r/biglaw

I support smarter government and cutting real waste, but what I saw from DOGE was not careful reform. It was a chaotic sledgehammer that broke laws, treated dedicated people like garbage, and created more problems than it solved.
The illegal and unethical stuff hit hard:
• Mass firings and reorganizations that courts repeatedly called out as improper. People with families, mortgages, and years of service got axed with little warning or due process.
• Data access shortcuts that raised serious privacy and cybersecurity red flags — forcing access to sensitive systems without proper authorization. As someone in tax enforcement, that made my stomach turn.
• The human cost: Good colleagues stressed out, morale in the toilet, and a revolving door of uncertainty. We’re not all lazy bureaucrats — many of us grind through tough work that actually matters (revenue collection, compliance, etc.).
• Telework rollbacks, forced commutes, and realignments on top of everything else. For those of us with long drives and kids at home, it was brutal.
I wanted a scalpel for waste, not this. DOGE had some valid goals against real bloat, but the execution was reckless and often flat-out unlawful. The involvement from high-profile outsiders turned it into a spectacle instead of serious governance. How did your agencies handle it? What lasting damage do you see?

I just can’t take it anymore. Made a dumb fucking mistake and it’s not even 6 am. I often think going to law school was a terrible decision:(

It’s soooo disappointing when a summer makes such a great impression during the interviews…and then when the program starts and they have their first 1-on-1 coffee date with you, it becomes abundantly clear they are NOT here for the “right reasons”

Like, I really need you to be open and honest with me in order for us to give you an offer at the end of all this. I need to know you are looking for long-term professional relationship with the Firm and wont just break up with us after a couple yrs to be a full time influencer. Im looking for someone who is ready for commitment and already knows they want to make partner in 12-15 years.

Seriously, why does it seem like so many young people these days are just going on Biglaw to leverage the platform for clout and become a social media star making “Morning routine of a $235K lawyer” reels and promoting weight loss teas all day? Like, girl, we have GLP now, nobody needs your laxative earl grey.

TLDR: A V69 summer clerkship is supposed to be a classy program. If you wanna be trashy and insincere you shouldve just applied for Love Island, Greenberg Trauig, etc.

Dear Underdog Fantasy Support Management and Compliance Team,

I am writing to formally dispute a severe transaction error on my account regarding an early cash-out feature that your platform failed to execute due to a documented backend technology issue.

On July 5, 2026, I entered high-value sports contests on your mobile application. During live game play, your platform explicitly generated and offered me an active, real-time early cash-out option for my largest slip.

I attempted to accept this active offer multiple times. In every single instance, your platform failed to process the request, repeatedly encountering and displaying a "Try Again" message. The application failed to execute the transaction on the backend despite the option remaining visibly active and open on my user interface. Because your system failed to maintain a functionally reliable environment to honor its own advertised financial offers, I suffered an extensive financial loss.

Attached to this formal dispute, you will find time-stamped screenshots proving the validity of my claim:

Image 1 (Live Environment): Captures my live wagers at 7:35 PM. This proves that while a lower slip was explicitly marked as "Cash out suspended" by your system, my $2,486.68 entry actively displayed an open, available cash-out offer. This proves the market was not frozen; your software simply failed to process the tap.

Image 2 (Settled Loss): Proves the final stakes of this incident. Following the app failure, the system swept the slips into a settled "Lost" status totaling $3,748.61 in lost entry fees.

Which given the newly founded experience I now find myself in changes those terms and conditions I found satisfactory at the time.

Knowing those conditions have changed have also made my decisions in these circumstance change as well in terms of what standards I am held to compared to the standards you hold your company to on the same platform which greatly changes how my interactions would have changed if aware of this key information prior.

With your support representatives refusing to honor the live interface offer your company has given me no choice but to escalate this infrastructure failure to higher agencies.

I have been forced to spend personal resources, time, and emotional duress dealing with a clear corporate breach of performance. As I would greatly prefer as I'm sure underdog would as well, to resolve this matter in good faith before further legal compounding occurs, I am presenting my formal financial demands as follows:

Primary Demand $13,227.00: A credit representing the full potential payout of the impacted entry. Your platform's failure entirely stripped away my contractually offered right to mitigate risk, locking my funds into an unstable environment and forcing a total loss. With which previously were advertised by Underdog as a perk to cancel any and all prior financial risk involved as long as your own "Early Cash Out" feature was still plainly active.

Secondary Settlement Alternative ($3,748.61): A complete void and refund of my total combined entry fees across the slips impacted by the documented application instability during that game window.

If an amicable internal resolution cannot be reached to rectify this failure, I am fully prepared to forward my complete evidentiary packet, server timestamps, and chat logs to the Alabama Attorney General’s Consumer Interest Division which strictly handles fantasy sports registrations and consumer protection under Alabama Code § 8-19F. I will also escalate this file to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Bookmakers Review (BMR), and external mass-arbitration platforms specializing in digital gaming applications where said platform has fraudenly advertised a feature that cannot be used as long as certain requirements are still in play. (I.E.- The early cash out option is still shown to be active and usable.) I have attached screenshots pertinent and supporting my reasons for addressing Underdog and legally backing my concerns with Underdog in very clear pictures as well as clear wording and timelines I expect from Underdog to support the claims I have made and outlined in this correspondence. I have also typed out and drafted emails to all entities and parties conditions and experiences just as these would fall under the jurisdiction in the state of Alabama. As you may or may not be aware the state of Alabama in great many a case all eerily similar such as this particular one and majority verdicts lean heavily towards the consumer and not a company such as underdog. To mitigate damages and save time for myself and my legal console, as well as Underdog and affiliates associated, I forsee no compilations as long as both parties present reasonable terms and solutions given what may have been deemed unreasonable treatment by the company Underdog in the beginning to cause this email to reach the departments responsible for resolution. But for clarities sake depending solely on the timely response presented to me, as well as my legal console, by Underdog then I am more than willing to push this matter to the highest escalons the state of Alabama and my attorney is willing to take pertaining to a matter such as this one. I am expecting a clear correspondence with the terms laid out and what I should expect from underdog in no less than 10 days. After 10 days I have compiled all subject matter and evidence to fully back up my claims and intentions to higher audiences that are willing to take this occurrence head-on and cannot guarantee what their ruling may entail as by that point it is out of my hands. I am aware that the state of Alabama is not a fan of any type of gambling or betting and a favorable outcome is more than certain to lean in my favor in the unfortunate occurrence that a resolution can't be made internally.

I look forward to your timely response so we can resolve this matter professionally.

Sincerely,

Peter Davis

Location: Alabama

Edit 1: Have no idea why people are down voting me just because I had a really good week in this area all I'm doing with this post is creating awareness for the people still using these apps to not expect even though you're held to a certain standard by terms and conditions set by said company that same said company will adhere by their own terms and conditions just a cautionary tell downvote all you want but at least heed my cautions so it doesn't happen to you all unfortunately. Speaking for myself no matter how much I win or lose I wouldn't want anyone else to lose because of something like this fair and square is different but a blatant disregard for the rules set by the people running the app now that's a different story take this as you will it either is for you or it isn't The ones that it is for no harm no foul but for the ones who want to trust these companies and believe they will uphold their own rules that they dictate think again I suppose

Edit 2: If I'm unaware of a better subreddit than this one to post something like this one then by all means do tell. Didn't come here for confrontation won't stay for confrontation trying to find the correct nook for this cranny is all.

Just curious what are the common dynamics.

I’m seeing a lot of Big Law associates posting about their life. I’m actually surprised because some of the things being posted are like working at night after partying, which seems so unprofessional. I know my non-big law firm would not appreciate that at all.

I know not everything online is real, but I’m not even in Big Law and know I couldn’t post any of that without my firm worrying that potential clients could see the posts, etc.

How involved are firms when it comes to becoming an influencer on the side? Just genuinely curious. I always thought it was something that could be limited.

Litigation associate on too many cases. How do you all keep track of and organize your to do lists? I previously used Outlook tasks but the functionality is so limited (no color coding or prioritization besides flags). Now I just have a Word doc with items highlighted in different colors depending on urgency, but I have to copy/paste every time I want to re-org so I don’t love it.

A question for transactional senior lawyers - what value do you get from networking with bankers?

I'm a junior in M&A and I've been told it's always worth doing. Is it because many of them will move on to other roles elsewhere?

This is a broad and superficial comment but I find junior bankers to be a bit painful to talk to. It seems like their environments are so abrasive that they have to put on an air of arrogance (something like a machine-like persona) which makes conversation feel like squeezing blood out of a stone. It really surprises me since their seniors tend to be pretty charismatic.

Thursday evening before the 4th weekend a client decides they want a document turned by Monday. I canceled plans I was looking forward to and spent the holiday weekend working. Will they look at it Monday? Probably not. Do they need it this week at all? Probably not.

I don’t hate the job most of the time, but I find it hard to look forward to things when I know there’s a 50% chance I’ll have to cancel at a moments notice. I know I’m paid for availability but this one stings more for some reason.

I’m a junior lateraling to another V20 firm, and I provided my conflicts check and everything else. Recruiting asked for references (saying they won’t contact them until I clear conflicts and give notice). So I provided two contacts that I think would be fine, but without asking them first.

I’ve now heard that I shouldn’t have even provided references at all until I’ve actually cleared conflicts and given notice, since those I listed could soft decline a reference and then I’m fcked.

TLDR: Will recruiting at the new firm reach out before I give notice? Do partners or seniors ever decline a reference?

It doesn’t make sense for the big firms to be holding out this long if they aren’t going to raise Milbank in some form (increasing salaries, bonuses, or adding a summer bonuses). It only took a few weeks to match last time around. Also, they all have to match anyway, so if they are really taking their time, doesn’t it make more sense that they are doing so to plan a raise? Maybe to see how Q2 turned out? Do I sound delusional or am I making sense?

2L summer. Want to clerk or go to a different firm for full time. Am I being insanely stupid for turning down an offer?

ill probably en day first year with around 1600 hours. I’m in litigation, got positive mid year reviews, and haven’t turned down work. will I get a talking to about the hours?

I’m working as a summer associate at an AM 200 firm. The partners give me a mix of “lawyer/paralegal” work that is substantial legal work and some “admin” work that is less about strictly legal research/drafting pleadings and more “hey make a timeline on this case for me prior to the depo”

My firm allows AI use and for example I’ll feed Claude the publicly available pleadings and just have it give me a timeline table in word format. I’ll review and edit and send to the partner. Takes maybe 30 minutes.

However, I’m starting to get in my own head because the only real feedback I’ve gotten other than some very basic “make the executive summary shorter” type feedback- is that my work is excellent and I’m highly responsive.

But now I’m worried because I’m stitting here thinking that I know I’m not nearly the smartest person in the room so why am I being congratulated for doing something that seems painfully obvious- which is use AI to do the easy work and hardcore bill on something like an MSJ or appellate brief.

I’m a 4th year and have worked with a lot of partners / ran deals etc and am consistently told I perform above my level. I’m working with a new associate (a 6th year) who seems to be eager to prove himself, but he literally talks to me like I’m an idiot that hasn’t done a deal before. I don’t think he means to, but he gives me instructions for such basic things as if I’m a 1st or 2nd year. Idk what to say to him but this is really getting in my nerves and I just want to tell him something (even if in a joking manner). Help!

Leaving fed clerkship and accepted boutique (or mid-law? ~50 attorneys) offer. As much as I can know, the hours will be a lot better (<1800) but its definitely a pay cut to go with. The position is in a city closer to family (who are very excited for me to move!). But now feeling regret about not jumping back to biglaw as I expected and admittedly leaving the bonus behind (🥲)

For context, i had a rough clerkship year personally (luckily my judge was wonderful!) and the job search didn’t pan out as easily as I hoped. i know alot of that was on me! Given my mental health (then and still now) keeping my head mostly above water with my clerkship took almost all the energy i had. Just disappointed in myself in a lot of ways as I expected to end the clerkship year on a much higher note and its just not happening.

this is more so venting with people who “get it“ but will also take any advice if you have it lol

edit: because im a “lawyers are bad at math stereotype 🙃” it was supposed to be less than