A lot of people hate their jobs. It's unfortunate, but its true. While trying to avoid pseudo-psychology as much as possible, I will say that I attribute much of it to cognitive processes which people allow themselves to become trapped within, and then can't find their way out of. It's already begun in law school (ignoring, for the moment, that it probably began far earlier). So much of our time and energy, not just in this wiki but in the hallways and elsewhere, is devoted to venting about school, work, briefs, moot court, job searches, grades, etc etc. Why?

@ Rory, I think (I imagine) that what is most "depressing" about BigLaw is the awareness on the part of the attorneys that you are referring to, that they never intended to realize their promise and ideals in the first place. They knew they were going to pawn their license, they just have the unfortunate luck of regretting it. I'm equally sure (still imagining of course) that there are some attorneys who are quite content having pawned their license. Sure, they sold their principles and ideals along with it, but they never valued those very much anyway.

So to me, those who are unhappy are simply those who have yet to understand who they are and what they want, and have made some bad choices in the hopes that when they figure all that out they will suddenly become good choices. I don't think there is anything wrong with a BigLaw job. I just think its a certain shape hole in which way too many pegs of a different shape are forcibly trying to occupy, to the detriment of themselves, and perhaps Eben would say, their ability to do "justice."

-- ArtCavazosJr - 18 Feb 2010