Anonymous wrote:Since there seem to be senior attys on this thread -- I was "partner track" in biglaw (litigation) according to what they were telling me, didn't make it, was told I will never make it no matter what, and am struggling to find a job now -- as I'm too senior for other firms, gov't/inhouse hiring is terrible etc.

I find myself looking at those who are junior partners -- 2 to 10 yrs ahead of me and being insanely jealous, as I don't think they bring much more to the table than me and yet the firm chose to make ALL of them partner and stop making new ones when I came along, despite years of long hours, dedication, top reviews etc. All I can think is that these people are set and will make millions and I'm going to bounce around my whole life. Little good the last 10 yrs or my top degrees did for me. Any thoughts on getting over the bitterness and resentment in the face of failing at my goal and now being rejected 100s of times for other jobs?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The entire business model on which BigLaw is operating and is premised now is flawed, outmoded, and is in the process of collapsing IMO.

In fact a press release on the Weil Gotshal firings referred to "industry" practice and conditions. Very telling that it did not refer to practices and conditions in the "profession", which is what law was when I began my career in 1980.

It's barely/ not really a profession anymore, and the standards of civility and professionalism have taken a dump as the ironclad focus on the bottom line has taken over.

Not a pretty sight. Not something to be proud of. A lot more of this to come IMO.

DH, a mid-'80s law school grad, left a BigLaw partnership to go to a smaller firm with lower billing rates. He is so much happier and his practice is booming. We had banked a lot of money over the years he was in BigLaw (house paid for, kids' college and grad school saving done, a sizeable retirement fund); as a result, the paycut been surprisingly easy.

We are both grads of a top 3 law school, and I find it remarkable how many of our friends from law school are discouraging their children from becoming lawyers. I'm talking about people who have had amazing careers in the law -- Supreme Court clerkships, DOJ honors, BigLaw p-ships, GCs at prominent NGOs, high-level political appointments, etc. -- all are saying to their kids, "don't go to law school."

Our younger son, a college student, would be a terrific lawyer and would love the work, but DH is advising him to pursue other options. He's a STEM major and his friends at school say, "Man, you would be a fool not to make bank in Big Data, i-banking or consulting." Yes, in the past 30 years too many people have gone to law school, but the prospective loss of talented young people who would contribute much to our society as lawyers worries me.

Anonymous wrote:I think they're indicative of a fundamentally dysfunctional industry that operates in a way and at a rate that is unsustainable for the client's pocketbooks, employee's lifestyles, and its own firm's bottom lines.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The entire business model on which BigLaw is operating and is premised now is flawed, outmoded, and is in the process of collapsing IMO.

In fact a press release on the Weil Gotshal firings referred to "industry" practice and conditions. Very telling that it did not refer to practices and conditions in the "profession", which is what law was when I began my career in 1980.

It's barely/ not really a profession anymore, and the standards of civility and professionalism have taken a dump as the ironclad focus on the bottom line has taken over.

Not a pretty sight. Not something to be proud of. A lot more of this to come IMO.

DH, a mid-'80s law school grad, left a BigLaw partnership to go to a smaller firm with lower billing rates. He is so much happier and his practice is booming. We had banked a lot of money over the years he was in BigLaw (house paid for, kids' college and grad school saving done, a sizeable retirement fund); as a result, the paycut been surprisingly easy.

We are both grads of a top 3 law school, and I find it remarkable how many of our friends from law school are discouraging their children from becoming lawyers. I'm talking about people who have had amazing careers in the law -- Supreme Court clerkships, DOJ honors, BigLaw p-ships, GCs at prominent NGOs, high-level political appointments, etc. -- all are saying to their kids, "don't go to law school."

Our younger son, a college student, would be a terrific lawyer and would love the work, but DH is advising him to pursue other options. He's a STEM major and his friends at school say, "Man, you would be a fool not to make bank in Big Data, i-banking or consulting." Yes, in the past 30 years too many people have gone to law school, but the prospective loss of talented young people who would contribute much to our society as lawyers worries me.

Anonymous wrote:The entire business model on which BigLaw is operating and is premised now is flawed, outmoded, and is in the process of collapsing IMO.

In fact a press release on the Weil Gotshal firings referred to "industry" practice and conditions. Very telling that it did not refer to practices and conditions in the "profession", which is what law was when I began my career in 1980.

It's barely/ not really a profession anymore, and the standards of civility and professionalism have taken a dump as the ironclad focus on the bottom line has taken over.

Not a pretty sight. Not something to be proud of. A lot more of this to come IMO.

Anonymous wrote:steven harper (northwestern, big law partner) spells it out perfectly in his book and recent articles over the last 3-4 months in various publications.