Posted by Douglas Sorocco at October 29, 2005 02:54 PM

As you might be able to tell, I am spending a good portion of the weekend catching up on my reading (both books, articles and RSS feeds).

I ran across a site called BigLaw Associate and just had to laugh:

Maybe it is just my city. Or maybe it is just me, finally noticing something that has been happening all along. But it looks to me like BigLaw is in a deepening crisis. When I speak to other BigLaw associates from around town I keep hearing the same story: associate morale at a critical low with associates leaving at an alarming rate. Not alarming for me, of course: I personally don't care. But, it should be alarming to partners because associates are leaving when they are finally getting good at their jobs, and when the firms' investment in them should start to pay off.

The writer (he/she/it) is getting ready to quit the BigLaw firm they are working at and it is an interesting read of the reasons: hours, stress, training etc. As the blogger notes, there seems to be a lot of angst over these subjects these days and a steady drumbeat of associates jumping to "better and brighter" professional careers.

Reading the posts, however, made me wonder:

When will the general public and members of the legal profession look at individuals in BigLaw the same way they look at those smokers in the glass cages at the airport?

You know that look -- sadness, bemusement and pity.

My sense, it won't be long.

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