Welcome to the latest installment of The Struggle, a series where we examine the mental-health and social issues that students and recent graduates encounter during the oftentimes grueling law school experience. We are posting these stories because sometimes what law students and recent graduates need is to know that they’re not alone in their pain. Sometimes what law students and recent graduates need is to know that they’ve got a friend who is willing to share not just in their triumphs, but also in their struggles. These are real messages from real readers.
If these issues resonate with you, please reach out to us. Your stories need to be heard. You can email us, text us at (646) 820-8477, or tweet us @atlblog. We will share your stories anonymously. You may be able to help a law student or recent law school graduate who needs to know that someone else has been there before and survived.
I just recently graduated from law. I worked the entire last two years at a local firm. They paid me less than what they had paid the previous law clerk (I know because she told me before she was fired), and I expressed my frustration with that fact many times, ultimately getting a raise (still not as much as the previous law clerk) and they started paying for my health insurance (which I was happy because I am a single father).
After graduating, I took two months off to prep for the bar, took the bar, came back to work, and was subsequently offered a shit salary because they told me times were hard for them (I guess a couple of them went overboard with partner draws for their individual European vacations with their respective families). There are “bonus opportunities,” just not any binding ones because my employment agreement doesn’t expressly state that I am entitled to any because they don’t want to bind themselves into a situation where they can’t bonus me like they are supposed to per the agreement; really, I just won’t be bonusing.
Meanwhile, they are billing what I think is an excessive amount for my time, telling me they come before my family (we have yet to cross that bridge, but I’ll probably lose my job when they try to pull that crap because my son comes before everything, and this was true in law school too), and placing me in super unethical situations where I may be crossing the line when I’m practicing law.
I’m looking for a new job, still in the legal field, but most days I think I should have fucking followed my friend who became a programmer. He seems happier.
Most law schools have counseling and psychological services resources that students and graduates can turn to if they are in crisis or would like counseling, even after hours. If these services are not available at your school, and if you or someone you know is depressed and in need of help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) or a lawyer assistance program in your state (don’t be fooled by the name; these programs also provide services to law students). Remember that you are loved, so please reach out if you need assistance, before it’s too late.
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.
That Moment When Your Law Firm Makes You Wish You Never Went To Law School curated from Above the Law
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