Inside Big Law

Big Law recruiting now starts earlier than ever, often during the first semester of law school and increasingly outside traditional campus interviews. That leaves law students making consequential career decisions before they’ve had much time to understand what working at a large law firm entails. In this special episode, Kyle and Katya draw on a dozen conversations with Big Law lawyers to show what the work looks like from the inside.

Guests describe how they found their firms and specialties, how deal and litigation teams fit together, and how junior lawyers learn through first drafts, feedback, supervision, and early opportunities to take on responsibility. They also speak candidly about one of the central tradeoffs of the work: high compensation alongside long hours and schedules driven by supervisors, clients, courts, and opposing counsel.

The episode also looks at what it takes to make that intensity sustainable, including setting boundaries, reducing hours, and finding senior lawyers who will advocate for you. Kyle and Katya examine the difference between mentors and sponsors, the path toward partnership, and why some lawyers ultimately decide to stay, cut back, or leave for something that fits their lives better.

Along the way, they use NALP and law school employment data to put Big Law in context: how recruiting timelines have accelerated, how access to large firms varies dramatically by school, and how many law graduates take this path. Check out NALP's class of 2025 research and the Law School Transparency tools on LawHub.

Featured voices:

Rachel Frank, Episode 131, Understanding the Appeal: Supreme Litigation from First Draft to Oral Argument

Juan Dawson, Episode 108, Adapting to Biglaw: Getting Plugged into the Energy Sector

Storm Lineberger, Episode 158, Fine Print, Big Money: Making Insurers Pay Up

Eric Lauria-Banta, Episode 64, Inside the Deal Room: Unpacking M&A, VC Financing, and Work-Life Balance

Audi Syarief, Episode 129, Trading in Gray Areas: How Sanctions Shape International Business

Alexis Taitel, Episode 121, From Clerkship to Private Practice: Research, Writing, and Challenging Assumptions

Bola Adeniran, Episode 96, Courtroom Theater: Early-Career Complex Litigation at a Large Firm