Burnt out and quitting - how to avoid work? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Hi all! I'm quitting my biglaw job (thank god). How do I get away with as little work (no more blowing up my weekends) in the few weeks before I hand in my notice? I'm leaving biglaw and my market and have no plans of returning.

[LittleRedCorvette]

Hi all! I'm quitting my biglaw job (thank god). How do I get away with as little work (no more blowing up my weekends) in the few weeks before I hand in my notice? I'm leaving biglaw and my market and have no plans of returning.

"Just Say No"

[Anonymous User]

Just keep saying that you're too busy to take on more work. If someone looks up your hours and confronts you about it, then just say, "yeah I'm planning on leaving the firm soon so I don't want to get too entangled in new matters only to have to hand them off to someone else." It sounds like you truly DGAF, so this approach should work.

[CanadianWolf]

Use any accumulated vacation time.

[Anonymous User]

You just have to say no and not care if anyone calls you out on it. I thought I could do that but it turns out I did care, so I kept handling “emergencies” until I gave notice like a sucker. I definitely wouldn’t have taken on new deals though. I’m a sucker but not a fool.

[Anonymous User]

Hi all! I'm quitting my biglaw job (thank god). How do I get away with as little work (no more blowing up my weekends) in the few weeks before I hand in my notice? I'm leaving biglaw and my market and have no plans of returning.

How long were you in Biglaw for?

Just start doing the bare minimum and be incredibly polite about doing the bare minimum … enjoy

[Anonymous User]

Hi all! I'm quitting my biglaw job (thank god). How do I get away with as little work (no more blowing up my weekends) in the few weeks before I hand in my notice? I'm leaving biglaw and my market and have no plans of returning.

How long were you in Biglaw for?

Just start doing the bare minimum and be incredibly polite about doing the bare minimum … enjoy

[Anonymous User]

I always somewhat feel bad for these people who have been burnt out by biglaw and then ask for help if they can coast for a couple weeks before calling it quits from the people who are coasting for years and are not anywhere near burn out.

Honestly, just hide and say no. Don't pick up your phone. Respond to e-mails late. If you're not referred to by name in an e-mail, don't respond. If somebody flags something unimportant, just leave it and see if they continue to bring it up next time they see the document (they probably won't). Get technical issues during calls. Give work to juniors because you want to "help them grow." Delegate. Delegate. Delegate.

[Bramwell]

OP Why not give notice now? Are you waiting for some bonus or salary true up to post? Or perhaps you’re on the fence about whether you’re really ready to move on? If the latter, consider raising with your practice group leader/staffer etc. that you’re burnt out and want a break to reassess. Ask for a month or two of leave so you can come back with a fresh mind on where things go from here. You’d be surprised, but in current market this is not a big ask. Good luck!

[nixy]

Nothing about their post suggested they were on the fence at all. I assumed bonus, wanting as much salary as possible, or conflicts check.

[Anonymous User]

I fully endorse this plan. I did something similar after a brutal 3000+ hour year. My goal was to coast as long as possible and stay on the payroll until the day of my new gig. I made it nearly three months with no billibles.

Here's how I did it.

If you're at a big factory firm like I was, you need to just throw up the out of office. That'll get you two weeks right off the bat. When you come back from the out of office period, accept absolutely no work. Give no explanation. "I can't take that on right now." Do not send long polite declines either; they invite follow-ups. And this is key--- if anyone follows up, ignore it. Just when you think you are about to get staffed again, throw up another out of office. That'll get you another two weeks. Ignore every email.

When you're back from your second vacation, give yourself another week or so (until someone literally asks you what's up). Only at that point do you give notice. Again, if you're at a mega factory firm, HR won't care if you give three weeks notice.

This formula can get you 2ish months of 0 work. I made it 3.

If you're at a small firm, then I'm not sure what the play is. You can still probably snag four weeks based on vacation and notice.

*** I said small firm, but I meant smaller group, ie if you're absence is more noticeable in a niche group v. a general corporate group.

[The Lsat Airbender]

you need to just throw up the out of office. That'll get you two weeks right off the bat.

read this as "throw up at the office"