You have abstracted/extrapolated so far ahead that this is now applicable to any field of employment, nay, any facet of life. Two talented kids - one in a nurturing family, another in an abusive family. Two great bfs/gfs - one in a loving relationship, another in a toxic one. Goes on and on. Life is unfair that way

Buddy read my post again. You missed the point.

Just to clarify my point - if you take 2 equally meritorious candidates and send them to 2 different firms/ teams, due to their particular team dynamics and team working style, one may flourish while other may end up having a nervous breakdown.

It’s not always about merit, it’s also about the environment you’re in. A strict senior can also create a nurturing environment, but there are some places which end up ruining people’s career.

From the response you have given, it is clear you have been lucky to not have been part of such toxic teams. I hope it stays that way.

Its a gross assumption to assume that high performers don't have mental health issues too. They do. they are human just like you. you are not special because you're depressed. You have an illness- get it treated, learn how to manage it- and get back out there. Be an adult. No one wants to hire a child. Learn some coping strategies, go get therapy, go get medication, take time off, and put your life together- your mental health is your responsibility- if I have diabetes I can't blame my firm if I refuse to take my insulin, if I have heart conditions- I cannot blame the firm if I refuse to eat a salad and scarf down McDonalds- you're being held to an equal standard- not a special one. Everyone has struggles in life.

Sacrificing social events- I mean come on- you're not missing the birth of your firstborn or the funeral of your father- you're missing a party maybe- that should be acceptable in a society where we value work at all. The idea that work is something that has to give way to every other want and desire in an individual's life- that one should have time to play and date and watch netflix and go clubbing and go on vacations and only in the time left over should one be required to work- is childish greedy nonsense. If farmers behaved that way you wouldn't have food to eat, If soldiers behaved that way- you wouldn't have a country. you need to contribute to society as much or more than you take from it to be a morally good person. If you think you have a pass to go through life without demonstrating the same commitment to your community and your country that farmers and soldiers do- you're admitting to being a morally inferior waste of space and no one should feel sorry for you. Every day we're in the world we need to work to make it better- and part of that is doing well at your work- making money- and spending that money to employ other people. This is how we fight poverty. When you refuse to create value- you are indulging in anti-social behavior. Stop being a consumer- start being a citizen.

While it’s definitely important to work hard, this points to a clear case of bad management.

This usually happens seniors are not able to communicate the work and implications properly, unable to boost morale of the team or unable to delegate work properly.

Law firms demand long hours, sometimes extreme hours, and to sustain in such extreme environment, it’s not just the hard work that is required, but great team management and also a clarity of what you’re working towards.

For all those folks saying - stop being entitled, or work hard

I’m sure you’ve never been in that situation where your mental health hits rock bottom and nothing in life felt worth doing. It’s a very different zone and it can completely break you. Be thankful to your seniors they created a space where you feel like you’re learning and growing.

Make no mistake, we also worked extremely hard, jumped multiple hoops, sacrificed so many social events to secure the coveted job. It’s not like one day we were working hard, and then the next day we just decided to stop working. What happens is - due external circumstances beyond our control we may find ourselves in such a depressing work environment, our entire will to work or will to live gets sucked out. In that graveyard, you don’t get to learn and grow, but you rot away - bit by bit everyday.

" I say that no opportunity is worth incurring life risks of this kind"- you wont die cause you had to work late a few times and actually contribute. Calm down.

Somehow yall dont think that your life is at risk when youre out all night clubbing but when youre at the office working- suddenly you want to be home by sundown cause you live in some crazy unsafe horror movie. Get a grip. Stop being so fragile. Your fragility does not make you morally superior.

No intern in the world is being given more than they can handle- because no associate in the world will get away with blaming the intern when stuff goes wrong. They won't risk it. They are forced at the threat of their job to delegate responsibly. And internships are completely voluntary- if you dont want a law firm job- why intern? why want a law firm job if the internship is going so badly? go become a shop clerk, an uber driver or even just a litigating lawyer if you want that much control over your day. Take matters that you want when you want- surely if youre such an asset that youre carrying a whole firm on your back that should be easy work for you.

What is the assumption that youre entitled to have this very lucrative very well paying career- that 95% of the law graduates in this country are shut off from- without working for it?

Having interned at ▮▮▮, I have come to a sad realisation that is at ▮▮▮ is the most overworked swamped little pathetic sh*ithole to work for. I interned there last year in the winters and trust me the fogg of the city skyline was less gloomier than the doom that pervaded the ▮▮▮ ▮▮▮. I was made to work not only during the days but very late at night. There was no sense of empathy kindness or concern for safety. How does the firm expect to take care of the safety of its interns, girls or boys who return late from work. The firm justifies this in the name of providing exposure, however training interns on job only cuts cost for the firm as it would not have to later incur cost on orientation and training of the employee like in other sectors. In addition, interns do a large chunk of billable work and are paid in dog food again in name of providing exposure. They constantly throw the bogey that interns are potential associates and so should taste what life of an associate would look like in the future but how then does the firm justify paying the potential associate less than a tenth of a month's salary. Stipend for B.tech undergrads is nearly equal to the salary of an associate. It is evident therefore that interns are mere cause cutting devices employed by the firm. Associates literally dump all kinds of work big or small mechanical or brainy and expect us to deliver these on short notice but who has in the first place given so much work to the associates? Quite clearly the partners. This is all a planned effort. PS: Some of you people may think that this is a rant of some privileged kid whose ungrateful for the opportunity that he had of working in a T1 firm. To those insensitive irrational airheads, I say that no opportunity is worth incurring life risks of this kind. I am sad for this community which pulls interns down, takes appreciation from work of their toil and hurls indignities in there review forms. I am an associate at a boutique now but still witness the plight of my dear interns. Thought of sharing this with you as I looked at their sad state.