32-year-old lawyer quits job, takes $150,000 pay cut to curb burnout
Emily Hayes when he became a lawyer, he knew what he was signing for.
Long hours, difficult clients and payment pressures are synonymous with work. However, for Hayes, the intellectual challenge and the chance to help people made these sacrifices feel worthwhile.
What he didn’t expect was how quickly it happened exhaustion or how much his work would overshadow other parts of his life.
Hayes, 32, graduated from Stanford Law School in 2019. He spent the next two years working for a large international law firm in Redwood Shores, California, followed by a clerkship for a federal district court in Portland, Oregon.
In October 2021, he joined O’Melveny & Myers, a major law firm in Los Angeles, as a partner.
After years of moving between jobs and cities, Hayes was optimistic about this new chapter in his career.
His colleagues supported him, the tasks were attractive and the salary was generous. By the time he was 30, Hayes was earning more than $300,000 a year.
However, beneath the surface, the grind was taking its toll.
Its “breaking point” occurred in April 2023. Hayes worked late Saturday morning to prepare for the arbitration, hours after leaving the office at 11:00 pm the day before. He was preparing for a big trial, but his stress and fatigue had been lingering for months.
That morning, he broke down as he looked at his computer screen. She recalls that “I started sobbing” because someone close to her was having a hard time and she regretted being at the office instead of at home supporting them.
“I felt like I had to choose between coming to work the way I was expected to and showing up the way I wanted to for the people I loved,” she said. CNBC do it. “I panicked because of the tension between the two of them.”
Hayes adds, “Working at a law firm can make your life so unpredictable. You can never count on having free time in the evenings or logging off before 10 p.m. I think you really have to love what you do to make this trade, and feel it’s worth it outside of your time.” “
At this moment, Hayes made a silent promise to himself – that he would find a new job within a year.
The transition from law to technology
That spring, Hayes began reaching out to former classmates and colleagues for advice. Through these conversations, she learned about a growing career path in the legal sector: product consulting.
Product consultant roles, particularly popular in Silicon Valley, involve working in-house at tech companies to provide legal and regulatory guidance on products and services.
Unlike traditional law firm roles, product counsel positions often combine legal expertise with business strategy. “You’re a little less concerned with the law than weed and more with business strategy, which I’ve always been really interested in,” Hayes explains.
In October, a Stanford classmate mentioned that a tech company he worked for in San Francisco was hiring for a product consultant position.
The job came with two tradeoffs: Hayes would have to move to San Francisco, and the base salary was about $220,000 plus an annual bonus after his first year. up to 15% of his total salary depending on his performance and other company indicators.
That was a significant reduction from his salary at the law firm — about $150,000 less than his current earnings of $370,000 ($295,000 in base salary and $75,000 in bonuses) and $200,000 less than the $435,000 he will make next year in his fifth year. link to salary and bonus increases.
However, the role promised a more balanced lifestyle: consistent 40-hour work weeks, the flexibility to work from home two days a week, and the opportunity to advise on cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
After careful consideration, Hayes made up his mind low wages It was a small price to pay for his well-being and a fresh start in an exciting new field.
He applied for the position in October 2023, received his offer letter in December and started his new job in January 2024.
Hayes says her colleagues at O’Melveny & Myers have been “really kind and supportive” of her decision. To facilitate a smooth transition, he created a detailed list of his ongoing work and a proposed succession plan for his departure from the firm.
Living on a tighter budget
Adjusting to a six-figure pay cut was “a lot harder” than Hayes expected.
With her previous income, Hayes says, she can “spend without much thought or stress,” whether it’s ordering take-out a few times a week or making significant payments on student loans without worrying about having enough money left over for rent.
Hayes, who now makes about $150,000 less than she did a year ago, says she has to pay more attention to her monthly spending and savings, while also being responsible with her budget.
Last year, he started creating TikToks to document his budgeting efforts and gather advice from other professionals in similar situations.
“I’m really blessed that I’m still making enough to live comfortably,” Hayes says, adding that the cost of living has been a bit higher since moving from LA to San Francisco. “The biggest change with this pay cut, of all things, has been changing my mindset around money – I’ve realized that even if my purchases don’t seem extravagant, I have to put a lot of thought into them.”
‘Having that freedom and balance is priceless’
Now, approaching his first anniversary at the tech company (which he chose not to name), Hayes says he’s “really happy.”
For Hayes, the $150,000 pay cut was no sacrifice; it was an investment in his health, his relationship, and his future. During the first five years of his legal career, he often struggled with insomnia and stress
“I couldn’t change my mind,” he says. “I had trouble falling asleep at night and developed constant jaw pain – but since I left my old job, all those symptoms have disappeared … it’s crazy.”
The hardest part of his new gig, he says, has been figuring out how to spend his suddenly free evenings and weekends.
“On weeknights, I spend more time with friends, go to Pilates, pick up new hobbies, bought a sewing machine,” she says. “Having that freedom and balance is priceless.”
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