Whats worse - big law litigator vs public school teacher

[Anonymous]

Near burnt out 9th year associate, just been told I'll be making partner. And now I feel so traaappped in law and this high hours/high demand lifestyle. Patent litigator, FWIW

- can't go in-house for a long time, if ever (litigation in house are unicorns)
- can't go to the feds due to some youthful indiscretions

Teacher seems like a good reset button, and summer vacation! And everything will be less work than this (it feels like)

[Anonymous]

Take the partnership even if you don't want to stay, just to get it on your resume. Can you go part time?

Teaching isn't a bad gig, especially if you go to a public district with a pension and have a significant nest egg built up from your lawyering years. Almost like partial retirement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Take the partnership even if you don't want to stay, just to get it on your resume. Can you go part time?

Teaching isn't a bad gig, especially if you go to a public district with a pension and have a significant nest egg built up from your lawyering years. Almost like partial retirement.

No part-time in litigation, unfortunately. Luckily the house is paid and the loans are paid. DS in a Deal feeder, etc. So the shop is set.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Take the partnership even if you don't want to stay, just to get it on your resume. Can you go part time?

Teaching isn't a bad gig, especially if you go to a public district with a pension and have a significant nest egg built up from your lawyering years. Almost like partial retirement.

No part-time in litigation, unfortunately. Luckily the house is paid and the loans are paid. DS in a Deal feeder, etc. So the shop is set.

I'm a litigator and that's not true at my V25 firm. But if your firm is inflexible you are much more marketable in the lateral market as a partner than a 9th year, which I'm sure you know, and the lateral market is white hot atm. Do you have any portable business?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Take the partnership even if you don't want to stay, just to get it on your resume. Can you go part time?

Teaching isn't a bad gig, especially if you go to a public district with a pension and have a significant nest egg built up from your lawyering years. Almost like partial retirement.

No part-time in litigation, unfortunately. Luckily the house is paid and the loans are paid. DS in a Deal feeder, etc. So the shop is set.

I'm a litigator and that's not true at my V25 firm. But if your firm is inflexible you are much more marketable in the lateral market as a partner than a 9th year, which I'm sure you know, and the lateral market is white hot atm. Do you have any portable business?

Oh thats interesting, and good to know. No portable book, I mostly do high level patent lit so I'm still "green" to many of those types of clients.

[Anonymous]

You’re crazy if you put in nine years, make partner , and then ditch it to make fifty thousand a year as a teacher. Make partner, do it for at least five years, and save some money.

[Anonymous]

Teaching isn’t a walk in the park, especially these days. Have you worked with kids before? Do you have your teaching certificate? All important questions before you quit your job for summers “off”.

[Anonymous]

Stay and make partner. Stay fir at least a year. Then leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teaching isn’t a walk in the park, especially these days. Have you worked with kids before? Do you have your teaching certificate? All important questions before you quit your job for summers “off”.

Figured I'd do something like Urbanteachers or something

[Anonymous]

Do you actually like kids? I am a lawyer and I once suffered under the delusion that I could quit and teach if I ever got fed up with the law, after all, I like my own kids, right?

Then I taught Sunday School at my church and discovered that after around 5 years old, I hate the little bastards.

[Anonymous]

I was a teacher and went to law school. Law is less stressful. Teaching was the emotional exhaustion of oral argument every day. (Public speaking)

[Anonymous]

What did you do in your youth that would exclude you from a federal job?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What did you do in your youth that would exclude you from a federal job?

+1. And whatever that is, could it not also preclude you from working with kids?!?!?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What did you do in your youth that would exclude you from a federal job?

+1. And whatever that is, could it not also preclude you from working with kids?!?!?

Marijuana use in 2013ish, post bar

[Anonymous]

Take partnership and learn to market yourself. You're going to have to pivot, but not quite so dramatically as to becoming a teacher.

You're right you can't litigate in-house. But a lot of in-house departments at companies with lots of IP would pay for an experienced patent litigator to oversee and work with outside counsel on litigation. Companies spend enormous sums on this litigation (as you know) and someone who understands how it works and also how law firms work can be invaluable.

You could also move to a smaller firm (or maybe even same size) as an of counsel and potentially work out a better work-life balance situation. A lot depends on whether you are originating work, acting as relationship partner, etc. I know counsels and even partners who largely manage the clients originated by other partners, but also are not doing a ton of the day-to-day. Yes, even in litigation. Clients often need a lot of handholding and they want it from someone experienced who knows how to talk to them. You don't make as much doing this sort of thing (it is not really an equity partner role) but it can have real value to the firm and be worth 250k+ a year.

This is a common mid career problem, not unique to Big Law or litigation. You need to level up your skill set, look for ways to pivot off your current experience to get what you want. You can't see it, but you have way more options than most people at this stage. The very fact that you are considering starting over in teaching and this feels like a feasible thing is sort of demonstrating your privilege -- you are in a financially secure position, likely with loans paid off and a decent amount put away, hopefully with a manageable mortgage (if you overbought, time to downsize). But don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. You are actually just getting started, and you have way more options than just pecking away as a litigator for the foreseeable future. Open your eyes and look around.