Completely and totally miserable at my firm and just need a space to vent because my friends are tired of hearing about it. I wish the worst part about it was the amount of work, rather than the completely toxic culture, lack of appreciation, arbitrary and back/breaking deadlines, lack of mentorship/feedback/training, and the fact that the associates act like they don’t even know each other. I cry every day and constantly am made to feel stupid for not understanding the highly technical (cont.)

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(Cont.) subject matter that I never signed up or wanted to do in the first place. One of the most maddening things about it is most of the other associates don’t even care about any of this. They’re just about getting in and getting out. I almost feel like I’m being gaslit. Am I wrong for feeling like I deserve to be treated with respect/a modicum of appreciation and deserve to work somewhere where the partners care about my development and who I am as a human being? Is this what all of big law is like? I came from a mid-sized firm where everyone was kind and cared about each other, so I naively expected everywhere was like this. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side and I can’t take it much longer. 😔

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Not all biglaw firms are like that. Your experience sounds miserable and 180 degrees opposite from what it could be. I would lateral to another biglaw firm asap and worst case you go back to the mid law firm as a partner in 3 years

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You deserve to feel valued. I’m so sorry you aren’t getting that at your current firm.

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Thank you 💛

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This is more or less biglaw. There shouldn’t be as many tears though. There are more humane sweatshops out there. Time to lateral or move on. Sorry you’re going through this. It’s a hard gig.

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I disagree. Big law has long hours and deadlines, as does any job that pays high salaries. What OP described is not inherent to every firm at all. Sure there may be one off people at some firms, but all firms are not toxic, unreasonable, etc.

Not normal; lateral.

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Just want to add that not all of biglaw is like this. If it really is as bad as you say, reach out or a few recruiters (I’m sure you get 3-4 messages per day like the rest of us), and explain your situation and what you’re looking for.

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Agreed. My big law firm is the opposite of this.

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This is disheartening. Sadly, mentoring has really suffered in the past few years, and few firms have solved that issue.

That said, not all biglaw firms or practices within the firm are the same. Unfortunately it can be hard to know if you are at a good one until you’re in the throes. Normally I would say to gut it out for a year, but crying daily (even through the lens of covid exhaustion) is an indicator that an exit strategy is necessary for your mental well-being. Yes biglaw has high expectations of associates, but you should be empowered and set up for success, not feeling like you are floundering.

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