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I just dread billable hours and getting my head torn off if I don’t meet them one month.
I went from a law firm to an in-house role. It’s a solid 9-5 with the occasional need to work a few hours in the evening or on a weekend. I like practicing law much better now that I can do so with good WLB.
Maybe look into a leave of absence
It is real. I took a leave of absence after the culmination of burnout, family tragedy, and relationship needs. I don’t know what your firm policy is regarding short term disability (if possible for you) or a leave of absence. I just left my position, too exhausted to deal with the anything. Took me 9 months to get to the point where I want to go back to law. And I NEVER thought I was going to return when I left. Ever. Funny how some time recovering helps.
Felt this way til I left for a firm that has 1600 instead of 1900+ and phantom expectation of 2k+. Extended vacation (fully unplugged) helps with this too. I found I didn’t actually hate law I just hated practicing at my old firm.
I love practicing in a small firm but I think they’re double edged swords; it’s an intimate environment so it can be great or terrible depending on who you’re working with, because you’re always going to be working closely together.
Never heard of a small firm tracking vacation for lawyers. Mine tracks it for staff, but for lawyers, as long as the work is done well and on time, it doesn’t matter when you are or aren’t working. You should also look into a psych eval for the purpose of FMLA leave, and also look into whether you qualify.
Once you feel up to it, dust off the ol resume and get back out there if you still feel the same after some time off/evaluation of your firm and whether you want to practice.
I constantly wonder whether I made the wrong decision going to law school and becoming a lawyer. I worry that I’m not made for this type of work and have no enjoyment or passion in it, just good at writing and am getting by on that. The burn out is killing me but I’ve got arbs and mediations coming up so I can’t take anything more than a week vacation and while I feel refreshed after a break, when I come back, it feels so much worse and depressing being back at the grind. I’ve considered it might be the area of law but I also wonder if I would ever be satisfied/happy in any type of law…
Wow yes. This.
I quit my job because I felt so overworked and convinced myself that I was in the wrong area of law. Didn’t realize the root of the issue was burnt out. Luckily I was able to retain my role. But I consider that an exception to the rule, so please take care of yourself and recognize burn out is a real thing, and more common than you may think.
Yes. I got burnt out super bad early in my career. Long hours in the office, maybe not great billable hours, lots of after work drinks (my office was just above a busy night club in Sydney).
My wife (my gf at the time) said I needed to change something or she would leave me. The long hours and catatonic alcoholism was unbearable.
I quit law thinking I would never go back. I had a lot of vague ideas and plans.
I spent three months sitting on the couch just on pornhub.
Again, my gf was the voice of reason and said that I needed to get off my ass and do something.
Lawyering was all I knew had to do that paid well. Do I did that again.
Fast-forward, I married that girl and have two gorgeous kiddos. I actually love my lawyer job, perhaps because it’s less demanding then my old job but probably because my attitude is way better.
It’s a bitch. It chews you up and leaves a husk of you behind. But you know what? You grow stronger, especially when you have someone to provide for.
Take a break, recharge, and dive back in. It’s a bitch of a job but it’s all we know how to do that pays well
Yes. I have applied for various different in house positions (although I don’t think this is the answer) and thought about a leave of absence to regroup. The more time I reflect on it, the burnout is making me feel like I want to quit but like you, I feel like I’ve worked too hard to do that.