Whiners Without Borders: Lawyers Complain Around the Globe
Yet another article on unhappy lawyers: This time it’s from the UK, where it seems the legal profession has lost its “lustre.”
Nearly a quarter of you want to quit. In a desperately competitive recruitment market, that’s just about the last thing law firm managers need to hear.Shocking? Yes. Not many apparently sought-after professions have a quarter of their members wanting to quit. The whole issue of work-life balance has now, surely, reached a tipping point - and not just for overworked associates who are looking for a way out.
Thirty one per cent of associates would like to leave the law; 20 per cent of partners would happily quit; 22 per cent of barristers fancy a change; and a hefty 29 per cent of in-house counsel would like a life outside the law.
There’s more on the survey from the Financial Times, which notes that UK salaries have gone up by 15 percent or more recently.
Meanwhile, in India, young lawyers are disillusioned by a cumbersome litigation system, with its “interminable procedural delays” and outright drudgery: “Many young lawyers complained that they only ended up carrying briefs for the senior counsels during their stint.”
Lawyers bitching about their jobs: the universal language.
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Comments
First?
Yes! I've never done that before. It is kind of fun.
I am quitting today.
I am either going to quit today or spend some of my exorbitant salary on carnal companionship of a truly vile nature.
That ought to make me feel a little better.
Before you feel extremely bad for this person I work for one of the largest law firms (seventh or eighth) in Arizona and they pay us 1750 a week, so really, it's not that bad.
Keep it coming Laurie!!!! It's a wonder that Lat let's you step in for him without worrying that you'll eclipse him. You kick Merckie ass so badly.
First!!! Oh wait....damn
Merk smells like feet... the severed feet of teenange girls (which, I understand, he enjoys wil some fava beans and a nice chianti.)
NINTH!
"one of the largest law firms (seventh or eighth) in Arizona."
That's like saying "one of the largest law firms in the United States (560th or 570th)."
I second 12:28's post.
Dump Merck. Promote Lin.
A friend of mine in law school once commented that there are tons of books, articles, etc, about non-law options for lawyers, but there are practically no such books, articles, etc, for most other professions (doctors, architects). He thought it telling that there were so many guides for getting out of the legal profession.
Can anyone recommend a good doctor in NYC re stress, depression, suicide, hating your job?
Only 1/4 of British lawyers want to quit...sounds like they have pretty high job satisfaction compared to the lawyers I know in the U.S., where it's more like 90% want to quit.
Wanting to quit is very different from actually quitting - law firm managers have nothing to fear. 99% of US lawyers "want" to quit, a miniscule proportion of actually do - due to inertia, lack of comparably paid jobs etc.