Life in an unhappy firm

I was going through my feeds and noticed this post on basquette case.  The post is a reflection on the blogger’s time at her soon-to-be ex-firm and her transition into her new practice.  I thought I’d mention this to give a little insight how some lawyers feel about their environment and why so many lawyers leave larger firms and start their own practices. 

It’s insane. Ten years of lawyering. Ten years of conflict, of politicking and playing political chess with people’s lives. Ten years of thankless service, punctuated by the odd "nice job," gruffly growled in passing. Ten years of piss-poor pay, of supremely excellent benefits, of being bored out of my skull and such. It all comes down to one day – one last day – Friday.

And it all feels rather anticlimactic. Nice things were said. Presents were given. Warm wishes exchanged, with hugs in some cases, handshakes in others. (Darth actually in the former category. I know. Surprised me too.)

And now, I feel a bit like … "now what?" Is it real? Of course it’s real. I’ve got all my stuff here. I rolled over my 401k. I’ve got the paperwork saying my insurance ceases on Halloween. Why doesn’t it feel real?

These are not necessarily people who couldn’t cut it at their previous employer, rather they saw a better experience for themselves in their own practice and different opportunities to put their skills to use.

Tags: going solo, leaving, new practice, self-employed, the dark side, unhappy lawyers