Has anyone ever made partner and then felt depressed? I just made partner and I’m not sure how to explain it but I’ve been feeling so unhappy and depressed. I thought I would be excited since it’s a momentous time but I’m not. Is this normal? Any tips on how to deal with it?

I often feel this way after a significant event that should be a positive (major speaking engagement that went well, big case win, etc). Not the same league as making partner, but I'm also here for others' answers. It's a weird emotional letdown. Sometimes I feel like I thought I'd get more validation and accolades than I did and then I question whether what I just accomplished actually had value.

Not in your position so take what I say with a grain of salt. But whenever I’ve found myself unhappy with something that seemingly should have made me happy, it’s really come down to two things: (1) I overestimated how happy something would make me, especially relative to the cost (whether money, time, or something else) , or (2) I did something thinking it would make me happy but if I actually knew myself better, I would have realized it’s not what makes me happy (for instance, I hate international travel and shouldn’t listen to people who say how enriching traveling is for them because that’s just not the case for me).

I kinda experienced this after being a lawyer for a while. I felt like I had been so focused on "the next thing" and had experienced so much success and then suddenly nothing. Eg I graduated top of my class, got full ride to law school, killed the bar exam, etc. And then being a lawyer was the same every day and flat. No "next thing" to motivate me anymore. Maybe you're experiencing that?

Yeah because it’s non equity. Everyone acts like it was a huge deal for me but really just felt like a stepping stone because I’ve been here long enough

I’m in the same boat. You’re not alone.

Maybe you are feeling called to do something different or to have more balance? It takes a lot to sacrifice to make partner .. I’m personally afraid I am going to resent it if/when I make it there. But I can’t seem to get off this hamster wheel of trying to always exceed expectations often to the detriment of my health, interests, and family.

Thank you for posting this

Congratulations 🩷

Normal, but indicative of a potential issue (imo). I cried the day I made equity from non-equity because I knew I was at the wrong firm. I'm now at another firm and much happier. It's still a law firm, I still work for clients and I still work with lawyers - so it's not perfect - but it's MUCH better.