So You Want to Be a Biglaw Jerk?

Biglaw can be intimidating. It can seem like everyone there is some uber-accomplished overachiever, and that they have always known exactly what they wanted to do with their lives and how to get there.

We all know that’s not true, but even those of us who got into Biglaw right out of law school can feel intimidated by its apparent superiority in the world of law practice.

Are you hardworking, smart, & ambitious enough to be in law school?

To answer the question, I’d like you to ask yourself why you want to be in Biglaw law school. Is it because you’re interested in being at the top of your game? Do you thrive off the intellectual competition? Or do you just want to go into law for the money or prestige? If so, there’s nothing wrong with that, but make sure that those are the real reasons behind your decision and not just an escape from some other part of your life.

If you’re interested in being a lawyer because you want to fight for justice, that’s great. If you think it’s going to make your parents proud, that’s great too.

But if you’re going into law school as some sort of revenge plot against someone who wronged you or as an excuse not to have other more challenging aspirations, those are not good reasons and may be indicative of underlying emotional issues that need addressing outside of law school. Whatever your reasons for wanting to go into law school, remember they don’t matter until after you’ve graduated and are practicing.

Are you going where your heart wants you to go?

It is easy to get trapped in the rat race and lose sight of your inner desires. We have been conditioned as children to measure our self-worth by accomplishments and the titles that we acquire throughout life

. With the right attitude, you can turn your career into a hobby where you can afford not to care about external factors like paychecks or titles. Choosing whether or not to enter  Biglaw  will always be an issue of whether money, prestige, power, and potential salary outweigh everything else in your life. Just ask yourself: Are you going where your heart wants you to go?

Are you willing to take the heat from family and friends for your choices

No matter what your moral standing is, no one wants to be in the crosshairs of their friends and family. Life at the top isn’t easy. There are sacrifices that you’ll need to make, but if it’s your dream job,

you should go for it. The road is hard and there will be people along the way who are willing to try to Biglaw and dissuade you from taking it or even lead you astray. If you have family members who don’t understand why this is your goal in life, tell them about all of the incredible things that have happened during your time in law school.

There are 2 sides of thinking before taking that  Biglaw  job

People always want the real deal. If you’re not willing to work hard and do the grind, then you’ll never get ahead. True, there are some days when I don’t know how much longer I can take it (I remember crying in bed last week after my phone accidentally died and killed my Netflix binge), but there’s just something that feels fulfilling about being able to say I took on countless cases, handled all of them with excellence, and won them all.

Plus, there’s nowhere else where lawyers have such large paychecks with high-end clientele. And while they might be elitist jerks at times (speaking only for myself of course), they’re also an amazing group of people who like me call these Biglaw  firms home.

The Good Side

Biglaw attracts the most elitist, opinionated, and self-centered people in the legal profession. They’re often consumed with their success, or looking down on you for not being as smart or ambitious. Plus they just don’t give a damn about you at all.

No one cares if your dog died (so make sure you bring plenty of pictures of Fido), no one wants to hear about your grandma’s broken hip, and no one is interested in hearing about your trip to Costa Rica even if it did involve an injured sloth who needed rescuing from an airport runway.

The Bad Side

– Deadlines are often extremely demanding, coming from Biglaw an unfeeling behemoth of an adversary with little room for error.

– Analyzing cases and arguing in front of courts is pretty intellectually challenging work, so it’s not for everyone.

– The pay is great, but don’t expect to make the same type of money you can if you were a graduate with only two years of experience out there competing for jobs.

– People might perceive you as an elitist jerk just because you have gone through the law school process and are now working at one of the top Biglaw  firms in the country.

Keep browsing Law Scribd  for more updates.