Last year around this time, I was going into my second year and decided to leave my T3 law firm. I was extremely nervous about doing so, but I was miserable in my job, so I started working with a recruiter and I took a leap to a super new boutique firm.
Fast forward a year: My health has drastically improved. I am still working hard, but I no longer have high cholesterol, and I’m no longer diabetic (which I became for the first time in my life as a first year at my big law job). I have so much more control over my schedule such that my husband and I are trying for a baby because we think we can handle it.
Professionally, I have so much more responsibility and have gotten experiences that I’d have to wait until my fifth year in big law to do. The cases are cutting edge and interesting, and the firm ACTUALLY doesn’t distinguish between pro bono and billable cases. I feel like I’m treated like a human being instead of a cog in a machine. My co workers and the partners are so talented. On top of it all, I make more than I did in big law.
I wanted to share this in case there are other juniors out there who have been told it’s too risky or too soon to jump ship. I was so nervous and scared, but it was the best decision I ever made. Especially in big markets, there are so many more options aside from big law that give you the comp and training you might be looking for, AND they’re compatible with wellbeing.