Before you think of leaving your BigLaw firm, do these 5 things
In my time as a legal recruiter and career advisor, I have spoken with many associates who give notice to their BigLaw firm and when they do so, they hear the following from their main partner or supervisor:
Partner X: "I'm very sorry to see you go. I had no idea you were unhappy here!"
And when the partner says this, they mean it! The departing associate may have gone through mid-year reviews, year-end reviews, late night honest conversations and more - all without giving any indication whatsoever that they were unhappy or considering leaving their firm.
Before you make a decision to simply given notice to your BigLaw firm, consider taking the following 5 steps first:
Have an honest, direct conversation about your unhappiness with your mentor/supervisor partner. Law firms prioritize client service over everything else. This can mean that it's difficult to make time to discuss your progress at a law firm, let alone your frustrations and concerns. But at the end of the day, if you're doing good work, a law firm (specifically, an individual partner that likes you) will find a way to keep you. Write down an outline of the concerns you need to address and ask the partner if you can set aside at least 30 minutes to talk them through.
Get your work from the people you like. If you are working at a BigLaw firm, chances are you are working in a particular working group with a particular practice area. Within that working group, there must be partners and more senior associates who you like working with better than others. Have candid conversations with those attorneys about getting staffed on their projects and getting more work. Of course it's easier said than done, but generally speaking, if you're making your hours working for and with the people you like, it is much easier to say "no" to the people that you don't wish to work with.
Ask for a part-time or flex schedule. Just like that. Just ask. Think of the partner that you work with the most that has the most influence within the firm. Someone who interacts frequently with the firm's management would be great. Say that you enjoy your work, and you want to stay, but this is the piece that you need to change. The worse that they can do is say no. If you are successful in negotiating a flexible schedule, it may not be perfect. You may still have long hours for your "on-days" and may need to switch your schedule around. But this kind of change can still be great for someone who wants to get themselves more runway while they think more strategically about their next steps.
Take advantage of the professional development department. The amount of professional development support at large law firms increases every year. New positions like internal career advisors are being added. This is a new type of PD professional who often provides job-related advice on a confidential basis. Even if your firm does not have a position like this, chances are they do have a professional development advisor of some kind. They can help you develop a strategy to make your existing job work better for you.
Talk to a recruiter like me! A good recruiter will ask you whether you have done the previous steps and walk you through how to do them. Recruiters would rather have you critically evaluate your current job than have you look at opportunities hurriedly and back out of the job seeking process later down the line. And if it ultimately sounds like a move makes sense at this point, then you have someone that can help.