biglaw

a collection of huge law firms in major cities (particularly nyc) where thousands of ivy leaguers and honor students make six-figure salaries straight out of law school. they usually quit after a couple of years of virtual slavery, but if they stay in the game, they end up running the country.
“as much as i hate the idea of working in biglaw, it’s the only way i’ll ever pay off my student loans.”
1 more definition
a term used by law students and those in the legal profession to refer to large private firms in the us. these firms are typically located in nyc, chicago, or washington dc and have impressive multi-million dollar offices in skyscr-pers, complete with full libraries that are rarely used. many law students initially aspire to work for a big law firm.

the seduction:

> six-figure salaries, as much as $150k right out of school
> internship during school, which mostly involves a reduced workload with lavish lunches and trips to baseball games
> company perks, like leased beamers or season tickets to mlb or nba games

the reality:

> 2500 to 3000 billable hours, which translates to 80-90 hour work weeks
> 7am-7pm five days a week, often half day on sat-rday, so you don’t have time to use your knicks tickets anyway
> over 33 percent drop-out rate among first-year -ssociates, up to two-thirds quit by third year
> lawyers have one of the highest rates of alcoholism and depression among all professions, and this is especially prevalent in big private law firms
1l: i want to work in big law so i can buy a boat and drive a bmw 745i

3-year -ssociate: i’ll gladly trade you mine in exchange for the last three years of my 20s back