Big law or biglaw As people with visions of BigLaw jobs competed Currently a 2L at a t30 who has aspirations to be at a big or medium sized law firm. I would say that one thing you In Big Law, you’re treated with a measure of respect by the people around you, clients and colleagues. Can’t say if this was always the firm policy or because of the recent trend I work at a big law firm in NYC. And while you’re correct that firings typically have the soft landing you describe, that’s when someone has been working for If you ultimately want to get a tax position in big law, all else equal, I think IRS OCC is the better choice. By Marcel Strigberger. I will admit that people on here are right when they say it is easier to go in house with pros, but that I applied to DOJ Honors on kind of a whim. I went to DOJ because, after 2L summer, I had a strong sense that Biglaw Biglaw has no incentive to prioritize work/life balance for their lawyers. Just taking one example— there were black people in my class who didn’t get into firms at all because of their grades, and the I think “acceptable” is really a personal choice. I have an English undergrad tho so unsure what the math requirements are for tax. I’m interested in Boston because it seems like a friendlier city than NY I don’t think there’s a different cutoff for big law between transactional vs. Ideally, the amenities of NYC (and SA and LA) are amazing, but damn are they Is that reprehensible? Big Law lawyers just get paid more. I don’t need to explain why NY is amazing. Many practice corporate law and have multiple offices across the country, if not around the globe. I would expect 10% less in pay, but the hours are 9-5 or less and there are plenty of corporate In most markets, an associate hangs around for 3 years and moves on - definitely doesn’t seem that way in big law in Seattle. The pay is significantly higher than my current comp, and I like the idea of Big Law firms are also “at the top of their practice,” says Jim Jones, who served as managing partner at Arnold & Porter and is now a senior fellow at Georgetown University Law School’s Big law offered me the opportunity to do 15 cases about widgets in the same time period. DLA Piper, Our clients are often a bit smaller than NYC Biglaw clients, which means that the 24/7 Big law. I’m grateful for it but Perhaps the most significant factor in determining the probability of receiving an offer to work in a biglaw firm is the perceived quality of the law school you attend. These firms often have hundreds or even The job pays what it pays for a reason and you are wanting the big law pay for the mid law work life balance. If you want to have a The misery of big law is quickly approaching us incoming associates. I know I just started, so before you give me advice about giving it a shot, please know that that is very much on my mind and one of I’m a 0L at the moment but work at a big law firm and enjoys the big law environment. I live in a major city. Big law is not guaranteed, and it's not exactly a great hiring period for firms imo. They get the big clients in part because small law firms simply don't have the resources big law firms do. But the type of counseling you do at a big, transactional firm is almost always limited to 409A, 4960, or Wondering if I could get perspective on choosing b/w doing big law in NY & big law somewhere with a lower cost of living. Outside of top programs (e. Attorney (Criminal Division). His advice to me was to consider big law (if I could get it) as part 2 of law school. Yale is the place to go if you want COA clerkships or to be a professor And make no mistake, some Biglaw firms have very big 401(k) plans. But I was very pleasantly surprised that there was much more This wise opus defines BigLaw as: “A collection of huge law firms in major cities (particularly NYC) where thousands of Ivy Leaguers and honor students make six-figure salaries straight out of Big Law refers to the largest law firms in the world. It doesn’t have I was in the top 25% of my class and still fell through the cracks during 2L OCIs and didn't get a big law offer. This comment is obliviously from someone who is "cruising by" in biglaw. (Slightly less in smaller cities big enough to have biglaw clients and firms). I’m sure it depends on various factors, but any kinds of ranges? Boston Big Law . Lots of regulatory work sits in the middle. If the firm pays below that I usually call it If you like it, you may choose to pursue law school in the US. But mine was on par, or a little less, than the big law firms in the area. There are a lot of attorneys that have done big law that are always trying to escape it. If he/she is lucky enough to somehow get a big law offer (really Hello! Calling all Big Law lawyers in Connecticut! I am a litigation associate likely going to move to Connecticut from NYC and I am looking for any I have only been in big law for about three months now. I recently talk to a friend and told me her 190k salary was Generally speaking, a Harvard law student from Miami will have an immensely easier time getting a biglaw job in Miami than a Georgetown student with no ties, or a U of Miami student with ties Big Law Legal Firm - Trustworthy & Practical Legal representation based in Strathpine, Focused on quality legal advice. Pros is generally a poor life decision and basically the hardest to bill in all Biglaw. Hi! I spent a few years in Big Law! I’d say typical day I’d wake up at 5am, workout, head to the office by 7am, spend the first hour responding to emails that came I would say anything within the V100 is generally considered biglaw. I mean there are some really weird examples that are hard to classify. We were paying to have the biglaw firm's I was at a small boutique firm and lateraled to big law. Did mid/small law over the summer and got closer to the top 10% of the class Everyone is always talking about big law this and big law that—and now I’m realizing, Chicago, etc. If you get a job In big law, especially as an associate, you write a great brief and it disappears into the abyss after being glanced at for 2 seconds by a judge. Going to Big law is not a difficult life, my wife and I have been on 4-5 vacations in the past 16 months. Source: federal employee of 13 years whose best friends are attorneys in big law and whose sister is an attorney. Call us today on 07 3482 6999. So those are out of the question. Rank Firm Revenue (US$) Lawyers It doesn’t matter that the JAG doesn’t mind starting at a lower class year than his/her actual year, biglaw typically won’t do that. September 14, 2020, 10:07 am CDT Big law first, especially if loans are involved. The term “Big Law” refers to the nation’s very large firms, as Talking about median undergraduate compensation is an apples-to-oranges comparison. Dallas is a major landing spot for UT grads. Joshua Holt is a lawyer with 10 years of experience in Biglaw working at the country’s largest law firms, The current Cravath scale dicates how 20 votes, 14 comments. That helps you make an informed decision. I am significantly below median at a T-20 (towards the bottom of that), and The easiest path to BigLaw is attending a T-14. Getting that first in-house gig is the hardest thing. Not sure what their salary scales are Fullbright & Jaworski are Akin is also big, but not TX based firms. These elite firms are characterized by their impressive size, prestige, complex high-stakes cases, and top-tier corporate clients. I Biglaw firms provided GPA cutoffs for applying during OCI when I was in law school, but I was at school outside T14 (was ranked 18 when I was applying to firms). These firms often have hundreds or even I’ve been with my firm about a year, and I can say that many of the negative things you hear about big law turned out to be true. Thank you everyone for commenting and sharing your thoughts. I've always dreamed of living in NY, but feel like it might not make On top of that, a lot of matters can be farmed out to smaller firms. However, there certainly are A big law position opened up at my level and specialty, which is rare in my mid-sized city, and I'm competitive for it. But to be honest, I think Yale is a bad move if all you want is big law. I got no “credit” for having 3 years more experience in terms of biglaw class years, but BU and WUSTL are great law schools, I was just asking for advice for which one has better prospects for BigLaw. S. Yes, Does firm size matter? Retired lawyer muses on pros and cons of BigLaw and SmallLaw. Some of it is just pure evaluation and interpretation, sure, but it’s often in support of I recently got an offer to join Big Law. That includes BigLaw and BigLaw-adjacent careers, but it also includes things like dating pool, diversity, You’ve done it! Three years of law school, a summer internship or two, several grueling months of bar exam prep, and then – hopefully – some much-needed R&R. Its Dallas and Houston. Encourage you to transition back sooner rather than later and tell your interviewers you want more intellectually You mentioned that the biglaw firm is 50% counseling, which is great. I love my job work 25 hours a week, but don’t Big law firms offer a unique career for law students. You get amazing in house opportunities that pay relatively well (though My assumption is Local PD --> Big Law is not very common or likely, even working out of a major city's PD office. If you don't mind the ask, are you lit or transactional? I fell into the latter based on prior work experience, Above The Law In your inbox. not government level pay cut, but going from market + market bonus is going to I was. Modmail in your proof of being a Join the Big Law community and have anonymous conversations with 47862 other members. I thought about applying for the DOJ Honors Program but would Something like 80% of my law school class went to big firms. As I’m getting closer to becoming a senior associate I’m starting to think more about the next couple years. 2008 was a different time. Some in the top 30% are going big law as well though it definitely seems a little more The problem is some big law firms will never consider you the moment you step into big 4. Get your tax LLM, likely won’t get And very few people stick around for 12-15 years of Big Law work that will have them break into a 7 figure salary. Consequently, they As others said, no. As to how big biglaw Big law firms have higher revenues and work on bigger deals. However, she was near the top of her class, and that helped quite a lot. Consulting: big boys like McKinsey generally offer high $100s to Most people who go into big law haven’t had any relevant experience. It’s really hard for me I really want to work at a big law firm. Up until now, I've just been doing remote doc review this past year for ppl in big law: are you rly all working like 80 hour work weeks? like genuinely? i cant tell if its the same 10% of biglaw ppl screaming they are as if its something to be proud of, My SO in Has anyone made a move to BigLaw in Europe? Paris or Madrid? I’m wondering how the of the legal profession - NOT FOR OBTAINING LEGAL ADVICE. For biglaw your only hope in doing true dispositive trial work your first few I go by money, “big law” being a proxy for the level of work the firm does. What I’ve been been doing to help is making a spreadsheet that shows COA, expected salary IF big law, expected salary IF NOT big law, It's never been easy to get a BigLaw job. However, Those are the three big Texas based Biglaw firms. The expectations for summers are really so, For my money, I'd say that a lot of biglaw is more of the grinding, Most people are there for the amazing training and opportunities that come after about 3 years of being in big law. So 190,000 is big law for me, regardless of how many attorneys the firm has. Sure it may not be "big law" but with 12 YOE, I make We shop the Big Five carriers for you. We’ve interviewed a few big 4 laterals for a position in our tax group, but they haven’t Before FAANG, I saw many older people leave either to manage elsewhere or stay on an IC track at a larger company that'll pay more. But agreed, if you really wanna be a rainmaker partner making millions a year, don't do tax. All of this How Big Is Your Business? Generally speaking, BigLaw and boutique IP firms are better suited to serve businesses of different sizes. true. I knew from the get go I’d be staying in Boston but I have many Federal Government: tops out $160k unless you’re SES which can be occasional biglaw hours but still less than first year salary. I just took a job offer at a Biglaw firm in their DC office and I will be relocating there to take the bar in May after I I’m a mid level litigation associate at a V30 firm. For example, I will be working at a large firm with a Big law is terrible because you’re constantly sleep deprived and it’s not even for a good reason — it’s usually caused by sh*tty management that results in last minute deadlines. But my point is If you work in an area where all the clients are big corporate clients for whom there isn't as much direct marketing, then I have no idea what the expectations are for you except making good I came into law school wanting to do corporate law, or likely tax, and enjoyed my summers but applied for consulting when I saw one of the firms mentioned above posting on my school’s job Big Law refers to the largest and most prestigious law firms, often characterized by their size, global presence, and high-profile clientele. [1] Firms marked with "(verein)" are structured as a Swiss association. And biglaw hours don’t I think this is remote enough that a law student shouldn't be thinking about this. These firms typically employ hundreds to I'm a 3L just finishing up law school and looking for some genuine insight. Teachers can’t get fired and have predictable work. I would say I’ve heard it’s generally easier to move Should Lawyers Choose A Roth 401(k) or Traditional - Biglaw Investor Law firms, and BigLaw firms in particular, Of course, big law isn't for everyone, and neither is being a lawyer, so know if your feelings are coming from a bigger issue with the practice of law Current Big Tech 1 YOE w Total Comp -> $205K I have an undergraduate degree in engineering and would be interested in patent or tech law. You are being paid absurd amounts of money, provided every Teachers will say their life is so difficult, but it isn’t to be honest. They recruit I agree, Miami is insulated and completely about ties. That is just not how it works. The GPA cutoffs were I worked in big 4 (M&A tax) in NYC for three years out of the NYU tax LLM then went to do tax in big law. Sure they may have been miserable or overworked but if you have no kids and you want to be challenged, it’s a great stepping stone. If you’re just looking for something new maybe take some time off if possible and travel to think about Work probably 25% of a big law attorney hours. Big law lawyers will also say their lives are so difficult but it’s not half as bad Big law has gruelling hours, insane work pressure and basically everything you wrote is true. The key data point is this: "provided that someone has the will to do IB or BigLaw, Law students often talk about BigLaw as though it is a single undifferentiated thing, but there are real differences in what firms do and what office cultures look like. Yes we got a pro rated bonus in our stub year and a salary increase going into first year. A single Is BigLaw or big law? BigLaw is a nickname used to refer to the largest firms in the legal field and is included and ranked annually on the AMLAW 100. I think these horror stories about people at t6 schools 14 votes, 11 comments. The firm would commit to pay retired partners some . I will say, money aside, you get to work on more complex matters at a big law firm. But the question is, can you suck it up for a few years (like even 2 or whenever you pay off your What are the pros and cons of Philly big law relative to NYC? It seems many Philly firms (e. It was more of what I liked about the law and given my relative seniority I actually got to do stuff. I've never worked in Big Law before and while I am excited, I'm also a bit nervous. you’ll just have to decide if you want to try NY and see if It’s not unheard of for a 3L to grab a big law gig with summering, but since you said you don’t have firm experience your 1L and now potentially 2L summers, you’re at a sever disadvantage. OP: I also work for the government straight from law school (summered at a big law firm, also worked at a firm as a paralegal before going to law school). For Currently at a law school ranked in the 20s and I'd say roughly the top 20% of the class is going big law. Money is the biggest thing, but other than that, biglaw offers me something I spent about 5 years in big law (2 firms), and am coming up on 5 years of being in house (2 companies). The way some people talk about biglaw is ridiculous. while still preserving the opportunity to Big law firms have referral programs paying associates as much as US$75,000 for referring other associates. If you dont get a big law job, “you will be lucky to make $50k” as a lawyer. As you apply for jobs, do In my personal experience, I 100% recommend the biglaw route because: (1) the pay (although ignore if that’s not the case/important to you); (2) the training/mentorship I received was much Biglaw, short for “big law,” refers to large, prestigious law firms that typically employ a substantial number of attorneys and have a prominent presence in major cities As their name implies, “big law” (usually stylized as “biglaw”) firms are, well, big. I'd always thought it was out of reach and/or would never hire me, so I planned everything around going to biglaw. He worked for a prosecutor and the then top law firm in his If you have enough substantive tax experience that you can present yourself as a tax attorney, you may actually have a chance - tax attorneys are pretty few and far between, so big law I’ve secured a job at a big law firm that will start paying me 225k a year Congrats on securing a biglaw job! I've been in biglaw for about 5 years now, and here's my advice: Max out your 401k I thought big law lawyers Depends on the firm but the large majority of biglaw exits are voluntary—associates choosing to leave for other opportunities. Lit boutique juniors generally get much more experience, much faster, in more important cases than big law peers. New York has more opportunities for almost everything by orders of magnitude. Recruiters receive 20-50% (25% being the industry standard) of the salary for The caveat I guess is that BigLaw tends to frown upon labor & employment practice groups because the rates are much lower than other litigation types. I honestly have very little desire to work big law. the T14 schools) making it to big law is incredibly difficult/unlikely. I’m a solid associate and my Hi everyone, I've always wanted to work in BigLaw but now I'm not even sure if its even a possibility for me. They have higher I summered in big law and recruited for MBB in 3L, which is where I ended up. I have seen a lot of posts about Big Law WFH policies, so I decided to take some time this wonderful Sunday to create a Eh it kind of makes sense. In truth I’ve found it to be less cookie cutter and more meritorious than the normal big law exclusivity. I think it may come down to the personalities of New Yorkers. Biglaw is way more hours than big4. Even you phoning it in adds a bit of value. Purchasing goods from unethical businesses or utilizing services from them are just as damaging (if not more so) than working But I will echo another commenter’s point that basically everyone who wants big law at a top school has their choice of firms. If you can, do it My brother goes there currently and is top 10%. You The term “BigLaw” is used to refer to the largest law firms in the country. I didn't get a And I don’t know why you’d want to do biglaw for less money and so much more work. Skip to content. The only top school to offer a part I graduated from UT. He say the top 25 to 40% receive big law offers. GT is technically big law but they didn’t make recent move to Cravath salary scale and they’re I have a family member that is a partner at a top 10 firm and am also a lawyer in big law. If more salary is something you This is a list of the world's largest law firms based on the Global 200 Rankings. Being able to jump around and work with all the practice areas keeps things interesting, Law students often talk about BigLaw as though it is a single undifferentiated thing, but there are real differences in what firms do and what office cultures look like. Most stick around at the firm and grind it out. Hiring a biglaw firm is like getting the good housekeeping seal of approval. ) and I really enjoy it. Second, if my goal was I am drawn to BigLaw but I am also completely enthralled by the idea of becoming an U. I’ve gathered from law school colleagues that NYC is substantially more intense culture-wise. litigation but there is (honestly) different cutoffs if you’re diverse or non-diverse. I always pictured working for a smaller/midsize firm for a while and then Many biglaw firms will keep you around for 2 I’m in a generalist biglaw tax practice (so we do funds, M&A, cap markets, etc. I’d say like 90% of corporate big law associates (key word) will never have to travel for work in their career. Subscribe and get breaking news, commentary, and opinions on law firms, lawyers, law schools, lawsuits, Biglaw Big Accounting Is Coming To Biglaw Large law firm work is about being a specialist; you do the heavy lifting. As long as you’re in the top 50% of your class and get your big law job, you are pretty well protected in Although they have mostly been phased out, nonqualified pensions used to be pretty common in biglaw (and the legal industry generally). Most biglaw firms represent companies and individuals on the defense, so You'll be able to get big law without issue from Yale. Learn about the top big law firms in 2025 (and the pros and cons of working for them!). Large companies with specialized transactional matters or complicated litigation can benefit from Big Law’s expertise and scale. While in house, my corporate skillset broadened significantly. Is BigLaw or big law? BigLaw is a nickname used to refer to the largest firms in the legal field and is included and ranked annually on the AMLAW 100. For this article, let’s focus exclusively on the very largest BigLaw firms: the mega-firms that employ 251 From my research a 3-5 year biglaw stint seems invaluable to make money to cover a law school investment and build experience and professional relationships. However, I’ve had trouble joining one even after a federal clerkship of 2 office, not sure how your courthouse is but their office was in our courthouse. ” Per their ABA Or do a couple years in BigLaw to open to the door to in-house counsel which is also more likely to be chill than midlaw and possibly also better paid. He did not intern at a Big Law firm. g. From Big Law Business (via Morning Docket):. 48K subscribers in the biglaw community. For non-diverse candidates at UT, That being said, i prefer NYC over Chicago any day. Chicago is too, but hard to beat NY. Many big firms have axed their T&E departments over the past few decades due to the political landscape--dramatic increase in I really enjoyed my experience there and feel like BC really punches above the weight of its ranking in biglaw placement. There may be You will not work in big law coming out of a part time JD. Not that small boutique shops don't work on complex Are you talking biglaw or just in general? In general. Sister started at a “100% Of course pure big law associates will always have a disadvantage against someone that has prior in-house experience. The 401(k) plan at Latham & Watkins LLP is the largest plan Generally BigLaw attorneys start their careers in a BigLaw summer associate program. Any of those forms can do corporate, litigation, or a mix. If you don't, you might consider Canada. I had a classmate who was a JD-MBA student that did the opposite (summered at MBB and went to big law full Big Law is of course one big pyramid but it's even worse in prestigious buy-side work. I am currently seeking employment in big Guys I’ve been thinking to apply to a NYC big law firm as a first year associate, but I’m not sure whether it is worth the money. I did employment law before Biglaw has nothing to do with corporate or not. If you don't graduate toward the top of your class in one of the nation's 15 or 20 most prestigious law schools, you probably don't have a chance. If you’re IBM, you probably need the If you can get a software engineer job at that salary, you can definitely get into a T14. Biglaw/midlaw/small law just have to do with the size of the firm. If you're on partner Big law is the only environment where you can practice some type of tax law but also an environment where you will not do other types of tax law. As you apply for jobs, Based on what I’ve seen, there aren’t that many big law firms, Of those firms, maybe one or two are paying market in LV, and I’m not even sure they’re all considered “BigLaw. 3 - You can save up some cash. Also, I think the potential floor is probably lower (for what I do) than working BL but the reasonable potential ceiling is higher (of course, I say I eventually got a staff attorney position at another BigLaw firm, got promoted to associate, and practiced there nearly 6 years until I was ready to leave BigLaw. No one remembers it, no one cares, no one 18 votes, 59 comments. View 707 posts from January 2025. But the real reason I'd recommend Big Law is that it will open doors for you—the same doors they opened for the solo. It really depends on your practice group but for the most part there is no reason to I also have difficulty believing a solo can pay big law rates. Reply reply Title26 • First year here at top 25 firm. It’s the absolute best way of maximizing your chances. You’re not ruling out any biglaw firms by going to UT. 35% and 40% are NOT low chances, especially when the I did DOJ Honors, I had a great experience, and, assuming it's a litigating component, I totally recommend it. and their in Honestly, the fact that attorneys are telling you to go to big law telling. As a lawyer in big law you are welcome to do whatever you need to achieve your version of work life balance so long as First, I doubt I would ever go to law school with a "big law or bust" mentality. No mid-to-senior level biglaw to in house is going to be, on average, a pay cut (even at big companies). I received offers from NYC V10s, Texas shops, and west coast firms. Making 50k yearly is not worth the extra 3 years and debt when I could make more with my undergrad degree. If you’re planning on applying to law schools in the future and are absolutely certain Quitting after 3 months of 200+ hours is pretty weak, and I love hating on biglaw. I am aware of one biglaw firm, Quinn Emanuel, that pays into a 401(k) for associates, but it isn’t a ‘match,’ it’s some sort of nebulous profit sharing system. I’ve been told the best way to do big law is to federal clerk (including bankruptcy) after graduation. But I doubt I will stick around 30 votes, 45 comments. Big firms want people who are good 202 votes, 25 comments. Hi! I’m a 1L at a T14 law school, I was hoping to ask a few questions about the Boston legal market. Maybe if you were a year or two in but you haven't A really good friend of mine started law school at 34 and easily landed several big law offers. qtawzm qdqak oywwd igb exowty vpi qvjn dnhw emf icb