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Yes. I realized about 9 months in that I was missing my family, always anxious, and in a bad way mentally. The workload or complexity of work was not the issue. I was doing well. The constant on-call and other things just misaligned with what I wanted from life. I just wanted time. I ended up going to a low-v-100 firm in a secondary market. Way better. Lower hours, better culture, still great pay. Now work is just part of my day, not the whole thing.
Still doing corporate work for a firm, smaller deals but I get a lot more of a say in them. Sure, I don’t make big law money, but I’m not upset about the trade. Mid law life, if one is careful when choosing a firm, can be a pretty sweet spot.
Give it at least 18 months. First year is struggle for everyone
OP, it’s never to early or to late in life to walk the path you think you should be on. It’s your life. Go live it.
Pro
I stayed 3 months and realized it was utter bs so I started to transition. Left at 6 months. Best thing ever
Which firm?
I started big law with 2 kids and felt the same way. First 6 months or so especially were hell. But between getting more experience and saving up, I'd highly recommend sticking it out. Once you leave you might not be able to come back. In the scheme of things, a couple years is not that bad. And whatever you do in life, building a career and balancing family is going to be a challenge.
Pro
Not all biglaw has terrible hours. Can you pivot out of say, M&A and into funds, for example? Stay fir 2-3 years and if you're in a major coastal city, you should be able to go in house around 200K.
Pro
Can you go 80%?
Following with interest. Staying one year to keep my clerkship bonus and then bouncing.
These posts are always so interesting to me. If you’re already thinking about quitting, start witu trying to set boundaries. What’s the worst that’s going to happen? They fire you? (& by “fire” that typically means you will get spoken to first, probably multiple times, and then they will tell you it’s not working out and give you a buffer period to find another job). I’m in my sixth year (I also told myself I’d do it for 5 years max). I don’t respond to emails after 6pm (unless I was working on something that day and it’s running long) or on the weekend. When I had my daughter I left work at 4 to spend time with her before she went to sleep and then I’d log back on for a couple hours (maybe) after she went to sleep. I have rarely worked on the weekends in my 6 years. People (partners) will take advantage of what you represent you will do. So if you are always on call, they’ll always call on you. It can be hard to set boundaries when the other associates don’t, but just do your own thing, esp if you’re already feeling like youre over it. Good luck!