Debt-free grads: Are you miserable? Forum

[PeanutsNJam]

Are you completely retarded or a troll

It's called a shitpoast. I'm serious in the OP though I want to know if there are any biglaw associates out there who don't hate their job.

[DELG]

Are you completely retarded or a troll

It's called a shitpoast. I'm serious in the OP though I want to know if there are any biglaw associates out there who don't hate their job.

there are people who like to eat people

AND ALSO people who want to be killed and eaten

these people are actually out there

[silenttimer]

I am a debt-free 5th year associate in a secondary market of a V50 firm. I was able to pay my loans off in approximately three years. I'm not miserable, but I don't always find my job that engaging either. I'm typically in the office from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and will work a couple of hours on the weekend. Compared to my peers in bigger cities, I don't work all that much, but I still find the hours and billable pressure miserable.

Quite honestly, I've been thinking about jumping in house to a company, where it is the normal even for legal counsel to work 8:30-5:30 and no weekends, plus no billable pressure.

[DELG]

I am a debt-free 5th year associate in a secondary market of a V50 firm. I was able to pay my loans off in approximately three years. I'm not miserable, but I don't always find my job that engaging either. I'm typically in the office from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and will work a couple of hours on the weekend. Compared to my peers in bigger cities, I don't work all that much, but I still find the hours and billable pressure miserable.

Quite honestly, I've been thinking about jumping in house to a company, where it is the normal even for legal counsel to work 8:30-5:30 and no weekends, plus no billable pressure.

I like how first you aren't miserable then by the end of your post actually are

[FloridaCoastalorbust]

I am a debt-free 5th year associate in a secondary market of a V50 firm. I was able to pay my loans off in approximately three years. I'm not miserable, but I don't always find my job that engaging either. I'm typically in the office from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and will work a couple of hours on the weekend. Compared to my peers in bigger cities, I don't work all that much, but I still find the hours and billable pressure miserable.

Quite honestly, I've been thinking about jumping in house to a company, where it is the normal even for legal counsel to work 8:30-5:30 and no weekends, plus no billable pressure.

I like how first you aren't miserable then by the end of your post actually are

lol. introspection is a bitch.

[kaiser]

I am a debt-free 5th year associate in a secondary market of a V50 firm. I was able to pay my loans off in approximately three years. I'm not miserable, but I don't always find my job that engaging either. I'm typically in the office from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and will work a couple of hours on the weekend. Compared to my peers in bigger cities, I don't work all that much, but I still find the hours and billable pressure miserable.

Quite honestly, I've been thinking about jumping in house to a company, where it is the normal even for legal counsel to work 8:30-5:30 and no weekends, plus no billable pressure.

I like how first you aren't miserable then by the end of your post actually are

lol. introspection is a bitch.

This sort of reminds me of when Kanye was trying to explain to the South Park kids that Kim Kardashian is most certainly not a hobbit, but the more he tried to justify it, the more he started questioning whether she may actually in fact be a hobbit...

[CaptainJapan]

This sort of reminds me of when Kanye was trying to explain to the South Park kids that Kim Kardashian is most certainly not a hobbit, but the more he tried to justify it, the more he started questioning whether she may actually in fact be a hobbit...

Nailed it.

[ub3r]

I am a debt-free 5th year associate in a secondary market of a V50 firm. I was able to pay my loans off in approximately three years. I'm not miserable, but I don't always find my job that engaging either. I'm typically in the office from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and will work a couple of hours on the weekend. Compared to my peers in bigger cities, I don't work all that much, but I still find the hours and billable pressure miserable.

Quite honestly, I've been thinking about jumping in house to a company, where it is the normal even for legal counsel to work 8:30-5:30 and no weekends, plus no billable pressure.

I like how first you aren't miserable then by the end of your post actually are

The reminder that they have no debt is inspiring, at least temporarily

[bl1nds1ght]

No lie, the more time I spend here, the less appealing law school becomes.

The problem is that I've talked with older attorneys who really like what they do and that makes me think I would, too. Granted, I'm in a tertiary market.

[starry eyed]

No lie, the more time I spend here, the less appealing law school becomes.

The problem is that I've talked with older attorneys who really like what they do and that makes me think I would, too. Granted, I'm in a tertiary market.

Pretty much this. All the boomers i speak with love their jobs and swear that they're never gonna retire.- and not bc they can't retire, don't want to. But they are all equity partners in small law firms and have a pretty easy work/life balance.

[Pumpkin-Duke of Pie]

No lie, the more time I spend here, the less appealing law school becomes.

The problem is that I've talked with older attorneys who really like what they do and that makes me think I would, too. Granted, I'm in a tertiary market.

Pretty much this. All the boomers i speak with love their jobs and swear that they're never gonna retire.- and not bc they can't retire, don't want to. But they are all equity partners in small law firms and have a pretty easy work/life balance.

When you're making money hand over fist on the backs of underpaid employees/debt servants, it's hard not to think that life is grand.

[Desert Fox]

It takes a special person to not be miserable in biglaw. You gotta be low stress, low anxiety, and able to just do bare minimum and not take any of it personally--which after attending law school I sincerely doubt that there are huge numbers of law school who are like that. You gotta be self motivated to stay efficient during the day so you don't have to stay late, but not so motivated that you'll work overtime to make shit perfect or seek approval from some partner. You do your 8-9 hours and then leave. Of course, when shit hits the fan, you gotta stay late, but no big deal.

But besides being the right personality match, you also have to get very lucky for who you work for. Your bosses have to be like the above too^. You have to work in a practice group that has work that isn't all last minute AND has pretty consistent work.

[dabigchina]

It takes a special person to not be miserable in biglaw. You gotta be low stress, low anxiety, and able to just do bare minimum and not take any of it personally--which after attending law school I sincerely doubt that there are huge numbers of law school who are like that. You gotta be self motivated to stay efficient during the day so you don't have to stay late, but not so motivated that you'll work overtime to make shit perfect or seek approval from some partner. You do your 8-9 hours and then leave. Of course, when shit hits the fan, you gotta stay late, but no big deal.

But besides being the right personality match, you also have to get very lucky for who you work for. Your bosses have to be like the above too^. You have to work in a practice group that has work that isn't all last minute AND has pretty consistent work.

Or wait for dat Stockholm syndrome to kick in.

[kaiser]

No lie, the more time I spend here, the less appealing law school becomes.

The problem is that I've talked with older attorneys who really like what they do and that makes me think I would, too. Granted, I'm in a tertiary market.

Pretty much this. All the boomers i speak with love their jobs and swear that they're never gonna retire.- and not bc they can't retire, don't want to. But they are all equity partners in small law firms and have a pretty easy work/life balance.

Because at that point, the people who don't like the job have filtered their way out. Of course older lawyers are going to like it. They are the ones that stuck around and chose to continue doing it. And no, it doesn't mean that sticking it out makes you enjoy it more. You stick it out precisely because you enjoy it. So older attorneys are a filtered and very biased sample.