Two years into M&A in Texas at a firm known for a decent culture.blair.waldorf wrote: ↑Fri Jul 09, 2021 5:20 pmBiglaw can suck but honestly this post seems pretty limited to an NYC V10. To be clear, many of my friends in biglaw are unhappy, but this is not reflective of the lives of anyone I personally know in biglaw. This also sounds like someone who is unwilling to set boundaries at work and, despite despising his job, refuses to quit. Just fucking quit and take a paycut if you hate it that much. You make enough money and have a good enough resume that you will find something else.
I’m not going to speak to OP’s other points, but I still think OP’s experience re: sacrifices is not reflective of what most will experience in biglaw. I have brutal stretches, yes. The unpredictability sucks. I don’t want to do this forever.
But I see my parents and extended family plenty. I have yet to work on one of the major holidays. I have not missed any life events (weddings, bachelorette parties, etc.). I have a healthy relationship with a significant other, I see friends, I work out, I have hobbies. The same goes for my friends in biglaw. I do know a couple who had experiences close to OP’s but I am being 100% honest when I say they were all at NYC V10s.
Also like, I had a liberal arts degree so I make more in one year two years in than I probably ever would’ve made with just my undergraduate degree so that’s nice too.
Biglaw sucks, but not seeing your family for years is just not going to be the experience of most biglaw associates, and I don’t think it’s worthwhile to scare people like this.