Any biglaw litigators just leave law altogether?

[Anonymous]

I don't mean move from biglaw to in-house or gov't law or stay home parent, but just pick another track like pharma sales or nursing or education or mgmt. consulting, and just start over (including school if needed) even if it means a 50k job?

I am so sick of this field. Like many here -- worked like a dog to get to be a "respected" senior, not going to make partner bc the firm is pushing out existing partners and certainly not wanting to make new ones in the last yr or 2, am being pushed out despite having "top" reviews as this firm has gotten more strict on "up or out", and am absolutely sick of applying for every posted law, gov't or in-house job that every person I know applies for. There is no way to stand out when 5000 people apply for 2 spots at the SEC (even if you got your resume in through a contact), and where I am competitive, I get to the final round and lose out to someone else - internal candidates; candidates who have a decade more experience etc. I know lots of people are in this problem right now nationally, but law just seems to have it worse as big firms are reorganizing, which means everyone is trying to jump to a finite number of smaller firms, gov't spots etc.

I am ready to throw in the towel. And then feel bad that after wasting 10 yrs between school and work, top 10 law school, law review and all that nonsense, I will not be practicing. (And I don't have an interest in doing individual mortgage or will work - and am not even qualified to do it.) Is it insane to just stop and figure something else out? I feel like if I'm going to do it, it better be now - before there are kids to feed.

[Anonymous]

FWIW my DH was a biglaw corporate associate who is now getting into real estate mgmt. Money's tight and he had to borrow a lot to get started but more upside in the long-term than what biglaw had to offer. Hoping for the best.

[Anonymous]

Yes,it can be done and you won't regret it. Went into consulting and am just so much happier.

[Anonymous]

I left law after 10 years practicing and became a psychologist. I wouldn't recommend this track for everyone -- it takes 5-6 years start to finish. For me, however, it's been great. I am so much happier in my work, even if I do earn much less.

[Anonymous]

But you are not complaining about the work itself. it sounds like what your disgruntled about is the job market, which sucks (I'm an out of work attorney, so I get it). Do you hate being an attorney, or do you just hate that no one is making partner, govt isn't hiring, and you are at a loss at what to do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But you are not complaining about the work itself. it sounds like what your disgruntled about is the job market, which sucks (I'm an out of work attorney, so I get it). Do you hate being an attorney, or do you just hate that no one is making partner, govt isn't hiring, and you are at a loss at what to do?

Op here - good question. I like or at least don't mind the work, however I have other interests as well. I kind of feel like this industry will reorganize for the next 10-15 yrs - the model is changing, biglaw refuses to adapt, there is far more pressure on small firms, in house and govt. I am thinking is it even a good idea to do this for the next 30 yrs if it'll just be constant instability? But there's so much sunk cost and it's so hard to switch fields - though if it's hard at 35 wouldn't it be impossible at 45?

[Anonymous]

I think you should keep doing the attorney thing for as long as you can stay employed and don't hate it. It sounds like you are at least ok at your job. There is instability in other job fields as well.

Have you been working five of the past seven years? Maybe waive into a couple bar in other states in which you might want to live and expand your job search.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you should keep doing the attorney thing for as long as you can stay employed and don't hate it. It sounds like you are at least ok at your job. There is instability in other job fields as well.

Have you been working five of the past seven years? Maybe waive into a couple bar in other states in which you might want to live and expand your job search.

+1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you should keep doing the attorney thing for as long as you can stay employed and don't hate it. It sounds like you are at least ok at your job. There is instability in other job fields as well.

Have you been working five of the past seven years? Maybe waive into a couple bar in other states in which you might want to live and expand your job search.

OP can't. He/she knows a layoff is inevitable because of strict up and out at OPs firm. Also waiving into other state bars is usually no big deal one you've already been hired by an out of state firm, so not going to make a real difference at this point.

[Anonymous]

Food truck business?

[Anonymous]

I'm in a similar position. I have no clue what I'm going to do. I'm thinking about teaching high school. College would be more my speed but I have no idea if I could get a college job.

[Anonymous]

I am in almost the exact same boat. I'm torn between hanging on to the $250K+ job until they show me the door (and hope to God I could find a job within the 3 to 6-month pretend-you-still-work-here period that they'll give me) or bite the bullet and search for a new job now. I have standing offers at smaller firms that I've co-counseled with over the years, but it's hard to accept a halved paycheck without being forced to. At the same time, I've seen other associates hang on until the bitter end and then face six months or a year of unemployment after their severance ran out.

I think my core problem is that law appealed to my risk-adverse self ten years ago when it *was* a stable career path. Now it is anything but, but my nature hasn't changed. I'm still risk-adverse and that means I'm paralyzed by the prospect of leaving before I have to or finding a new career.

[Anonymous]

OP here -- sounds like a lot of us got in at the same time. Law was a stable profession about 10 yrs ago -- you could go to a top 10 school then a big firm and if you worked hard you could make partner; maybe you wouldn't make it in 7 yrs but most firms would keep you around and make you partner in 9-10 yrs. Now at my firm and many others -- they are barely wanting to hold on to existing partners, let alone make others.

I do worry about jumping into another field (something business related) and being bad at it, but I also worry about going to another firm (if I can even get in which I haven't been able to in the last 8 months as such a senior assoc). You go to a new firm that's hopefully not "up or out," that firm doesn't make you partner for any reason or no reason at all -- then you're searching a few yrs from now for your next gig. I have seen people who are at 16th yr associate level who have had this happen at 2-3 firms and they have NO clue that they'll do, aside from hanging out a shingle and hoping for the best. I just see this future in law where you could end up hopping job to job forever -- am I being overly pessimistic or do others see this too?

So I'm wondering if it's better to take the money and employment hit now to figure something else out while I'm "young" enough or whether it's better to collect as long as I possibly can knowing I may be closing some doors.

I would regret not practicing, but I do have some other skills and interests (dating back to undergrad - so it'll be hard to leverage them but if I cant do it now, I certainly won't be able to 5 yrs from now).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FWIW my DH was a biglaw corporate associate who is now getting into real estate mgmt. Money's tight and he had to borrow a lot to get started but more upside in the long-term than what biglaw had to offer. Hoping for the best.

Without getting into detail, are you able to elaborate? Does this mean he's buying properties and managing or something else? I have vaguely considered real estate development but we all know the swings that that field faces with the economy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here -- sounds like a lot of us got in at the same time. Law was a stable profession about 10 yrs ago -- you could go to a top 10 school then a big firm and if you worked hard you could make partner; maybe you wouldn't make it in 7 yrs but most firms would keep you around and make you partner in 9-10 yrs. Now at my firm and many others -- they are barely wanting to hold on to existing partners, let alone make others.

I do worry about jumping into another field (something business related) and being bad at it, but I also worry about going to another firm (if I can even get in which I haven't been able to in the last 8 months as such a senior assoc). You go to a new firm that's hopefully not "up or out," that firm doesn't make you partner for any reason or no reason at all -- then you're searching a few yrs from now for your next gig. I have seen people who are at 16th yr associate level who have had this happen at 2-3 firms and they have NO clue that they'll do, aside from hanging out a shingle and hoping for the best. I just see this future in law where you could end up hopping job to job forever -- am I being overly pessimistic or do others see this too?

So I'm wondering if it's better to take the money and employment hit now to figure something else out while I'm "young" enough or whether it's better to collect as long as I possibly can knowing I may be closing some doors.

I would regret not practicing, but I do have some other skills and interests (dating back to undergrad - so it'll be hard to leverage them but if I cant do it now, I certainly won't be able to 5 yrs from now).

Big Law was not the way you described 10 years ago. Maybe 30 years ago. I'm thinking you didn't want to see the business for what it is, which is a poorly managed profession that can be lucrative if you not only are smart, but also lucky enough to find a good mentor and a hot, sustainable practice area.

I'm about burned out with the profession, or more precisely with the personalities of some of my colleagues, but at least I had good timing and will be able to leave law in a few years with enough money saved to pursue other interests or retire young. I would feel sorry for the next generation of lawyers, but for the fact that their own generational personality traits often magnify the pressures facing the profession.

If I were you, I would try to find a Government job where you can become a recognized subject-matter expert and gain more visibility than you might get in the bowels of Big Law, or change professions. Hopping from firm to firm as a senior associate or counsel, unless you are more or less guaranteed partnership in 1-2 years, strikes me as the worst form of purgatory imaginable.