Monday, August 29, 2005

Making Partner

So wait a minute, time out here, let me get this straight: to win at this whole lawyer game, you're expected to spend your twenties conquering law school admissions, exams and recruiting, mortgage your life to pay astronomical tuition, then tackle the bar exam, then station yourself at your firm post and cancel your social life for the next 3-4 years, looking forward to devoting the first half of your thirties to scheming, maneuvering, and above all, billing, all in hopes of making a short list for partnership consideration. Once you've reached the tipping point, there's that final maniacal push to prove that you are prepared to cleave skulls and open veins for the good of the firm and its partners. You prove yourself worthy, they reach from on high to tap your shoulder, and you've crossed the finish line, the race is over, time to sit back and enjoy the spoils of success after 15-20 years of labor.

And now you're telling me that Atlantis is just a slightly larger office, the booty is less money than a 27-year-old banker makes at Christmas, the spoils include a wife you never see and a new baby who barely recognizes you, the ultimate proverbial carrot is rotting and oozing at the end of the stick, and you awake at dawn every day, bleary, void and depleted, only to realize that, by winning the paramount prize, you've simply entered yourself in an entirely new game with less ability to drop out than before?

So honestly, what the hell is the point?

Read the whole thing and check out the many comments left.

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