Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Biglaw wife here--my husband is still looking for a job after being laid off 9months ago...thankfully we have a nest egg, I have a good, stable gov job (I think!), and family support has been amazing. But still...my feeling is that we gambled and lost, and now we are paying the price.(Really, who likes to borrow money after being so well paid for so many years?) That said, my husband is (relatively)young, smart, and there is a whole world out there. He is ready to make a move on his own, and the Weil cuts just seem to confirm that we are making the right decision leaving biglaw behind.

What was his practice area and has he been doing any work at all in the interim?

Anonymous wrote:Biglaw wife here--my husband is still looking for a job after being laid off 9months ago...thankfully we have a nest egg, I have a good, stable gov job (I think!), and family support has been amazing. But still...my feeling is that we gambled and lost, and now we are paying the price.(Really, who likes to borrow money after being so well paid for so many years?) That said, my husband is (relatively)young, smart, and there is a whole world out there. He is ready to make a move on his own, and the Weil cuts just seem to confirm that we are making the right decision leaving biglaw behind.

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:

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?

Have you been told to find a new job either directly or indirectly? It seems to me that more people are remaining at firms after not making partner (i.e., they become permanent counsels, etc.).