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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]There are lots of variations of BigLOL. I am still a partner in biglaw, but managed to sort of scoot myself into a second tier of firm. I bring in a decent amount of work, don't bill a ton of my own hours, but still bring in enough overall to avoid the hatchet man. Live my life with my family, and manage to do rad shit in the free time I create for myself.

The main thing I realized just before the pandemic is that the emergencies are dumb. Genuinely. I don't tolerate that shit anymore. [b]And if a client tries that stunt with me, I just don't work with them anymore. [/b]

All this takes a certain amount tolerance for compensation adjustment. So, we have the same lifestyle we did when I was an associate. When I am 80 years old, I am definitely not going to wish I worked more for more comp, and will instead remember fondly the time I spent with my family or the fact that I did a ton of stuff all the losers around me never had time to do. Spending time working a useless white collar biglaw job instead of your actual life is extremely stupid and counterproductive to the human experience. [/quote]

Unless you are very niche, there are 20 other firms that are virtually indistinguishable from yours full of lawyers happy to treat every request as an emergency [/quote]

I mean, that’s Biglaw culture right there. If you’re so greedy and paranoid that you make your associates get up at 3am to sit on an overseas “emergency” call because you have to prove you are available 24/7 - it’s going to be a miserable life. [/quote]

That's why a 2nd year associate is getting paid almost $300k/year. Please tell me what other profession pays minimally experienced professionals so much money? Resident physicians are working longer hours for 25% of the pay and IB associates are making the same with worse hours. [/quote]

Well that’s the point? Ruining your life for money. Maybe OK when you’re a 28 year old single person, but a little more existential when you are 40 with a neglected spouse & kids. [/quote]

Why would you think there would be a neglected spouse and kids?  That is not the reality for most.  Been a Biglaw partner for 25 years.  The stories you hear may be true but they are one -offs and not every day.  Also as a partner you have a lot of ability to control.  I agress it can suck as a non-partner.[/quote]

lol I wonder why I would think that? Look, any job that requires the number of hours that Biglaw does by definition does not leave you time to be a normal partner/parent. The only way you couldn’t see this is if your conception of “normal” is that your wife does it all and you drop in for dinner a few times a week to see the kids. [/quote]

I think people not in biglaw are misunderstanding the hours. When you are on they are crazy but you are not always on. I can’t tell you home for dinner percentages.  Pre-Covid I came home before 8.  But my kids were at things anyway and we did not eat together.  Post Covid I am home for dinner most nights.  But I likely have work after dinner. Have I made every sporting event of the kids?  No but probably 80%.  Not sure what you mean wife does it all.  She does a lot and so do I.  This all works out.  It’s not the case that you do not see the kids or attend key things.  You just work it out.  [/quote]

This is similar to my experience. Lots of people posting have obviously never worked in big law.[/quote]

I have. I also have brothers in big law/IB who probably also believe they are “great involved dads” because they see their kids a bit on the weekend and on vacation twice a year, and took a week off for paternity leave. Meanwhile they have SAHW that do everything. You’re delusional. [/quote]

And you're just a jerk. [/quote]

Arguably the jerk is the person prioritizing money and prestige over their family. [/quote]

Must be nice living off a trust fund. Some of us have to earn our living. [/quote]

There are many ways to earn a living other than Biglaw. [/quote]

You're right.  Surgeons and bankers are well known for their family friendly hours.[/quote]

Sarcasm aside, if you want to make big $$$$, you need to sacrifice something.  As several PPs indicated, if you are making big $$$$, you can afford to outsource all household chores that take up a tremendous amount of time.

Then again, you can take your big $$$$, invest it properly for 10 years, then scale back in your mid-40s.  Most BIGLAW partners, surgeons, and bankers don't want to do this.  They like the money and the prestige.

I was in BIGLAW and left to go in-house.  I took a hit for several years, but now I make BIGLAW partner money.  Still work a lot (set my own work schedule), but that's because I'm at the executive level.[/quote]

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