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To cheer up everyone going through finals, I would just like remind you what you are working for and let you know that it will all pay off in the end (at least for some of you). This comes in the form of how much I love being a lawyer:

I just finished billing 10 hrs today. Sounds bad right? No. Being a lawyer is awesome; I work with great people and get a variety of work as a first year associate. This week is filled with client conferences, complex litigation research assignments, my first hearing, and yes...some doc review. Coffee is brought to me by legal assistant (although I do have to share her with another associate), I have a $400 office chair that I picked out my first day, and I actually enjoy what I do.

After work, there are no casebooks waiting at home, just a cold beer and my kick-ass dog. I will never have to eat ramen again (although sometimes it just sounds good). It's an odd feeling to suddenly go from below the poverty line to having more disposable income than the majority of my friends' parents. I'm currently working on a nice nest egg, but it feels good to go to BestBuy or Nordstoms and actually have purchasing power. More important than everything else, I can provide security for my parents and family if they ever need it.

The best part? It's only up hill from here.

I don't mean to come off arrogant, or as a douche....just letting you all know that the journey is worth it.

Assuming you don't bomb your exams and are able to get a job at all.

I certainly hope big law firm life doesn't drain this positivity out of you because its a rare and valuable asset. Glad things are going smoothly for you.

Grats on achieving biglaw.

this post isn't for "everyone." what you said didn't cheer me up, just made studying more miserable knowing it's worthless.

holdencaulfield wrote:To cheer up everyone going through finals, I would just like remind you what you are working for and let you know that it will all pay off in the end (at least for some of you). This comes in the form of how much I love being a lawyer:

I just finished billing 10 hrs today. Sounds bad right? No. Being a lawyer is awesome; I work with great people and get a variety of work as a first year associate. This week is filled with client conferences, complex litigation research assignments, my first hearing, and yes...some doc review. Coffee is brought to me by legal assistant (although I do have to share her with another associate), I have a $400 office chair that I picked out my first day, and I actually enjoy what I do.

After work, there are no casebooks waiting at home, just a cold beer and my kick-ass dog. I will never have to eat ramen again (although sometimes it just sounds good). It's an odd feeling to suddenly go from below the poverty line to having more disposable income than the majority of my friends' parents. I'm currently working on a nice nest egg, but it feels good to go to BestBuy or Nordstoms and actually have purchasing power. More important than everything else, I can provide security for my parents and family if they ever need it.

The best part? It's only up hill from here.

I don't mean to come off arrogant, or as a douche....just letting you all know that the journey is worth it.

I for one appreciated this! Thanks for the pick me up dude.

^^^ Agreed. thanks for this!

Amen, brother.

holdencaulfield wrote:....just letting you all know that the journey is worth it.

Anything you can add to how you connected the dots? Thanks.

Right on broski! Out of curiosity, this "first hearing" - will you be arguing a motion in federal court, or what do you mean exactly? Is it part of a pro bono case or one of your actual cases?

anonymcoffee wrote:this post isn't for "everyone." what you said didn't cheer me up, just made studying more miserable knowing it's worthless.

For sure, my guess is at least 1/3 of all law school students (perhaps more) are not in a mental state to want to pat someone else on the back for achieving what they didn't/won't.

Nonetheless, congrats, glad it worked out for you, and I hope it works out for as many others as possible.

At no point did he say Biglaw is the dream job for everyone, merely that being a lawyer (the end result of law school) is actually kind of fun.

I thought this thread was going to be about something else that is "green/"

holdencaulfield wrote:To cheer up everyone going through finals, I would just like remind you what you are working for and let you know that it will all pay off in the end (at least for some of you). This comes in the form of how much I love being a lawyer:

I just finished billing 10 hrs today. Sounds bad right? No. Being a lawyer is awesome; I work with great people and get a variety of work as a first year associate. This week is filled with client conferences, complex litigation research assignments, my first hearing, and yes...some doc review. Coffee is brought to me by legal assistant (although I do have to share her with another associate), I have a $400 office chair that I picked out my first day, and I actually enjoy what I do.

After work, there are no casebooks waiting at home, just a cold beer and my kick-ass dog. I will never have to eat ramen again (although sometimes it just sounds good). It's an odd feeling to suddenly go from below the poverty line to having more disposable income than the majority of my friends' parents. I'm currently working on a nice nest egg, but it feels good to go to BestBuy or Nordstoms and actually have purchasing power. More important than everything else, I can provide security for my parents and family if they ever need it.

The best part? It's only up hill from here.

I don't mean to come off arrogant, or as a douche....just letting you all know that the journey is worth it.

Where did you go to school, if you don't mind my asking?

Thanks!

kalvano wrote:At no point did he say Biglaw is the dream job for everyone, merely that being a lawyer (the end result of law school) is actually kind of fun.

Well a significant portion of his post was dedicated to how much disposable income he had and how diverse his work is.

You won't get 1 or 2 in doc review.

<-- Happy to be a doc review monkey making 160k.

FUBAR wrote:<-- Happy to be a doc review monkey making 160k.

First year associate?

kalvano wrote:At no point did he say Biglaw is the dream job for everyone, merely that being a lawyer (the end result of law school) is actually kind of fun.

This. Just wanted to pick you guys up, and provide a positive story to battle the countless negative ones out there. I suppose I will field a few questions too.

Renne Walker wrote:

holdencaulfield wrote:....just letting you all know that the journey is worth it.

Anything you can add to how you connected the dots? Thanks.

First, I must confess I'm not biglaw. I'm at a boutique/midsize firm and make 75% of market.

To answer your question: networking and luck. I did not land my job at OCI.

johndhi wrote:Right on broski! Out of curiosity, this "first hearing" - will you be arguing a motion in federal court, or what do you mean exactly? Is it part of a pro bono case or one of your actual cases?

It was a hearing with a regulatory commission that would probably sound very lame. However, it was for a real, paying client.

Do you do IP?