I’m debating quitting my job with nothing lined up. I’m just tired of working, lost because I’m a senior associate who doesn’t want to be a partner or counsel or anything of the sort. I feel lost, and I don’t know what I want. I’m thinking of taking the year off to figure it out. Money isn’t an issue, but I’m concerned re: whether that limits my options to go back into the workforce if I want to down the line.

I’m doing this. I don’t really care if it limits my options. I feel my nervous system healing daily.

Sure, it limits your options, but it doesn't mean you will have no good options, and quite possibly it gives you the best chance at figuring out what you want and need and this having the best potential future.

If you have enough money saved up to handle a year off and, say, up to another year looking for the job you want, and you're ok with the possibility of having to take a lower paying job for a while if needed, then go for it.

See if there's any way you can take it as an unpaid "leave of absence" though that would allow you to still be listed as employed somewhere, still be on a website, etc.

Is it harder to find a job when you don’t have a job? Yes. Is it possible? Yes. Will some people look askance at a gap without any real explanation? Yes. Will some people not care? Yes. It’s all about how much risk you’re willing to take.

Yes, a break from employment does create issues re-entering the legal industry. It mainly slows down your ability to earn a similar paycheck upon re-entry.

If money isn’t an issue, this may not matter. I suggest planning your break so that it creates a bridge to a better career for you.

Keep your networks going by reaching out to lawyers you genuinely admire. Schedule lunches or send periodic check-in emails.

Volunteer, keep up with legal news you genuinely care about, and develop subject matter expertise that can help you make a pivot.

This is very helpful. I appreciate that no one thinks I’m an idiot for considering this.

I did this. Thought I wanted to leave law entirely. I got crazy bored a few months into non-lawyering and started applying in house. Not a single person asked about the gap (by the time I was interviewing it’d been ~5 months since I left the firm). If you have an otherwise impressive resume, i just don’t think people care about modest gaps.

I did this and it was the best choice I ever made for myself. Ultimately found a killer in-house job 4 months later, making more money and better WL balance. Take a risk and bet on yourself.

If you want to do some kind of paid work at some point in the future it might be helpful to spend some time with a career coach. There are lots of resources also for getting out of big law and how to think through what might be next - so whether you want to stop working for good or just for a while, it may help use those tools to explore what would be fulfilling for you.

You also don’t have to fully not work during your year off — you can do something else completely different, even part time, which might ease financial stress plus give you interesting work experience

I’m in the same boat, so I really appreciate this post.