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[quote=Anonymous][quote]Please refrain from ever talking about law firms as if you know anything, as the bolded statement makes it completely clear that you know absolutely nothing. The culture of law firms has changed dramatically even since when I started at a firm in 2002. What you are saying is similar to saying that cars in the 1920s are not significantly different from current cars. Do you understand that you are talking about a time in which there was no internet?????[/quote] Look, things have certainly changed since the '80s/'90s when I was a little girl, but I think it's hyperbolic to compare cars made 93 years ago to a job that was held 25-30 years ago. My dad was still expected to bill ridiculous hours, put in face time, and work a lot AND took home a huge salary. The change is not as significant as the mad men '60s/'70s days, and there was certainly no 9-5 with a cocktail lunch. I also have had a lot of exposure to Big Law, as my dad switched from working for the government to Big Law when I was 10 in the early 2000s and the difference in job expectations therein. I know that he worked like crazy to make partner--I was ten at the time, so I remember it. I also know that his firm offers flexibility to work from home, that his colleague (who I have met many times) who is also a partner is able to work from home. He has told me about how his firm is paying lip service to being more inclusive of women, however a man would never be able to get away with ALWAYS working from home. I also recall him talking to me on the phone at 10 am in the morning when he was commuting because he had a doctor's appointment, and he told me that it doesn't really matter when he comes in as long as he brings in a certain number of billable hours and retains relationships with certain clients. This was not ages ago. This was two months ago. I also know that it is a grueling, tiresome, often boring, and cutthroat competitive lifestyle. He also strongly discouraged me from going into law, because his firm basically only hires from top 10 law schools, and even then you have to be in the top of your class and it has become a total rat race. However, he acknowledges that having a lot of money gives him flexibility that he would have otherwise, and the fact that he is a professional who can take conference calls and write from home gives him a level of flexibility that would be lacking if he had another career despite heavy travel obligations and needing to work all the time. I'm not saying I know everything about big law firms, and I know the culture of every firm is different. But I was raised by a very successful lawyer who works for a large national firm, so I think I have some perspective about the ramification of Big Law on families. Although there were professional reasons for switching to working for the federal government (it was a good choice in terms of gaining some expertise and new contacts), now that I am an adult, understand why the lifestyle shift was also an appealing factor. He wanted to have a more regular schedule, have holidays off, not work on the weekends, and be able to come home at 6 pm every day when we were little. By the time we were older and in late elementary school/junior high and busier with homework and activities, it was less of an issue.[/quote]
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