Lawyers Seeking High-Pressure, Rewarding Work
Legal professionals, particularly those with corporate law backgrounds, are struggling with a disconnect between their desire for challenging, high-stakes work and the realities of their current roles. Many find in-house positions or less demanding firm roles lacking in stimulation, financial reward, and the sense of accomplishment they previously experienced, leading to dissatisfaction and career exploration. This isn't solely about money, but about a need for a high-performance environment.
SOURCES (60)
“Potentially a non-trad applicant here. I'm an old guy. Already with undergrad and grad degrees and seriously considering a career change here. Should I enter law school, my goal would be owning and working out of a local law office. Shouldn't really matter where I…”
“I’m at firm w/ a strong funds practice (v20 NY) and I can’t decide. I like the people more in funds but my goal is to exit 4-6yrs in for a cushiony in-house while still making comfortable six figures given VHCOL. Any advice would help. The unpredictability of m&a seems really bad but if it is a much better option for my long term career goal, I guess I’d suck it up, and I’m aware that funds work isn’t much better in terms of hours either. I hear funds exit, while not available as early as m&”
“Anyone have experience transferring offices as a junior associate? I'm currently at my firm's headquarters and looking to relocate to one of our offices that is rapidly expanding (and hiring juniors into my group) in 3 months. it seems pretty common at my firm, but a lot of transfers end up lateraling to another firm once they make the jump between markets. not sure if that's because they're forced out after the transfer or if the intention was a path to a better city. subm”
“Any insight? Thinking of applying there. I'm currently a first year associate at another firm in a different city. submitted by /u/Embarrassed_Cap_7727 [link] [comments]”
“Think mid-to-senior-level associate. All input welcome. submitted by /u/Mother-Huckleberry99 [link] [comments]”
Not as bad as being a partner at big law, unless your firm sucks
“I’m a midlevel associate in a transactional practice at a large firm that does M&A, EC/VC work, and general corporate counseling. I’ve always wanted to start a firm but not sure what niche it would fit in to or if there is actually any work out there to get it started. I’m still not at the point where I feel comfortable running a deal or a financing on my own, but curious if anyone here tried to kick start their own firm doing lower-level corporate work or fractional GC work. Does a solo fir”
“I would start with the legal tech you already use and see if anyone is hiring. Send a Loom video of you using it to the Dir/VP of sales and start networking with an AE. They'll easily bit because they're probably thinking they can sell you lol!”
“You say "my firm", do you own the firm or just work there? I ask because if you are like most people, when they say my firm, they don't actually own it, and just work there. I find it disrespectful to your dad that you only paid him a $1. If the firm is paying for it, why did you pay your dad so cheaply. The firm would have paid any other attorney their normal fee.”
“Looking for advice on navigating a territorial partner. Im a second year litigation associate at an AmLaw 200 firm that has a free market system for associates, but no coordinator for work like AmLaw 100 firms. For some reason, one partner is insisting I handle their cases, my guess is because they like my work. However, I’m not interested in working with them at all. Particularly, they made very belittling comments unwarranted about me to a client while we were at a mediation and seemingly does”
“I graduated from law school about a year ago and I currently work at a small firm as an associate. I've been getting materials together to apply to some trial court law clerk positions. One of those positions is with a judge that our firm has a case before and that I've entered a notice of appearance in. Would an application to this position/interview if one is forthcoming be an ex parte contact? The model rule seems like it only applies to "concerning a pending or impending matter&”
“I’d love any insights this group might have on my post! submitted by /u/SillyTelevision8324 [link] [comments]”
“Also would Wachtell technically be classified as a boutique firm submitted by /u/Mylootnow_ [link] [comments]”
“Hey All, I've worked at medium and large firms (and a small firm inside a large firm), and have been at / been promoted to senior at a FAANG (the really bad work/life balance one). My current medium-large company did massive layoffs a few months ago, and the reorg combined with what I've been kindof already doing has made me start looking. I've been extremely lucky in this economy, as because of my background, I have a lot of offers. Right now I am trying to decide between (all remot”
“I’ve been interviewing at this firm after graduating last month for an entry level position, and I was wondering if if anyone who had experience working here could tell me what it was like & if it is worth taking on? submitted by /u/Asaei [link] [comments]”
“Currently a 3rd year associate at a V10 firm and starting to think about lateraling to another firm. TLDR: My current firm has a serious issue with work distribution amongst junior associates leading to serious capacity inequity. Some associates are drowning and hitting 250+ hour months while others are barely scraping by with 30 billable hours (not including pro bono, etc.) In my 3 years here, I feel like I haven’t been afforded any real opportunity to meaningful contribute to substantive legal”
“While big firms so far sit on the sidelines on salary matches, I wrote a column for Reuters on the attraction of elite boutiques paying as much or more. I heard from associates who have been able to lead client calls, take depositions, cross-examine witnesses and shape case direction, much earlier than if they'd stayed in BigLaw. One Glenn Agre associate shared her confusion when, soon after joining, a partner asked for her opinion on case strategy. "I was like, I have no idea, because”
“an ex colleague is at a big pharma and he recently asked me to join his legal team. it’s a great opportunity (base salary seems higher than other in house positions) but I’m not sure if the hours are actually better working in house? he says there are busy weeks but didn’t really say much else other than that. he was a colleague but not a “friend” so I’m not sure if he is intentionally being vague about it. ive seen posts where people say in house is just as bad as big law with less pay. could a”
“This is so helpful, thanks! Especially regarding work-life balance - I think your framing of it as somewhere in between a normal 8-5 and the higher workload associates face makes so much sense. Glad you enjoyed it!”
“I just received an offer from a law firm that works with LegalShield (service provided to consumers for a small fee a month for all and any legal questions). I’m currently in a personal injury mill and desperate to get out. It was my first job out of law school and I have experience in nothing other than pre litigation negotiations, and I’m not particularly drawn to litigation. I’m looking for work life balance. The partners for the firm assured me I would be getting experience in a diverse area”
“text: If I were a young lawyer at S&C (as I once was), i would put aside how I feel about the clients in question because there are genuine ethical issues in play around the right to representation (at least in a criminal case). I would, however, want to explore how decisions are made at the firm and whether firm governance enabes interrogation of the hardest such issues. The question of whether and in what matters to work with the White House is clearly one and recent reporting indicates S&”
“What’s the general reputation? Heard some scandalous rumors about partner infidelity and “favors” for clients. Any truth or just jealousy from rivals that can’t compete? submitted by /u/milkyway181 [link] [comments]”
“I’m looking for some candid advice from people who have been involved in BigLaw lateral hiring. I’m currently a midlevel litigation associate at an Am Law 150 firm. I have an LL.M. from a T20 law school rather than a U.S. J.D., graduated around the top 1/3 of my class. Have a foreign LL.B. degree with the similar GPA. I’ve been applying, both self-applying and through recruiters, to Am Law 100 firms for litigation positions, but it’s been difficult to even get first-round interviews. Does having”
“If you were good at understanding problems and aligning them to available Solutions, I'd look for a pure sales role. My best advice is to find someone you think you can learn from to work with, as opposed to focusing only on the product. If you have the natural ability to close deals, you want to work with or under someone who can help you close the knowledge gaps you have around selling legal tech. You should, of course, find a product that you're passionate about and that you think sol”
“I’m a junior litigator and have become increasingly interested in a clerkship. I dropped the ball in law school, largely because I simply did not know how the application process worked/how early I would have had to start applying. I was a very average student at a good law school, so was told by career services I’d struggle to find a clerkship without taking a few years to work. I am now seriously thinking about applying, but did not develop any close relationships with professors in law school”
Awesome, good luck! I'm an AE (have been for 15 years) and still love it. Feel free to DM me if you ever have any questions.
“OK right now I’m growing a very small firm. I founded it about a year and a half ago. I want to give the “big law” experience to clients at a fraction of the price but I want to be realistic about what the big law experience is. What are your response times to a clients email or query? How quickly do you turn things around? How do you manage the constant availability while still having to get through quite a bit of other work for other clients? Could anybody give me their detailed description of”
“Honestly, I just really love closing. So shooting for AE makes sense. Thanks again.”
“I would pick whether you want to go AE or Legal Engineer route and just go all in on that. Legal Engineer might be the easier switch, but AE is where the money is. Also, AE is a well defined path whereas Legal Engineer is new plus the job seems to vary considerably company by company.”
“has anyone ever transitioned / have knowledge of transitioning from being a transactional lawyer to working in PI? what did that look like? submitted by /u/soo-bin [link] [comments]”
“Does your firm / partners at your firm take an active role to help juniors develop? Or is development as an attorney on the junior? I’m trying to understand if other firms take a more active approach in helping a junior develop skills, get reps in doing substantive work (rather than just research / diligence / doc review), etc. My firm is shit at it and I feel like my development has been incredibly slow. Been there for around 1.5 years and I have not had many opportunities to draft substantive”
“The seniors I know who came from smaller firms - got hired as an experienced associate and promoted within a year to senior.”
“I keep trying to get a good sense of what exactly first days do day to day at most firms? Obviously it’s different everywhere but just a general idea submitted by /u/Mylootnow_ [link] [comments]”
“Apologies, my brain is kind of mush from bar prep. I will be starting at a V50 this fall, and one of the junior associates I worked with the most as a summer last year in the same practice group has moved to another V50. We were not super close. But we did a couple lunches, worked together quite a bit, and were friendly with each other beyond standard corporate formalities. Of course nobody here can attest to their temperament or our relationship, but would it generally be rude or bad form to as”
“Second year associate thinking about clerking. Didn’t apply during law school but thinking I may want to try for some random openings in my area now. Don’t have strong relationships with any law school professors, so think firm references would have to do. BUT how do I go about this? Is it heard of to ask partners/counsel for clerkship LORs? Don’t think they’d be thrilled about the possibility of me leaving… submitted by /u/lawschool2020 [link] [comments]”
“Being a partner in a large firm is equivalent to a low level vice president. You have to report and answer to many others. That’s the reason I left to start my own firm. I owned my decisions and only answered to my clients.”
“As a new partner in a mid-sized firm, the idea of getting clients without my firm’s network sounds very daunting. I think BD and sales is often thought of too individualistically (i.e that partner sells a lot of work)! If you look at our CRM, I had a lot of sales this year… however not a single one of them was sourced from my personal network. I didn’t walk into any boardrooms, make any cold calls or bring any new relationships to the firm. In reality, leads were handed to me through the firm’s”
“Smaller regional firm but hoping anyone can provide some insight. I have been chatting with RubinBrown for a bit regarding an open position. Everyone I have met is great and welcoming. They talk a good talk in terms of what the firm can provide. But for that reason I’m worried it won’t live up to what they sell. Not sure any public firm is truly better than another at the end of the day. If anyone has any thoughts I’d love to hear feedback that isn’t someone trying to actively recruit me.”
“I went in-house after my fifth year at a V50 and am now often being asked to lead negotiations (with some help from outside counsel). As an associate, I was very much in a backup role whenever we had negotiations. Looking for advice on how folks in transactional practices developed, improved, and practiced these skills, especially if you’re not just naturally gifted in this area. submitted by /u/karinablue22 [link] [comments]”
“If plaintiff side (antitrust, securities, mass tort, etc.) partners make similar to amlaw 50 to 100 partners, then why don’t more big law attorneys go do that work? The work seems to require similar or less time. The path to partnership is not as difficult as big law. Am I missing something? submitted by /u/Bluebird_Financial [link] [comments]”
“I’m a litigation attorney with about 8 years of experience and am considering a lateral move to larger (but not AM100) firm, likely as either of counsel or income partner. This is my first time having any negotiation leverage, so I'm trying to consider all my options. I do not currently have a large book of business, but I’m a strong biller/workhorse and expect to be able to generate solid billable revenue. I’m trying to think through what would be reasonable to negotiate beyond base salary.”
“I’ve been interviewing with a PI firm in a mid sized HCOL city, where the firm splits up pre-lit and litigation completely, so I’d only really come into the case once it’s been determined that we will be filing suit. Salary would be around $150k. What is a reasonable percentage of the award for cases assigned to me that I either settle, or take to trial? submitted by /u/SnooCats4777 [link] [comments]”
“I’m a mid-level associate at a large firm and have generally gotten good reviews. I’ve had a fair amount of client-facing responsibility, take depositions, draft substantive briefing, argue smaller motions, etc. From the outside, I think I’m progressing the way I’m should. The part that’s bothering me is that I don’t feel like my actual understanding of the law has kept pace with my experience. It’s not that I can’t research an issue or get to the right answer. I can. But if you asked me to expl”
“Obviously there will always be a drop in comp to go in-house but the WLB increases enormously. How do you value the trade-off? submitted by /u/sammyt10803 [link] [comments]”
“This sounds more nonsensical than I intend but seriously, does anyone read the applications received through the firm websites anymore or are firms meeting needs mostly through referrals? submitted by /u/rideordiegem [link] [comments]”
“I'm at a v50ish firm and of course there are regular comings and goings. However, I've received 5 last day announcement emails from 3rd and 4th year associates so far this week and know of another leaving Friday. I by no means get cc'd by every departing associate. I can't recall getting more than one in a week. As a fellow 4th year, I guess I'm just glad I'm not one of them. Something's afoot, and it smells like stealth layoffs. submitted by /u/No_Mark_80”
“Making partner at B4 has nothing to do with grinding out tax returns or audit opinions. It is all about bringing in clients. If you are meeting your new revenue goals you can have litters and no one will care.”
“I am not sure if I want to be a securities/cap markets lawyer or an M&A lawyer. I feel like you do a lot of filings and I am not sure if I would find the work... fulfilling? And I feel like the learning curve for CM is so much higher than M&A. I wonder if it will be worth it. If any securities lawyer/CM lawyer (or anyone with this experience) can give me their take, please let me know! I am having a hard time deciding which practice group to join. submitted by /u/Automatic-Em”
“I’m rethinking my intake process and would appreciate hearing what has actually worked for other firms. I previously tried paid consultations, but very few people booked. I switched to free 30-minute consultations, and bookings went up significantly—but so did no-shows, people who did not complete intake forms, rescheduling, and tire kickers taking up large parts of my day. I’m now thinking of reducing the free consultation to a strict 15-minute discovery call. The purpose would only be to deter”
“With the hiring freeze apparently breaking finally right about now, there seems to be a ton of financial agency jobs going up, especially FTC, CFTC, and SEC. Anyone have any insights as to morale and quality of life at these agencies right now? Already a government attorney but at a mostly politically-insulated agency, so I'm just wondering where it falls relative to most agencies. I've heard a lot about DOJ and equivalent but not much about these. I think the field of law at least at th”
“I am a lawyer who has experience in biglaw and midlaw (specifically, I went biglaw, then midlaw, then biglaw). I would say that in midlaw, I had as much stress but much less pay. But if I had gone in-house, I would have had less pay, but less stress. I don't know what the parallel is for finance.”
“Basically the title. I know it depends on the firm, practice group, location, etc. With that said, what’s the general rule? If a first year associate offer does not speak to bar passage other than “you are expected to take the July 2026 bar exam, and bar admission in ___ is required to practice law in the ___ office of ___,” is the general rule that you get another crack at it in February or do they send you packing? If the offer did not speak to this, and one fails, do they go to the HR team /”
“Hey my small firm just let us know we are being aqcuried as of 7/31. No other info outside of the company buying us and we were all promised we could keep our jobs. Im just looking for some people who have gone through a merger. I am an EA and know there are plenty of jobs near me. Is it worth sticking around to see what they have for us or should I start searching now just in case? Im just shocked and hurt because it was a tight very small firm and we got aquired by a giant corpo. Please drop s”