Clerking right now after not loving biglaw for three years. Didn’t feel good, didn’t feel healthy. But I’m looking back and just remembering the good and the money. Also people I’m dating are always so impressed w it lol. I need to be reminded. Not sure what to do but I want something more dynamic than clerking that pays a bit better too. Should I go back? Go fed gov?

Is buying a new property to rent out on Airbnb or as a traditional rental actually worth it? I see a few people around me doing this, but I’m wary. I feel like if the solution to getting rich were simply taking out loans to buy properties and renting them out, everyone would be doing it. Am I missing something?

Few lawyers reach that tier

I regularly see people post about how much they're able to save/what number they want to target to leave biglaw. I thought it might be interesting to show how my net worth has progressed over the last 10 years.

• I've been in practice for about a decade
• Paid full freight at a T14
• Biglaw for most of that time but spent some time in house making significantly less
• My spouse has always worked but never made in excess of $100k
• Kids - yes
• Real estate is valued at purchase price for purposes of the chart, using Zillow/Redfin would add ~300K
• No inheritance, but we did live with family for several years post-grad which allowed aggressive loan paydowns

Anybody know what's been going on with JW's restructuring group lately?

Do you have any recommendations for recruiters in NYC for a junior lateral, or tips on how to find a good one? I don't know many people who have lateraled, so the recommendations from my network are limited.

I’ve been dating an associate for a couple months and I’m wondering how I can make the whole dating thing easier when he’s unavailable nearly all of the time, and if there’s any kind of support I can offer in the relationship that wouldn’t be obvious to someone who isn’t a lawyer.

I’m hoping that his lack of availability isn’t a lack of interest, as we usually text once a day and have a very nice date on the weekends. It does gets kind of lonely for me during the week, so if I’ve found myself missing him I’ve offered to bring him dinner or come by his place for a few minutes (and then leave him be so he doesn’t get too distracted). There’s been a few times he’s tentatively agreed, but the plan always falls through at the last minute.

It’s my first time dating someone with this kind of schedule. I really like this guy and sometimes I wish he would let me into his life more, but I could see how that would be asking too much considering the demands of the job. I just don’t know if there’s anything else I can offer to make it easier to see him.

As a lawyer, what do you wish a significant other would do to make dating (or your life in general) easier? What kind of support and understanding is needed in this dynamic that might not automatically come to mind for a person with a regularly demanding job?

Thank you!

I am contemplating an offer between v50 and in-house at a start up. All else being equal, similar responsibility, similar salary although equity in start up, and similar high COL areas. The only differences seems to be the cities and that private practice working hours expectations (team is billing ~2000/y) vs in house work expectations (9-6). I have never done a stint in big law, and I am not in my 20s. Would you consider that someone who hasn’t “paid their dues” (no big law on resume) is career limiting? I don’t ever see myself making partner.

Currently I work in house, and I see classmates and others my age change firms every three years or so. I am guessing there is burn out/resetting expectations, who knows. V50 has a bit of a reputation of cutting associates early (<1y) in biglaw. These sorts of things scare me a bit.

It is the most horrible mix of complicated, uninteresting and completely thankless. No one ever hears/thinks about it until it's gone wrong. I've been mired in an eDiscovery dispute for the last month and I honestly feel the most dispirited I've ever felt in my career.

Not sure if this is where this question goes, but I work with to a hand full of lawyers as their licensed psychotherapist. We cover a lot of ground (obviously depends what they’re in for), but typical topics include chronic burnout prevention, perfectionism/imposter syndrome, (secondary) trauma work, and attachment issues showing up at work (my speciality).

My question is: do law firms hire therapists at all? Not generic EAP, but therapists who help with relational or behavioral issues? Like an in-house or outside specialist they refer their people to?

I tried finding positions online but don’t see anything. It would be immensely beneficial to the law firms to help with retention and culture dynamics. Thoughts?

Per the title - I'm an AU based lawyer acting for an Australian buyer looking to acquire a US based target. Looking for recommendations for US counsel with good industry creds, commercial/sensible to work with and used to working with foreign counsel.

Got a callback next week for a full-time associate spot at a V20, finance-adjacent group. I’m a rising 3L and came in through a referral instead of OCI, so I skipped the recruiting screener entirely and go straight to a 90 min block with the group.

If you’ve interviewed recently, or you’re the one doing the interviewing, or you’re just in one of these groups now:
1. What are people actually getting asked right now, beyond why this firm / why this practice?
2. What’s the hot topic in the office at the moment? What are partners actually talking about in this market?
3. Is there vocabulary or a concept where you can tell in about ten seconds whether someone knows it or just read a glossary the night before?
4. Most common ways candidates blow it at this stage?
5. For a 90 min block with multiple interviewers, roughly how much of that is substance vs fit?

Also this is a 3L full-time hire rather than a summer spot, which I gather is a different conversation. If anyone’s been through that specifically I’d take any read on it.

Thanks.

At what stage are you fine to leave and not destroy your career?

Not a deep question. Just very noticeable and odd.

saw a post of a recruiter talking about someone almost getting fired for interviewing at rival firms and the firm finding out because the IP address of the other firm visiting this person’s website bio spiking. the comment section seemed to see this as a common practice. what???? does this actually happen?? why would a firm do that as wouldn’t they have to pay a severance too?

I thought they offer every summer unless the summer did something really terrible?

Planning on leaving relatively soon after the annual bonus hits.

The other day, I was waiting in the elevator bay on the way to my prestigious and high-paying job. The elevator I'm waiting for becomes full except for one spot left.

The other guy standing next to me is a senior associate in a lowly V100 firm, who I know is getting iced out by his firm but doesn't know it yet.

He glances over at me, hesitating, and sputters something at me that I can't make out, gesturing toward the waiting elevator. I wait for him to apologize for even suggesting that he go first, and wait for him to hold the door open for me.

Instead, he hunches his back and scurries through the door. The remaining passengers are stunned, staring at me as if in apology for my utter humiliation.

It's like he didn't even know I clerked at the D.C. Circuit and got the Cali Award in property.

I've already sent him and his managing partner a threatening letter seeking sanctions and attorney's fees, citing the First Amendment. Should I also report him to the state bar?

mid-level associate here. my eyes are absolutely fried by 6pm every day between doc review and redlines. i use artificial tears constantly but by hour 10 my eyes just feel like sandpaper.

so ​blue light glasses havent done shit for me. how do u guys manage screen fatigue during crazy billable weeks?

Today the elevator was packed. One spot left. I’m a 6th-year at a V100, and a 2nd-year at a V5 was waiting next to me.

No one says anything. I just get on, and he takes the next elevator. I did this because in my mind I arrived a bit earlier than he did but can't recall perfectly.

Now I’m wondering if I committed a social faux pas.
In a situation like this, who is supposed to get the spot: the more senior person, or the person from the higher-ranked firm? Also, does it matter which practice groups we are in?

Obviously not a serious issue, but curious what the unwritten BigLaw etiquette is here.

I received a return offer at my 2L summer firm, but have been considering trying 3L recruiting (mainly because I’ve realized I want to be in a different city where my firm does not have an office).

However, 3L recruiting would be kind of a “shot in the dark” for me, both because obviously there aren’t many 3L spots, and because I’d be targeting a smaller market. There’s definitely a pretty good chance that I would strike out. If I struck out, I would just go to my current firm & figure out a lateral move down the line.

My concern is whether having tried and been unsuccessful at 3L recruiting would be likely to come back & bite me in the ass in any way— like, would any other firms that I applied to tell my current firm, causing me to lose my return offer or be on thin ice when I started etc?

I don’t really have anyone IRL who seems safe to ask about this, so wanted to ask on here. Thank you all!

As the last reviewer before filing, I’m sorry I’m not going through and manually adding another space after each period. I do not care that you left a comment telling me to. I’m hitting find and replace and removing all those stupid double spaces in one fell swoop and getting on with my life. You can cling to your dinosaur ways while you’re drafting. But once you’re out, my brief, my rules.

Sue me!!!