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As a law student, it can be daunting to navigate the legal profession when faced with the harsh realities of life at a big law firm that include long work weeks, feeling like a replaceable cog in a machine, and the concept of being on call at all times. As a student that has never had a full-time job and attended law school straight out of undergrad, it is especially daunting to wonder how one can keep up pace in such an environment upon graduation. Years of education do not prepare students for entering the profession.
From the knowledge I have gathered about high turn-over rates for most of the top firms, in my head, I have decided to comfort myself with the idea that I will practice law for a handful of years and pivot on to a more fulfilling career path. This seems like the usual plan of action amongst my peers as well, except more individuals lean towards going for in-house positions or smaller firms after a couple years in big law. It is important to discuss the nature of the job and possible solutions that can alleviate some of the pressure placed on students in my predicament.
In Bloomberg Law’s Attorney Workload and Hours survey, respondents reported a record high of feeling burnout 52% of the time. The startling statistics quantifies the harsh realities of life as an attorney, or more broadly, in a demanding profession that is client serving. Aside from the rewards associated with the job, that include high salary compensation that can yield a lavish lifestyle and positive career prospects., it is evident that burnout and stress are commonly associated with the profession. However, burnout appears to be the least discussed aspect of the job within law school and the general recruiting process from a perspective of a current student entering the field. This leaves uncertainty and confusion for future big law attorneys who wonder how long one can last in working at the pinnacle of prestige in the profession that they are spending years studying for. It seems to have created a culture where some students may seem fearful of reaching the heights in the legal field. Yet, despite all the horror stories that are heard, it remains a taboo to ask an attorney about how many hours they work per week or how they balance everything without seeming like an unfit candidate. The real questions seem to go unanswered. However, it appears that the latest generation of lawyers are pushing back on industry norms, which can be greatly attributed to the work-from-home policies that were adopted at firms due to the pandemic. It can be rewarding to work from home and cut out commute times and lengthy nights in the office, however, this can also have negative effects.
At the peak of the pandemic, when firms were virtual and attorneys worked from home non-stop, billable hours were estimated to have increased in 2020 by 10% (Bloomberg Law). In order to combat the issue, firms have offered things such as providing associates an additional two weeks of personal leave and others are offering access to free mental health coaches and encouraging associates to take unplugged weeks.
For big law firms to better prepare their incoming associates, a good strategy would be to run summer programs that more accurately reflect the demands of the practice groups. From various coffee-chats with young attorneys, I have heard that a common reason for many lateral firms was due to a shock upon joining as full time associates and the difference in environment they felt. Program directors should instead focus on exposing students to a realistic workload, at least for a portion of the summer, and cater the second half to more social-related programming.
At the law school level, there are best practices that can be incorporated to mitigate some of the issues as it relates to career burnout rates. In conjunction with current black-letter law courses and clinics, there should be on the job management courses that teach individuals basics on how to conduct themselves in professional spaces. This can include lessons about time management, asking individuals with authority for project extensions, or team work exercises. I studied finance in undergrad and as part of a business degree at the University of Maryland, students were required to take a course titled “Managing People and Organizations.” As part of the curriculum, I was educated on how to conduct myself in the corporate setting and this inevitably led to benefits during full-time summer internships that I took during the following summer as I navigated working lengthy virtual hours and interacted with fellow analysts. Time management was one of the key aspects of the business school’s curriculum and can easily be taught in law schools to aid future big law attorneys with demands on the jobs. Some benefits of time management include, improving career opportunities, work performance, and work-life balance (Timeular).
For individuals who may find themselves succumbing to the demands of the profession, whether it is in relation to demanding hours or simply lack of interest, another practice at the law school level could be to go more in-depth with diversified programming and curriculum that caters to students interested in pursuing non-traditional legal career paths. This can alleviate the stress associated with being locked into a profession that may seem daunting in practice. If one is exposed to other ways to utilize their law degree, it may allow them to take more control of their career early on and carve out exit options. Furthermore, it can encourage individuals to create a network outside the big law world, and to interact with other industries that may be of interest. Columbia can partake in this by having more distinguished alumni in fields that are seemingly unrelated to law discuss their industries and how their education and prior legal training has impacted their current positions. As a student that seeks to have a flexible career, I would greatly appreciate these initiatives.
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