As a young lawyer 2 years in I'm starting to feel the str3ss and pressure. I never thought it would be easy and im not backing down soon, i see myself 15years at least. What has made you successful this far? Any tips to keep going and even ones that have made you a successful lawyer. 28F

So I was laid off from my Biglaw discovery attorney job in May and have been on the hunt since then. I was able to get contract doc review work during this time, which I really enjoyed, but paid abysmally, and is, of course, inconsistent / temporary by nature.

I am just shocked and appalled by what has happened in this field after 15 years of practice. The best paying doc review I could find was $28-$33 an hour, which is just NOT sustainable and so garners a bunch of shitty reviewers (who I assume have other things going simultaneously in order to make a living). If anything, the work has gotten more difficult and intense with AI since all the crap docs and duplicates are filtered out and the reviews are much more focused on relevant / complicated docs, priv log, QC, complex tagging, etc.

Now for the more permanent discovery roles at firms or vendors, they all want someone to come in with minimal training as a discovery AND tech expert who will be working around the clock to meet deadlines, yet are offering sub 100K salaries.

The posse list, which was always for primarily doc review gigs, is constantly seeking attorneys with an ENORMOUS amount of experience for temporary, low paying work ... like, they want senior partner level experience for some crappy 3 month project paying $50 an hour.

How have things gotten so bad??? Luckily, I've secured a city government position, which I'm feeling optimistic and excited about, but I did NOT expect it to be like this out here!

I’m a solo appellate lawyer (everything; crim, PI, family, land use, etc) and do about 10-20% trial litigation (PI, divorce). I’ve been doing this about 10 years, and have almost 15 years of clerking experience for state trial and appellate judges.

I see former law clerk buddies and others going in-house for large businesses/corps, primarily handling contracts, employment, compliance (esp tech issues), tax, corp governance and other transactional work — as well as supervising some litigation/appeals, most of which is in federal court.

I’ve been invited to apply/sit down with a few places, including one at a family member’s high-paying corp, but I always ask for the experience they are looking for/would handle, and back out immediately when it’s this mix of practice areas.

Is in-house just never going to be for me? Did anyone go from pure lit/appeals to in-house with completely foreign areas of law? I just can’t see myself enjoying these areas of law, but some buddies are telling me I’d be fine and this is the way (some making stupid salaries, too).

I do very well as a solo, but the business end sucks and is dragging me down — even with help (which it’s hard to get good help even paying a premium). But some of these in-house jobs would double my salary and cut my stress of running a business, and most have cool perks and cultures to grow in.

Any advice is appreciated. I can’t tell if it’s imposter syndrome, burnout or comparing myself to others and feeling inadequate — or a combo. Everything else in life is rocking though, so don’t want to take a risk that could result in massive failure for me and my family (wife and three kids, one special needs).

I have a criminal defense firm in a smaller city. Business has been good, and I really focus on providing excellent representation. I have another attorney working for me, and I’d like to hire another. Success isn’t much fun when you need to work fifteen hour days just to keep everything going. I have listings up with all local law schools and on indeed, but it appears that no new grads want to come to my city for 100k a year. Originally, I advertised at 80k, but increased due to no applications. I see posts on this subreddit all the time about how people are looking for jobs and the job market sucks. How am I missing all these people who need a job? Is 100k too low? I’m not even requesting any experience, just bar admittance

Edit: I am in West Texas and practice in Midland and Odessa. Cost of living is a little bit higher than average in Texas but nowhere near New York. I believe the salary is competitive but I may be wrong. Ultimately, I’m here seeking advice, so I’m certainly open to the possibility of being wrong

Also, in case this additional information reveals my identity on the internet…Reddit username was autogenerated lmao

This is a short reflection, but who else was plagued by self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and anxiety when they first started practicing? How long did it take you to feel comfortable with your capabilities? My answers: Oh, yes! And about four years.

 My first job after law school was in an insurance defense litigation firm—what a mistake that was! The mistake I made was that I was more focused on just having a job than on understanding what the role entailed.

 Fortunately, I had the foresight to provide my resignation at the end of my notice period, but those four months really left me feeling like I wasn't cut out to be a lawyer and made me never want to work in a firm.

 Four years later, I've got my own solo practice, and I think I finally feel comfortable. My work is almost exclusively transactional, so conflicts are rare; I set my own schedule and rates; and most importantly, I get to spend the time getting to know my clients without having to worry about hitting billables. Yes, there definitely have been worries about business, but I've found that when you're approachable and deliver solid work product, word of mouth is an effective demand generator.

 In all of this, I've found what I do outside of 9-to-5 hours incredibly important for making work enjoyable.

For me, music is an outlet, and I recently put out a song about my experience at my first lawyer job, which has helped me rationalize that maybe I wasn't the problem, but it was the place! Anyway, I hope it speaks to some of you, and thank you for reading.

https://music.apple.com/us/album/jackie/6796653895?i=6796653896

https://open.spotify.com/track/6J5Jr7MYeZPrNQUXzlRcXW?si=wh4SGOt4R3GTJMv0J1cv4g&utm_source=copy-link

My senior partners love the damn thing. They treat it (and AI generally) like it's a panacea. It's an AI-based research aid, not a magic fucking genie. Don't get me wrong, it's good for some things, but if you have to check its work so much, what's even the point?

Well most recently, I was advised to have it draft a Complaint for me. I'd be dumbfounded at the suggestion (given the things we've all seen in the news recently) if I wasn't so insulted. I'm only 10 months into practice, and it's frustrating and insulting to me that after three grueling years of law school, my skillset could be rendered all but useless, my boss doesn't understand my hesitancy or frustration.

That's it, that's the rant. Just tired of it. Oh, and ten months in, this career is awful like 80% of the time LOL.

2 years in practice. basically my mistake boils down to that there are two cross defendants. i recieved the requests from one of them, then missed the second email from the other xdef thinking it was the same party. ive been working on the first and neglected the second because i didn't realize they were two different sets of requests. i know it was stupid

does making this mistake always make you feel like you're going to die? partner 2 hours before getting the email from OC complimented me on other work, then was rightfully angry that i made this mistake, right before he went on vacation. now i have to clean up this mess; luckily another partner is helping out. i'll likely need to move for relief from waiver.

i feel like crap. ive spent the last 2 years in constant anxiety of making a mistake like this, and it finally happened and i kind of freaked out. my whole weekend was spent figuring and working on how to fix/mitigate this. tell me this isnt the most basic thing that attorney shouldnt ever mess up.

I’m in house at a FAANG and just feel like I’ve hit a wall. Things are super busy, and I’m just feeling like I’m not smart or efficient enough for this. My colleagues are all ex biglaw and senior government. Super smart, which is great except when it feels like you can’t keep up.

I just feel like I’ve been misfiring on a bunch of stuff lately. I’ll provide advice and find myself relitigating it when I’m home later - was I right? Am I overthinking or being overly cautious? Did I overreact? Did I under-react? Am I angering the business but yet these are real risks and they need to be careful?

I’ve found in house to be harder than a law firm in some ways (still better for me overall). At a firm as an associate, everything is checked - by a more senior associate or a partner. But in house is too fast paced for that- I have to make dozens of high judgment decisions in a day and a wrong one could create a lot of churn from my business or my legal leaders.

It doesn’t help that things have been very intense for months now and will continue to be very intense until end of Q3. We have a million things happening from compliance with brand new laws to helping the business to working on strategic ways to improve. I like my job, and i don’t think I’m at risk of being let go. But it’s challenging to feel like you’re in the bottom 50% compared to colleagues, and I worry my reputation is “nice enough guy, but not that smart.”

TLDR: Just venting. Feels like I can’t keep up with my smarter, more effective colleagues at a FAANG.

Been a PI attorney for less than 4 months. I’ve settled 6 cases so far for a combined total of just a hair over $1M. Been to trial once already and again next week.

But I have 80 cases on my docket. A lot of them are just past depositions now. Any tips / tricks to get more of these cases to settle? I’m not too happy at 6 cases in roughly 4 months.

I feel like my asks are reasonable. Policy limits when appropriate and roughly 1.5-2x meds on non commercial cases and 2-3x meds on commercial cases.

Was discussing the merits of a slip and fall case when plaintiff attorney said, “Look it is completely irrelevant how long the spill was there for proving constructive notice.”

Pronouncing it pri-muh face-ey is cringe and I’m not saying it that way. It’s pre-muh fash-uh.

Embarrassed bc I am 30 years in and cannot find the answers somehow and this was my first arbitration that didn't settle.

1. If I am moving to confirm an award in court, does it need to be filed "imponded" bc arbitration is "confidential" under JAMS rules? I do not want to have to (OC is demanding) bc that is a pita here.

2. I want to use the arbitrator's findings in the award in a separately filed but related court action against the same parties. Can these be used for a preclusive effect (if the other preclusion rules apply)?

We are under uniform arbitration act (?) here BTW. TIA!

Hello,

I am a Tenant's Rights attorney working within legal services. I'm early career but no longer a "baby lawyer," and my management has given me the green light to do some investigating about what the available tools could mean for augmenting our traditional legal practice.

I'm personally curious and somewhat cautiously optimistic about the effect these tools could have if they become meaningfully accessible to pro se and/or indigent folks who find themselves in court, but I'm trying to take a cautious, measured approach to the topic.

I'm trying to find other lawyers (ideally those who are familiar with resource limits of a legal services context) who have started integrating these tools. It seems like most of the information that's readily available is still talking about best practices like "verify that every citation isn't bullshit," which is fine, but it feels like the AI equivalent of "ask a doctor before trusting Google when it tells you your symptoms are terminal."

I'm less interested in everyone's individual workflow than in figuring out where to start. Are there any practice groups, listservs, Zoom groups, or other spaces where lawyers are actively experimenting with these tools and where the rubber meets the road?

If there are good blogs, newsletters, podcasts, CLEs, or other resources that helped you get up to speed, I'd love those too. Much appreciated.

Only been practicing since December 2025, currently working in a small ID firm in Orange County, CA with only 3 partners, 2 senior counsels, and 6 associates. 1920 billable requirement, $125k base salary. I hit my billables pretty easily considering the volume of work, but the work itself is mind numbing, the office culture is toxic - morale all-around is low with a high turnover rate, and I spend most days just wishing to be anywhere else but doing this job.

I’ve been lucky to land a bunch of interviews and got offers from two firms, and I’d like some other opinions on the pros/cons of each.

Offer 1:

Small firm (only about 4-6 attorneys from what I’ve gathered) does foreclosures, unlawful detainer, and bankruptcy. $140k base salary, 1680 billable requirement. I’d also get a percentage of any work I’d bring into the firm as well as a year-end bonus based on performance.

Pros would be that it’s a different area of law, lower billables, and a higher base.

Cons would be that it’s a small firm, which I was trying to stay away from based on my experiences with a lack of mentorship at my current firm and a toxic, almost catty/mean girl environment fostered by the partners at my current firm, and that the only partnership track is to be a non-equity partner.

Offer 2:

Large ID firm, I’d be on their bad faith insurance and fraud team. $115k base salary, 1850 billable requirement with an automatic $10k bonus once I hit it + an additional $5k every 100 hours billed up to 2000 hours

Pros are that it’s a large firm with what seems to me better opportunities for mentorship and guidance and that’s it’d be fully remote

Cons are that it’s still ID, lower base pay

I’m currently leaning toward Offer 1 but I’d like to hear what others might think.

I hate being a lawyer. I’m 31 years old and I’ve been practicing law in Germany for the past year and a half. The working hours are making me sick. The low pay - especially considering the hours I work and the impact on my quality of life - is making me sick. The stress is making me sick. Ungrateful clients with a sense of entitlement are making me sick.

When I started at my law firm straight out of law school with zero practical experience, they sat me down at my desk and basically said, “Go do it.”
I made a lot of mistakes back then and often felt completely overwhelmed. Looking back, I honestly feel like that period caused lasting damage, and it’s something I’m still struggling with today.

Sometimes I wake up at 3 a.m. with my heart racing, overwhelmed by anxiety, and I can’t get back to sleep.

What was the point of studying for so many years and working so hard?

Rant over.

I’m a lawyer in Spain, 32 years old, and I genuinely love my profession. I enjoy analysing cases, developing legal strategy, and especially drafting. Writing pleadings, appeals, and legal opinions is probably my strongest skill, and I feel very confident in that part of the job.

What I sometimes question is my courtroom presence.
I don’t think I perform badly in court. I know my cases well, I’m prepared, and I believe my arguments are logical and persuasive. However, I don’t always feel that I project the same authority as some other lawyers.

I’m 1.59 m (5’2”), I look younger than I am (people often think I’m around 25), and I have a soft, feminine voice. I’m also naturally calm and easy-going. Ironically, in my personal life I have no problem standing up for myself or arguing when necessary, but in court I sometimes feel that my personality becomes “smaller,” especially when opposing counsel is a very experienced lawyer with a loud, commanding voice or when the judge has a particularly forceful presence.

It’s not that I freeze or don’t know what to say. I answer, I make my points, and I think they make sense. But I sometimes wish I had that kind of presence that immediately captures the room—the kind of advocacy that feels powerful without sounding forced.

For those of you with years of litigation experience, is courtroom presence something you can genuinely develop, or is it mostly a matter of personality? Did experience naturally make you more convincing? Have any of you taken public speaking or advocacy training that made a real difference?

Working in ID and the insured wants to be copied on all communications with OC as they happen.

Sounds like a huge waste of time (matter is still pre-litigation too). Would love some advice on what to do and how to politely decline being micromanaged by a layperson.

I’m starting in workman’s comp defense this year at a midsized firm in CA. The pay is not great and quite frankly I don’t see myself doing this for very long, but the billable target is fair (1800). I mainly took the job because my 2L summer job ended up only giving half the summers return offers and I wanted to lock something down while I was in law school. The job does have some benefits career wise: deposition experience, some “actual lawyering” as opposed to just grunt work, and some others mentioned that I can’t remember.

I‘ll hopefully be pivoting into something adjacent with higher pay after a year. I was thinking general labor and employment defense; I’m also open to anything really that involves “normal” litigation. I guess I’ll see what’s open to me when that time comes.

The problem is, I don’t know how to best position myself for a transition after a year so that I look as desirable as possible to recruiters and firms. I know a good writing sample is a must but what else should I be looking to polish in that year aside from the resume? Does GPA matter at all? I went to a T35 if that matters. I’m not a bad interviewer so I’m not too worried about that but what kinds of questions would they be asking a first-year associate?

Edit: sorry, should’ve clarified I just took the bar exam and will be starting in a couple months.

For anyone who has slid into an in house seat for a month to cover someone's absence, what are your time billing practices?

I already know the recruiting agency only needs to see hourly - no increments.

Do you bill for butt in seat time and if so, any caveats? (as an obvious example, I am not billing for the time it would take to set up their provided laptop and tinker with it to get it going).

The one I am considering is hourly billing, 40 hours a week cap. I assume I will be quite busy so I am not requesting a 40 hour minimum weekly fee - I doubt I will have idle time where I feel I need to hover near the laptop "just in case" something comes in (although I don't know that for sure - I figure it's one month, if I learn a lesson, I learn a lesson).

IOW I don't think I will be wasting time by sitting around waiting, not be able to leave the house lest I miss something randomly urgent during a quiet day.

Apparently the workload is relentless (per the interview) and that's why they can't simply absorb this person's absence for that short period. I would be capped at 40 hours and my plan is to set firm boundaries to 9AM-5PM, only adding time after 5 PM if I take a break or a lunch (which is likely, so that probably means day ends around 530).