough to beat. And I worry about making a three-year commitment to a government position (typical request with an AUSA offer in my district) before I knew whether kid 2 had health issues or if kid 1 or 2 needed additional education resources early in their development. I also have some concern that if I left private practice, any return would be at a reduced comp from my trajectory now.

If I were single, I would apply to USAO again now. But as I get more senior, the comp difference becomes significant and doesn’t make sense for my family. Long term, I think being a state court judge would be a position I enjoy. I would probably need some government time to get more trial reps before that is realistic. So an SEC, state AG, AUSA could all make sense in the future. But I would want to meet certain financial milestones before making that transition so that I was confident I would not have to jump back into private practice to pay for my kids’ college or unexpected health issues or whatever.

Great isn’t the right word. I feel like a totally different person than the person who started at my firm 7 years ago. That person was happy and optimistic about the future. Now I just feel sad, anxious, regretful. And completely burnt out. I have a little over a million dollars in the bank (started 7 years ago with around $130k in debt) but the money seems almost theoretical at this point since I’m not really using it. I guess I feel grateful for the opportunity to earn and save so much money at a young age, but the actual process of getting there hasn’t been a walk in the park.