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[quote=Anonymous]If you have only one child, don't plan on any more, have good child care in place, have a spouse who does at least 50% of all house-related work, and don't mind increasing your hours by 50% -- then go for it. If none of this applies, then don't do it. The work at Biglaw is often more exciting and the paycheck is great, but it's easy to underestimate the sheer number of hours you'll be putting in. And as a new hire you may be expected to be in the office to do them. This depends on the office, obviously. You may be able to get away with being in the office from 9:30 to 6 and then putting in a few more hours at night after your kid goes to bed. But if you pick a place that values face time, you could be there late into the night on a regular basis.

It also depends on your specialty. It sounds like you are not a litigator. As a litigator, I would never go back to Biglaw. The hours are too unpredictable and crazy. If you're in a regulatory field or other field in which deadlines aren't suddenly thrown at you, it could be quite manageable. My DH is a regulatory lawyer and when in Biglaw he generally worked from 9:30 am to 8 pm plus about 6 hours total over the course of the weekend. I was in litigation and I'd have weeks where I'd leave at 6, followed by weeks where I'd leave at 1 am every night and be in the office all weekend as well. We averaged the same hours but his were mostly steady while mine fluctuated wildly due to trial needs. It was pretty awful and would have been impossible with a child. Now that I have a child, I see this even more clearly than I did while at the firm.

I left Biglaw 5 years ago. None of the associates from my class are still there. None of the more senior associates I worked with are still there. Some of the counsel and partners aren't even there anymore. This should tell you something about the work load and prospects for long-term family life. Oh, and this was at a top DC firm that regularly makes the list of best places to work for women. The work was exciting but that wasn't enough to sustain me. If it is for you, then it could be a good move.[/quote]

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