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How is epam anywhere health insurance plan?
How's the job market now? Any better???
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Oil and gas attorneys what do you do?
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Being in house makes me realize how dumb most people are and how low the bar is to outperform them. Lawyers are held to a high standard, but most other roles are not. I’ll likely try to switch to the business side in the future because the job is easier, more money, and less work.
Omg spot on.
I’m a fifth year biglaw ECVC associate. I think I’m fulfilled. I get paid for doing pro bono so I trick myself into sleeping well at night even though we generally help the oligarchy keep the underclass poor. Intellectually, I genuinely think few, if any, professions would be as stimulating. Money is good, but I work 1.5 jobs with 1.5 times the expectations, so I’m not overpaid or underpaid.
All in, I think being an attorney is absolutely worth it. I love the work I do, even though I think I do too much of it. I wish I could do the same work in a 9-5 with less pressure, stress and expectations, but those are just the stuff that come with the territory.
Considering I’ve worked with some terrible, lazy, dumb paralegals and some brilliant ones who I know would definitely be better lawyers than I am, I think you should take a good look at yourself in the mirror to see if you want to do it knowing what you already know. There is very little any biglaw lawyer (especially an associate) can tell you that you don’t already know in order to make this decision having worked as a para in biglaw.
Good luck! I’m genuinely rooting for you if you decide to go to law school.
Yes. It’s all similar. The culture is what matters.
Run 🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃
I think the potential earnings are no longer worth it when compared to the cost of law school (final cost and three years of personal time without income). I have friends in sales, marketing positions, etc making close to what I make in big law (junior) and nearly the same as my non big law peers.
Agree with this.
What are your reasons for wanting to become an attorney?
My pros after 20+ yrs (8 in NYC BigLaw, rest in AmLaw 200):
never bored, always learning something new, even now.
As an equity partner, get to experience running and owning a business without the risk of doing so on my own
Massive financial security (I grew up poor/in a broken household)
Have a very nice lifestyle/don’t stress about money
My cons:
Stressful
Very hard to turn off work
Constantly being in service to others get old
Overall a neurotic, high strung profession.
Took out massive student loan debt to finance law school (but low interest rate)
Work is work. We get paid to show up. That’s everywhere. However…. The field of law has changed drastically since the 2000s. I don’t think it fully recovered to the levels before the GFC and there is a huge over saturation problem. And it’s stressful and the set up isn’t conducive to living this ideal happy fulfilled work life. Do some people have it? Yes for sure. But I think that is a smaller percentage. The cost to go thru law school and the demands in the first few years suck. My advice is if you have to take loans in any significance don’t, but like someone mentioned, friends who work in other fields make just as much as my in-house salary and they didn’t spend the money on law school or lose those 3-6 years of their lives (first few years out of law school suck especially bc training isn’t what it used to be). Make sure you fully explore other options, the cost, and the loss of yourself for a few years.
To give you somewhere to start… look into project management fields (especially good for people who have a brain that works in firms), risk management, contracts positions, or even HR if you like employment related matters).
It’s obvious just my personal opinion but I have lost my sanity after 3 years of biglaw experience
I am currently exploring in-house opportunities or small and Midlaw. Got engaged and my SO is in another city where we do not have an office, so I am looking for jobs anyway
I think it’s worth it, I’ve never been in big law and I work at a boutique firm. I do have high debt but my income and geographic region make me a high earner for my age group and I have a wife, two kids, a rental property and a primary residence. We’ve taken a few vacations. However, the first few years of my career I had issues finding the right firm and I had two move twice to get the right fit, so where you land in terms of firm and living preference is the most important
The money can be good
Everything else sucks
I would encourage you to talk to lawyers that don’t work in big law. Some of the happiest lawyers I know work for smaller firms or have their own firm and they’re taking home $250K+ every year. You’ve really got to have an idea of what type of lifestyle you want to have prior to enrolling.
Being a lawyer can be incredibly interesting and fulfilling, but has significant pitfalls to watch out for. Biggest advice is to have a plan (even if it changes, like mine did) and go to law school wherever you can get the most financial aid so you’re in the least amount of debt when done. Don’t go to law school just because “being a lawyer is a good job” or “it’s a good degree to have.” Go to law school because you find the job of a lawyer fascinating and are interested in a particular field.
I LOVE working in criminal law but I was in private criminal defense and burned out, and still have so far to go for loan repayment of my six-figure balance. I wish I had borrowed less money and tried harder to go into public service first so my loans could be forgiven by now.
I worked as a paralegal for 7 years before law school. I have been a licensed attorney for 15 years. The two aren't the same and there have been many days when I wish I could work as a paralegal again.
I love being a lawyer. I am able to help people in ways that I could never have imagined as a child.
A degree in law did more than change my profession—it reshaped my perspective.
After four decades in industry, I chose to begin again. The transition has come at a financial cost, no doubt. But at this stage of life, one measures returns differently. Law has made me more discerning, more reflective, and perhaps, a better human being.
I now find myself working toward building a global legal practice—one that will, over time, restore economic value, but more importantly, allow meaningful engagement with governments on policy, particularly in the area of poverty alleviation.
In the end, the question is simple: do you enjoy the discipline of legal reasoning, the rigour of research, and the craft of argumentation? If yes, the journey—however unconventional—is worth it.
Is financially worth it if you near the top of the pack. It’s long. Arduous. Ups and downs. It’s just like anything in life if you’re trying to be near the top.
Rising Star
Most attorneys are miserable. Many are drowning in debt, underemployed, stressed, and struggling with substance abuse or mental health problems. So even when you ask successful attorneys, they’re going to give you that type of harsh answer.
I heard this too. I only worked in one small law firm. But I only observed he was a chain smoker!
If the lawyers are saying that listen. Take a good survey from them. I think, it's better to be a paralegal. Do the research on a comparison of becoming a lawyer or paralegal. This article overall concluded it better to become a paralegal. But check for yourself.
I’m a fairly new attorney, though I’m in my 50s. I LOVE being a lawyer! I do not, never have, and probably never will work in big law. My passion is public interest law, and I’m currently a prosecutor in my rural home state. I love it! It’s stressful and exhausting, sure, but it’s also incredibly gratifying. We definitely don’t make the big bucks, but we do make a difference in our communities, and I couldn’t ask for a better calling than that.
It can be worth it, but I don’t particularly enjoy big law at all and am looking forward to getting out soon. If you have to incur a lot of debt and subject yourself to big law for very long to pay it off, it may not be worth it for you.
Noooooo