Thats true!!! Leave a high paying job and join inhouse or mediocre job in Tier III towns and settle for a mediocre life. Whats wrong with this generation! Why cant you handle pressure despite being young? Please be competitive and stick to law firm jobs and you will not regret in future. I am working with law firms for the last 20 years and can tell you that majority (ill advised!) comments on this platform are from the law students who haven't even worked in law firms (let alone the top tier firms).
Doubt this approach is helpful when people start burning out at this rate. Been in 3 law firms and 1 in-house. Currently working at a tier 1 and this is the first time I've been exposed to these madhouses (previous experiences were with saner firms).
After 2 years, ive deduced that the law firm goal should be simple-
Do the least amount of work possible for the most amount of money possible, and ensure you are learning enough in the process.
A law firm won't think twice before kicking you out, giving you less money, dumping more work on you, and they really don't factor in your learning in any way at all. The reward for good work is more work, always, everywhere. Being the most dependable person in most cases, is not the best case- reasoning is simple, most law firm bosses have been trained to extract max work and maximise profits, and will only see you as resource no. 28383882....
Could you please share where you went. As in, what firm did you go to? I'd be happy to connect on LinkedIn and discuss. I wish to know how many niche, relatively non toxic firms pay as much as tier 1s.
How did you learn the ropes of investing in listed companies? Please give wisdom. There are too many resources out there, it has become difficult to identify good ones.
Context: Currently YOLOing 10k/month in zerodha account
You comment puts down others as not hard working enough, can't get into a good college without daddy's money,don't have the mentality to succeed etc.Frankly, you don't make your NLU look good either- it's potraying them as some lawyer-output factory to a standard cut from an assembly line.Your lawyering skills are gone buddy thanks to your arrogance.Thats what happens at such places where "lawyers" have to put "heads down" and work.Thats no way to get any lawyer work done no matter which team or practise area .That's when you realise it's time to leave the law firm.Right conversation for the lost lawyer who doesn't even realize it.
Hi there, really liked the way in which you planned out your time at the law firm, and how you've managed to achieve financial independence this early in life. Just wanted to know how you managed to actually spend the free time after completing the deliverable much ahead of time (even if you didn't submit it as soon as you completed it), especially since most of the work was done at the firm's office. Didn't you have seniors breathing down your neck who realised that you were done with the work, and gave you more work instead. Or peers who would ask for help with their work?
I've graduated last year and have started working at a tier-1, and I've been able to complete approx 75% of my assignments with 2-3 hours to spare. I submit the work about an hour before it's due, and use the time in between for working out, reading, or whatever I'm in the mood for that day. However, I feel this is only possible since we're working remotely and no one knows when I'm actually done with the work. Any suggestions on how I can continue with this once the work moves back to the office?
I was interning at the same firm in 2019, and whenever I was done with my work, there was always some associate hovering around to give me more work (though I was assigned to exclusively work with another team; didn't complain because I wanted the job), and the IT guys restricted my computer's access to almost all social media/entertainment websites because I used to plug in my earphones and turn on some instrumental soundtracks while working to drown out the chatter around the office. Didn't confront them at the time either. What I had to do then was read some boring Mondaq articles in my free time, pretending I was working on something. But it was quite boring. Would love to have better ideas.
One time when I fell really sick and couldn't go to work for about 12 days. Those 12 days were the most peaceful days I have had during my law firm days. No calls, no chasers, no anxiety attacks and lots of rest. After I went back to work I realised that work didn't stop because I was away on sick leave. It went on just fine without me. Made me wonder why my partner would make me work on every weekend, holiday and on my annual leaves. Was every deliverable really that urgent? No.
A couple of months went by. I was working on another deal with impossible deadlines. I started dreaming about how life was peaceful when I was sick for those 12 days. I was so exhausted that I started wishing for sickness just so that I could get uninterrupted rest. I started losing interest in life, in meeting friends, watching movies, listening to music or even going out with my better half. I only had negative thoughts. Money did not make me happy anymore. I had become quite miserable and sad. That's when I decided to leave my high paying Tier-1 law firm job and take a break. It was undoubtedly the best decision I took. After a few months, I joined a company as an in-house lawyer. The pay is slightly lesser but I am happier than ever.
The point is simple. Put your head down, work hard, earn your bucks. Dont expect people to treat you like you're in college. NLU grads possess the mentality that these firms look for which is why they are hired in droves and not from some silly private college where you can get in with daddy's money. Hope you get the point. Cheers
My limited tip on doing well at a Tier 1 - just go all out once you join a Tier 1, don't hold back, work late nights, weekends, holidays - be flexible in your mind and be the best at what you want to be and learn as much as possible. Be the most reliable associate / senior associate in the team. Be proactive and focussed on understanding what your team / partner needs you to do, and get it done. You'll learn a lot. The art of client management. The art of partner management. The art of getting work done in less time. All of this. It works and the rewards are (most of the times) quite good.
Just know it's all unsustainable and if there is politics at play even working this hard may not give you what you deserve in the end, but that's again, a matter of luck.
You here to say it's false that Tier1s or your firm been talked about have a highly toxic culture?you here to teach lessons of time management and hard work to others , purportedly looking to make easy bucks without hard work, because you at a Tier1 firm that's hard working at milking it's legacy brand?You here to say NLU grads superior?Make up some mind and then talk,get it together.
I see a lot of false statements being made on this thread. Clearly none of you have ever worked for Tier 1 firms and just want to make easy bucks without putting in any effort. Looks like your law colleges don't teach you anything about hard work. If you are bad at time management, don't blame anyone but yourself. No wonder it's the NLUs that are favoured amongst recruiters.
Law firms pay so well that sadly, it has become the only thing people want / expect and get out of them. Law firms aren’t by themselves toxic. It’s the people that make any law firm / team toxic. In my experience, if you take interest in the deals / work you’re doing and if you have decent seniors - you’ll find more value in your work than just money. With that being said, of course, the expectations and standards of hours to be put in and donkey work to be done, that have been set by people over time, make it very difficult for most of us to find a work life balance. But all I’m saying is there are teams out there which care about this and make an effort to help you actually grow, personally and professionally. I also feel like some lawyers lose sight of the fact that it’s a quid pro quo situation- if you’re not willing to put your best foot forward (I don’t mean put in long hours but that you take initiative and care about the work you’re doing) then you end up doing shoddy work which in turn leads to friction between you and the seniors. Be the change you want to see, get rid of toxic bosses and cultivate a better environment for your juniors.
To all the juniors, I’d like to say, stand up for what is fair. Don’t succumb to pressure from seniors. If you need a break, you need a break. It seems daunting I know but if you don’t speak up, you’ll grow frustrated and leave like everyone without really trying.
I worked at Tier 1 law firm from 2014-2020 (a little over 6 years). From the beginning, I knew I joined for the quick money (more on that later) and not for the career progression. Joining a big law firm is a simple trade-off, you piggy-back off the firm's established reputation to do work that pays the firm a lot, and in exchange the firm gives you back a tiny fraction of what you earn for them. That tiny fraction can be a huge amount for most. You also trade the need to spend time sourcing clients with the work coming to you automatically albeit with the compulsion to spend all your time doing all the work that comes in.
I have always been clear that time is my most precious commodity. You can obtain almost infinite amounts of money, land, wealth, etc. but you cannot manufacture more time for yourself. Whatever time you have is (a) unknown to you; and (b) definitely finite. So what did I need to do to conserve my time and make maximum buck for the time spent? I got efficient. Very efficient. And I kept my efficiency to myself.
I was privileged to be better at writing and drafting than my peers and even my bosses. This was a great thing as far as MNC clients were concerned. Deliverables drafted by me impressed the firangs. I had clear, concise and very readable deliverables, which everyone loved. So I made a niche for myself for certain kinds of high value work, for which my team/peers were happy to let me take my time and come out with a good product. They learnt after the first year or two that my deliverables barely took any editing or revisions. So over a period of time I started being given work that (a) wasn't my team's core practice; and (b) were mostly MNC clients demanding well drafted deliverables. Means I had monopoly over a large part of my time.
Here's where my efficiency came in as a kicker. As I got better and better at my work (which was varied), I took less and less time to do it. However, I was still able to set my own timelines (within reasonable limits). Once people are used to having a deliverable turn around in 48 hours, I was free to do it in 24 hours and keep the rest of the time for myself. If they needed it faster, I took my pound of flesh the next time. I got promoted on time, I had very good appraisals.
To be clear, I did not cheat the law firm out of anything, the firm made over 500-600% more in revenue from my time than they paid me. They got what they wanted from me (I made a ton of money for them), and I bore no obligation to give them every moment of my time or even any more than I chose to.
I spent a lot of the saved time pursuing my interests, which were primarily on how to deploy the money I was making (and saving 90% of) to become financially independent. I spent a couple of years learning the ropes for investing in listed companies. I learnt my lessons in the market, paid my tuition fees, and eventually got good at it. By the end of 5 years, I had enough saved and invested to be pulling in 50k a month in passive income without lifting a finger. My investments have growth well, and I have a plan I execute for my personal finances. Now I have core investments and a little bit of capital set aside with which I do special situations investments. For example, I play low risk rights issues and buyback situations. 8-10 of these situations come every year, a retail investor can make a lakh or two per annum through these with the right risk management. If there is an opportunity out there in the listed space, I have the time and understanding to play it. Along with passive income, this creates sufficient cash flows to live decently.
I now do the above and freelance legal work from time to time. A couple of people now give me work regularly and I don't really make an effort to go out and look for more. If I do good work for them, eventually they refer me elsewhere. I am okay with the pace, I am not dependent on it for my well-being. I write, I sleep, I vegetate. The uncertainty of the future sometimes does create anxiety, but you have to trust in yourself and move forward.
Think about what you just said - The law firms pay so much without testing you.You missed your own point.The work they give you is going to be just a whole lot of paper work and paper shifting,to them you area highly paid clerk ( and dlave).If money is a bigger priority than career,Tier1 is right choice but you will be quickly burntout.If not, most don't realize that the time they spend at Tier1 will not seem worth the money when compared to someone who gets paid less but gets a lot more from learning the rigours of the legal profession.Time never comes back.
Is their any way I can contact you? I have recently posted a question that doesn't seem to have gotten a lot of traction. I wish to follow a similar trajectory as you have. Hopefully, if there is anyway to contact you, I will be very very glad.
I'm a graduate of a mid-tier NLU who's worked in the field for two years now. My current aim in life is to get into a tier 1 firm and eventually follow in your footsteps (a better work/life balance for slightly less money). I feel that getting a position at a tier 1 allows for a larger bargaining power that I don't currently have, and I'm looking at experience at tier 1s as a sort of gatepass to getting decent renumeration at a smaller firm, something I don't currently possess.
I've worked at no-name firms since graduating but it's mostly been politics free so it's odd that I have to mentally prepare for abuse at a future job I aspire to get. What a world.
I do want to work for a tier 1 law firm. But reading all these comments make me think otherwise. I am from a middle class family with no connections as such in legal fraternity. I see these firms as a launching pad. After 5 years of law school they pay you so much without even testing you. We should give the law firms some credit. People are choosing law as a career because of these law firms. Practice of law is tough but it’s worth it. But I do believe that these law firms should give some breathing space.
I left a Delhi tier 1 firm disputes practice and moved to high court litigation practice in a tier 2 city. I wasn't sure about the move so the plan was to try it out for some time and see how it goes. Its been more than seven years now and prefer this over Delhi. Very much.
Lessons from a litigation perspective:
(a) Initially, pay will probably be 10-15% of what you get at a tier 1 firm. Maybe lesser. That can be a bigger issue than one thinks. (b) Pay will increase every year. And one can save a lot on living expenses (compared to wherever you work). (c) Work will mostly be mundane but it will be better than what you did in the firm. I personally read more SCC in the first couple of months at the tier 2 city firm that the entirety of five years at a tier 1 firm. And no case notes, argument notes, list of dates, or notes of any kind! (d) One will get to appear and argue much much more. And if one does/ argue's well, judges start calling you by name. One gets to learn the art of adjourning cases in a senior's absence which takes some skill (there have been instances of tier 1 firm partners briefing senior advocates for adjournments). (e) Much better work life balance. Much more flexibility. Family is closer. (f) A lot less traveling. No more Noida/ Gurgaon - Delhi. No more planning to avoid traffic. (g) Disputes practice in a tier 1 firm is very different from actual litigation. A 100 million arbitration claim filed after many billable months cannot match the thrill of arguing admittedly not-so-complex cases every day.
Clearly you have sold off your spine to advertise Tier 1s. Being independent and having power beats slavery at Tier 1 hands down. But then you would never know.
Worked at a high end law firm, learnt a lot but felt like the lifestyle was unsustainable. When I got married, I realised that the choice I had to make was, spend meaninful time with my signficant other, or work at a law firm.
At the same time, I also wanted to work in the "best teams" with the "best partners" and on the "most challenging / high end transactions". So I decided to make a conscious choice and spend the next few years working hard, before moving on from the law firm world. I jumped to a "better" Tier 1 practice, worked on probably the biggest transaction in India then.
The amount of abuse, manipulation and general lack of empathy for life was stark and far worse than what I thought I was signing up for. I realised that the folks at the Tier 1 (barring a few exceptions in a few practices in a few cases) were not really killing it the way I had thought they were. They are also drafting the same things, making the same mistakes, and doing the same shit, but way overworked and way brainwashed into thinking that their lives were more meaninful than it was. I recall that my partner slept in a different room from their significant other, another partner was getting on in age and had no ongoing personal relationship outside of work (other than some fairly disturbing rumours with an associate) and a third partner with a new born at home was working till 2-4 AM everyday for the better part of the time I was there.
What I didn't see was any cutting edge work or guidance that helped me grow. The logic appeared to be, kill yourself for the firm, outlast your peers and you will get a fair bit of money. That's when I came to the conclusion that the choice wasn't no money or tons of money, but actually some money or tons of money.
Decided to move on and joined a smaller start-up firm - my life has significantly improved, my take home matches my peers (including in Tier 1 firms) and I don't have to deal with any of the politics. I have spent a substantial amount of time with my significant other and I still get to do the "big deals" I thought I had left behind. I'm likely a lucky person given where I've landed up, but you know what they say - fortune favours the brave.
I still fully understand why someone may want to remain at Big Law - but based on my experience, it's not the only way.
Clearly you weren't part of a Big 7 firm. All this rubbish happens in smaller firms. Dont club your tier 3 or 4 firms with Khaitan, Trilegal, AZB and the amarchand brothers.
Or have an end game, reduce your expenses (car, driver, etc. don't work well during year long lockdowns), invest smartly and get out. Any job that requires you to be at attention 24*7, is simply not worth doing.
Got yelled at by a Sr. Associate and a Partner over nothing, saw stressed out young men and women who aged beyond their years, spent no meaningful time with their significant others, a new father coming in to work the day after his baby was born, interns' opinions and previous drafts of documents were being passed off as something high quality.
I was very happy to leave soon as I looked at myself in the mirror and realized it wasn't the real me. That was years ago.
Never had a moment of regret; plenty of joyful days - made new friends and clients while being out of the office and in the world, took time for myself, worked healthy hours, said no to work that I didn't need/agree with, took risks and reaped rewards, built a practice that reflects my values. Money has increased every year and I haven't had to bear bullshit to be rich. People are magnetized to joy, and more readily trust a professional who loves what he is doing.
Time flies when you're having fun, and moves at snail's pace when you aren't, doesn't it?
F*** being rich and miserable. You have a degree that is invaluable. Go find out its worth, and yours.
The money is fantastic, pays for all my insurance, car, driver, maid etc. If you don't want to become destitute, stick with the firm job and bear the challenges life throws at you. Was in a similar spot as you are, but I had to do it for myself
I understand that this is a question for myself but I worked my butt off in law school (not an NLU really shitty college) to get recruited in the first place and for what? This shit is terribly boring and 'always' urgent. I feel very anxious all the time and keep apologizing to seniors for not really much, I can't understand whether it's the pandemic and general anxiety or induced by the work so I'm looking for answers from people who left law firms, why and what did you think that made you leave? What is the point where you should let it go? Have you ever regretted it?
After 2 years, ive deduced that the law firm goal should be simple-
Do the least amount of work possible for the most amount of money possible, and ensure you are learning enough in the process.
A law firm won't think twice before kicking you out, giving you less money, dumping more work on you, and they really don't factor in your learning in any way at all. The reward for good work is more work, always, everywhere. Being the most dependable person in most cases, is not the best case- reasoning is simple, most law firm bosses have been trained to extract max work and maximise profits, and will only see you as resource no. 28383882....
Beat them at their own game.
Context: Currently YOLOing 10k/month in zerodha account
I've graduated last year and have started working at a tier-1, and I've been able to complete approx 75% of my assignments with 2-3 hours to spare. I submit the work about an hour before it's due, and use the time in between for working out, reading, or whatever I'm in the mood for that day. However, I feel this is only possible since we're working remotely and no one knows when I'm actually done with the work. Any suggestions on how I can continue with this once the work moves back to the office?
I was interning at the same firm in 2019, and whenever I was done with my work, there was always some associate hovering around to give me more work (though I was assigned to exclusively work with another team; didn't complain because I wanted the job), and the IT guys restricted my computer's access to almost all social media/entertainment websites because I used to plug in my earphones and turn on some instrumental soundtracks while working to drown out the chatter around the office. Didn't confront them at the time either. What I had to do then was read some boring Mondaq articles in my free time, pretending I was working on something. But it was quite boring. Would love to have better ideas.
Thanks!
A couple of months went by. I was working on another deal with impossible deadlines. I started dreaming about how life was peaceful when I was sick for those 12 days. I was so exhausted that I started wishing for sickness just so that I could get uninterrupted rest. I started losing interest in life, in meeting friends, watching movies, listening to music or even going out with my better half. I only had negative thoughts. Money did not make me happy anymore. I had become quite miserable and sad. That's when I decided to leave my high paying Tier-1 law firm job and take a break. It was undoubtedly the best decision I took. After a few months, I joined a company as an in-house lawyer. The pay is slightly lesser but I am happier than ever.
My limited tip on doing well at a Tier 1 - just go all out once you join a Tier 1, don't hold back, work late nights, weekends, holidays - be flexible in your mind and be the best at what you want to be and learn as much as possible. Be the most reliable associate / senior associate in the team. Be proactive and focussed on understanding what your team / partner needs you to do, and get it done. You'll learn a lot. The art of client management. The art of partner management. The art of getting work done in less time. All of this. It works and the rewards are (most of the times) quite good.
Just know it's all unsustainable and if there is politics at play even working this hard may not give you what you deserve in the end, but that's again, a matter of luck.
In my experience, if you take interest in the deals / work you’re doing and if you have decent seniors - you’ll find more value in your work than just money.
With that being said, of course, the expectations and standards of hours to be put in and donkey work to be done, that have been set by people over time, make it very difficult for most of us to find a work life balance. But all I’m saying is there are teams out there which care about this and make an effort to help you actually grow, personally and professionally. I also feel like some lawyers lose sight of the fact that it’s a quid pro quo situation- if you’re not willing to put your best foot forward (I don’t mean put in long hours but that you take initiative and care about the work you’re doing) then you end up doing shoddy work which in turn leads to friction between you and the seniors. Be the change you want to see, get rid of toxic bosses and cultivate a better environment for your juniors.
To all the juniors, I’d like to say, stand up for what is fair. Don’t succumb to pressure from seniors. If you need a break, you need a break. It seems daunting I know but if you don’t speak up, you’ll grow frustrated and leave like everyone without really trying.
I worked at Tier 1 law firm from 2014-2020 (a little over 6 years). From the beginning, I knew I joined for the quick money (more on that later) and not for the career progression. Joining a big law firm is a simple trade-off, you piggy-back off the firm's established reputation to do work that pays the firm a lot, and in exchange the firm gives you back a tiny fraction of what you earn for them. That tiny fraction can be a huge amount for most. You also trade the need to spend time sourcing clients with the work coming to you automatically albeit with the compulsion to spend all your time doing all the work that comes in.
I have always been clear that time is my most precious commodity. You can obtain almost infinite amounts of money, land, wealth, etc. but you cannot manufacture more time for yourself. Whatever time you have is (a) unknown to you; and (b) definitely finite. So what did I need to do to conserve my time and make maximum buck for the time spent? I got efficient. Very efficient. And I kept my efficiency to myself.
I was privileged to be better at writing and drafting than my peers and even my bosses. This was a great thing as far as MNC clients were concerned. Deliverables drafted by me impressed the firangs. I had clear, concise and very readable deliverables, which everyone loved. So I made a niche for myself for certain kinds of high value work, for which my team/peers were happy to let me take my time and come out with a good product. They learnt after the first year or two that my deliverables barely took any editing or revisions. So over a period of time I started being given work that (a) wasn't my team's core practice; and (b) were mostly MNC clients demanding well drafted deliverables. Means I had monopoly over a large part of my time.
Here's where my efficiency came in as a kicker. As I got better and better at my work (which was varied), I took less and less time to do it. However, I was still able to set my own timelines (within reasonable limits). Once people are used to having a deliverable turn around in 48 hours, I was free to do it in 24 hours and keep the rest of the time for myself. If they needed it faster, I took my pound of flesh the next time. I got promoted on time, I had very good appraisals.
To be clear, I did not cheat the law firm out of anything, the firm made over 500-600% more in revenue from my time than they paid me. They got what they wanted from me (I made a ton of money for them), and I bore no obligation to give them every moment of my time or even any more than I chose to.
I spent a lot of the saved time pursuing my interests, which were primarily on how to deploy the money I was making (and saving 90% of) to become financially independent. I spent a couple of years learning the ropes for investing in listed companies. I learnt my lessons in the market, paid my tuition fees, and eventually got good at it. By the end of 5 years, I had enough saved and invested to be pulling in 50k a month in passive income without lifting a finger. My investments have growth well, and I have a plan I execute for my personal finances. Now I have core investments and a little bit of capital set aside with which I do special situations investments. For example, I play low risk rights issues and buyback situations. 8-10 of these situations come every year, a retail investor can make a lakh or two per annum through these with the right risk management. If there is an opportunity out there in the listed space, I have the time and understanding to play it. Along with passive income, this creates sufficient cash flows to live decently.
I now do the above and freelance legal work from time to time. A couple of people now give me work regularly and I don't really make an effort to go out and look for more. If I do good work for them, eventually they refer me elsewhere. I am okay with the pace, I am not dependent on it for my well-being. I write, I sleep, I vegetate. The uncertainty of the future sometimes does create anxiety, but you have to trust in yourself and move forward.
Is their any way I can contact you? I have recently posted a question that doesn't seem to have gotten a lot of traction. I wish to follow a similar trajectory as you have. Hopefully, if there is anyway to contact you, I will be very very glad.
Thank you!
I've worked at no-name firms since graduating but it's mostly been politics free so it's odd that I have to mentally prepare for abuse at a future job I aspire to get. What a world.
Lessons from a litigation perspective:
(a) Initially, pay will probably be 10-15% of what you get at a tier 1 firm. Maybe lesser. That can be a bigger issue than one thinks.
(b) Pay will increase every year. And one can save a lot on living expenses (compared to wherever you work).
(c) Work will mostly be mundane but it will be better than what you did in the firm. I personally read more SCC in the first couple of months at the tier 2 city firm that the entirety of five years at a tier 1 firm. And no case notes, argument notes, list of dates, or notes of any kind!
(d) One will get to appear and argue much much more. And if one does/ argue's well, judges start calling you by name. One gets to learn the art of adjourning cases in a senior's absence which takes some skill (there have been instances of tier 1 firm partners briefing senior advocates for adjournments).
(e) Much better work life balance. Much more flexibility. Family is closer.
(f) A lot less traveling. No more Noida/ Gurgaon - Delhi. No more planning to avoid traffic.
(g) Disputes practice in a tier 1 firm is very different from actual litigation. A 100 million arbitration claim filed after many billable months cannot match the thrill of arguing admittedly not-so-complex cases every day.
As sr. no. 4 says, firms are not the only way.
Worked at a high end law firm, learnt a lot but felt like the lifestyle was unsustainable. When I got married, I realised that the choice I had to make was, spend meaninful time with my signficant other, or work at a law firm.
At the same time, I also wanted to work in the "best teams" with the "best partners" and on the "most challenging / high end transactions". So I decided to make a conscious choice and spend the next few years working hard, before moving on from the law firm world. I jumped to a "better" Tier 1 practice, worked on probably the biggest transaction in India then.
The amount of abuse, manipulation and general lack of empathy for life was stark and far worse than what I thought I was signing up for. I realised that the folks at the Tier 1 (barring a few exceptions in a few practices in a few cases) were not really killing it the way I had thought they were. They are also drafting the same things, making the same mistakes, and doing the same shit, but way overworked and way brainwashed into thinking that their lives were more meaninful than it was. I recall that my partner slept in a different room from their significant other, another partner was getting on in age and had no ongoing personal relationship outside of work (other than some fairly disturbing rumours with an associate) and a third partner with a new born at home was working till 2-4 AM everyday for the better part of the time I was there.
What I didn't see was any cutting edge work or guidance that helped me grow. The logic appeared to be, kill yourself for the firm, outlast your peers and you will get a fair bit of money. That's when I came to the conclusion that the choice wasn't no money or tons of money, but actually some money or tons of money.
Decided to move on and joined a smaller start-up firm - my life has significantly improved, my take home matches my peers (including in Tier 1 firms) and I don't have to deal with any of the politics. I have spent a substantial amount of time with my significant other and I still get to do the "big deals" I thought I had left behind. I'm likely a lucky person given where I've landed up, but you know what they say - fortune favours the brave.
I still fully understand why someone may want to remain at Big Law - but based on my experience, it's not the only way.
I was very happy to leave soon as I looked at myself in the mirror and realized it wasn't the real me. That was years ago.
Never had a moment of regret; plenty of joyful days - made new friends and clients while being out of the office and in the world, took time for myself, worked healthy hours, said no to work that I didn't need/agree with, took risks and reaped rewards, built a practice that reflects my values. Money has increased every year and I haven't had to bear bullshit to be rich. People are magnetized to joy, and more readily trust a professional who loves what he is doing.
Time flies when you're having fun, and moves at snail's pace when you aren't, doesn't it?
F*** being rich and miserable. You have a degree that is invaluable. Go find out its worth, and yours.