Psychologically Preparing for Big Law (w/ Sarah Cottrell) | Law Student Mentorship Series

Law Student Mentorship Series [Mosaic Scholars/ Network] Big Law doesn't break folks down because the substantive work is "too hard". If you made it all the way to the AMLAW 100, odds are you can handle the intellectual rigor. Big Law can break attorneys down by, often times, being "psychologically unsafe", and most high-achievers have no framework for guarding against that when they walk in.I (Bryson Malcolm) talk with Sarah Cottrell, founder of Former Lawyer and host of The Former Lawyer Podcast. Sarah graduated from The University of Chicago Law School and spent 3 years in big law before transitioning to a judiciary role, and she's spent the last several years interviewing and working with many lawyers who left Big Law as well.We get into why firms are good at marketing mental health, yet are often bad at supporting it, how toxic partners run teams in ways that train associates to assume they're the problem, and what's going on economically that lets some problematic rainmakers keep their power no matter what they do.The conversation also moves into what happens when someone reports misconduct, why calling a labor and employment attorney before HR is often the better move, how bias shifts the math for women and lawyers of color, and why burnout is baked into the pyramid model rather than a reflection of personal weakness.The back half of the episode is about preparation. We talk through what a real support system looks like before you start: a therapist who understands trauma, a short list of non-negotiables you've written down somewhere you'll actually look at, a network of former big law attorneys who can reality-check you, and friendships outside the lawyer bubble that keep you grounded when the firm starts feeling like your whole world.Worth a listen if you're starting at a firm soon or trying to figure out whether what you've been feeling is you or the Big Law environment itself.