Litigator taken off matter - bad sign? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I am a second year at a v10. I billed 2500 hours last year, almost had a nervous breakdown, and ended up with tachycardia and other stress related ailments. So, after my second ER visit, I stopped trying in January (went from 200+ hours a month to 120 ish).

I was on a bunch of cases and didn't even realize I was recently removed from one of my matters. Anyway, no one said anything to me, I just realized I hadn't gotten updates. I checked my matters page and it was gone. I planned on trying to coast out the rest of the year, but am now anxious this means I might get fired or did something egregious. AFIAK, I just stopped volunteering for that particular team when I was dealing with health issues. The team is quite large anyway.

Am I reading too much into this? Should I start looking for another job, basically?

[Anonymous User]

So sorry to hear about your health issues, which unfortunately are not uncommon in Big Law. You should check out the book Big Law Confidential for more details and guidance on situations like this where partners "ghost" you.

[Prudent_Jurist]

I hope that you are recovering or have recovered from those health issues. That sounds really scary and serious. I think it’s great you’re taking control of your workload and your health by extension.

My read on your post is that you’re mistaking the forest for a tree. I don’t think being removed from one case is an apocalyptic sign, especially when the team is large. But it’s hard to tell without more context.

How’s your workload in general? Do you have relationships with partners or senior associates? Are you getting regular work even if you’re not hitting insane hours? Have you had a review and what was said?

[Anonymous User]

So sorry to hear about your health issues, which unfortunately are not uncommon in Big Law. You should check out the book Big Law Confidential for more details and guidance on situations like this where partners "ghost" you.

Mods can we ban this person? This is ridiculous

[Anonymous User]

You could have been taken off because your hours are so high. A partner pulled me off matters when I was a first year and on pace for 2400. He said he didn’t want me to get burned out. They could have done this without telling you - lawyers aren’t always great communicators.