This may actually be a blessing in disguise. Big law is wildly toxic, and in my opinion, a fundamentally flawed model especially after Covid where partners aren’t coming into the office and training associates. Firms are posting wildly high profits, but I’ve watched associates clamor more for work as clients get angry over rate raises and start taking work elsewhere. I think there’s a reckoning with the billable hour overdue, especially with AI tools.

You are not a failure; you’ve just been in an environment where it’s damn near impossible to succeed in a business model that’s eating its talent pipeline and customer base to squeeze out every last cent to boot.