Dog owners of TLS - Should I rehome my puppy before I start in big law? Forum

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Re: Dog owners of TLS - Should I rehome my puppy before I start in big law?

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Jan 25, 2023 10:59 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Jan 25, 2023 4:17 am
OP here. Definitely taking it to heart! My question was informed by my fear of not being able to manage the demands of a big law job along with the stress of managing care for a dog on my own. I am a first gen law student and knew very little about big law before law school, still don't know much, and I may have an irrational fear or expectation about the dedication/focus needed to do well. The comments on here have been very reassuring and also have provided me with a reality adjustment. Much appreciated!
Being a first-genner (I am too) actually gives you an advantage, because you won't have any cranky uncles yelling at you to buckle up and stop whining about things they had to do during their law firm heyday. I thought biglaw was fucking crazy during my time there. Also, I saw rampant bill cheating. The only way to succeed was to either work myself into the grave, or become an unethical lawyer. So I checked out eventually.

Your dog is going to constantly remind you what's truly important in life, while you build the other social foundations of your life going forward--whether that's a new boyfriend, kids, staying connected to friends, or whatever.

jamestaylorrecordsas

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Re: Dog owners of TLS - Should I rehome my puppy before I start in big law?

Post by jamestaylorrecordsas » Wed Jan 25, 2023 2:43 pm

My firm has a petting zoo on a terrace overlooking Central Park. We can take ecstasy and interact with Lionhead rabbits. Billable hours way down.

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Re: Dog owners of TLS - Should I rehome my puppy before I start in big law?

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Jan 28, 2023 9:47 am

You’ll be fine. I had similar thoughts because having a new puppy is horrible.

I got a puppy with my gf a few months into big law and it was very difficult even though we lived together and were still fully remote. So that said your situation will be even harder.

The most important thing in your situation is that your puppy won’t be a new puppy anymore by the time you start work. By that point her behavior will have improved drastically and you will have established a routine.

So all you have to do is throw a little money at the problem, and leave her at daycare or with a sitter on the days you’re in the office. Don’t do dog walker unless you’re cool with her being alone for 8+ hours a day.

Hutz_and_Goodman

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Re: Dog owners of TLS - Should I rehome my puppy before I start in big law?

Post by Hutz_and_Goodman » Sat Jan 28, 2023 7:40 pm

You will be fine

To give you context, I was in a depo where the opposing counsel was an extremely prominent boutique in NYC and the partner asked to take a 15 minute break so that he/she could walk the dog. This is obviously not something you should do as a junior associate but just to say that people are willing to accommodate issues like this even at the highest levels of biglaw/elite boutique practice.

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