Started out as a decent law firm associate in capital markets and this is 2 years down the line when we are expected to pitch in more, and I don't know why I am coming apart at the seams. Silly mistakes, not being able to run a deal team properly and constantly getting adverse feedback from clients and seniors. Don't know if I am burnt out, bored or just incompetent. There is so much work at the moment in team that I am possibly working the shifts of people who have left are almost leaving, and I did not think I would not have it in me to do so. But suddenly, my motivation gives away for work, I cannot get back to anything on time and whatever form of attention deficiency or plain stupidity my brain is caught into, just does not seem to end. Idk lol I am sort of flummoxed at how far I have fallen.

Hi, nobody mentions it but trust me it is Burnout / ADHD. It literally runs in this profession be it Chamber or Law firm, yet nobody talks about it. It is the elephant in the room.

I am sorry to say, but this wont go away. anytime soon and definitely not without a proper strategy.

A common response to our own mental health issues is that we assume that 'if we just give it just enough time, it will magically cure itself'. No , not happening.

Just like any physical ailment , it definitely won't cure itself ESPECIALLY with the 24/7 work culture and hectic law firm environment.

Yeah I mean I am trying to figure out a way to fill up gaps but at the end of the day it is so overwhelming and tiring to say the least. And it is so weird that people who were all hearts and flowers till the time you were working well are now just plain nah this won't fly now. I mean, I know the field is harsh but this is blatantly demotivating.

Started out in Capital Markets at one of the leading Indian law firms 6 years back and trust me the mundane form of this practice makes you brain clogged, burnt out and crazy day by day. Drafting the same kind of chapters in the DRHP, negotiating complex carve-outs/putting a facade in front of the same blue chip bankers and very high expectations to deliver in the shortest time possible for a fixed cost is not worth it. It had got to the point where I spent my youth simply sitting in front of the SEBI website and swinging excel pages; fixing comments and attending never ending calls doing the same silly shit for the same shitty offer document. Lost touch with my parents and friends and kept getting miserable day by day.

Switched to Corporate/M&A at another T1 firm after a year and I am doing pretty well over there. Now although I struggled with research initially (since you practically don't indulge in hardcore research in ECM/DCM deals) but my sharp business acumen and due diligence discipline (which ECM thoroughly builds in you) made the toughest negotiations seem like chalk and cheese as against my peers in the same team; which has helped me take up client calls without any form of stringent partner policing at large.

So, while the cons are marginally more than the pros of working in a mind numbing practice like that of capital markets, playing to the strengths of the game and figuring out an exit is the way forward to life I guess. Won't recommend capital markets to anybody - more specifically to the new trend of law students taking up this path thinking that its easier to get placed blah blah blah.

Wishing you the best and hope things get better for you. Take good care and seek help, if required.

My sincere apologies for this long ass reply but I hope it helped.