Big Law
Sister
in
your unofficial mentor to thriving in (and leaving) the Big life
Who is your (big) Sister in Big Law?
I’m a senior associate. Eight years and two Am Law 100 firms later, here is what I know.
Success in Big Law requires so much more than hard work. But, the Big Law promise of “work hard, do good work, and you’ll be promoted” remains alive and well, and almost every junior associate buys into it.
Today’s promotion reality is drawn out and complicated, with multiple parking spots between associates and partners. To get ahead at every step, you not only have to produce excellent work, you also have to be savvy. You need to know how to navigate the institution—the relationships, the politics, the unwritten rules, and the moments that define your reputation before you even realize they’re happening. Big Law doesn’t openly talk about any of it, let alone teach it. And the chances of finding a mentor who will are lower than anyone wants to admit.
I know this because I lived it. I witnessed stellar attorneys get passed over for promotion. I watched colleagues burn out. I saw stealth layoffs. I made it to the mid-level years before I truly understood what it took to get ahead—and by then, some of the most important opportunities had already passed me by.
I built Sister in Big Law because I don’t want that to happen to you. I want you to be savvy from day one.
This is not your 60-year-old law professor telling you how it was when they spent a year in Big Law before landing an adjunct position. This is not your mid-50s partner telling you that if you just do good work, you’ll make partner at year eight and retire from the firm at 65. This is not your 40-year-old career services director reliving their OCI experience from the Myspace era.
This is a senior associate who is still in it—who has seen behind the curtain, survived the learning curve, and wants to give you the roadmap that she never had.
No Reddit rabbit holes. No blogs written by bitter former associates. No generic advice from opportunistic headhunters. Just real, practical, insider guidance on how to get ahead.
If you are a…
First Generation Associate navigating Big Law for the first time without any roadmap, family member who’s been there, or anyone to tell you what you don’t know;
Junior Associate trying to level up on the work that will get you noticed while protecting your sanity; or
Mid-level Associate who’s got the hang of it but is starting to focus on what’s next—whether that’s the corner office or the exit ramp
… your Big Sister’s got you.
Courses
Years of experiential learning at your fingertips
The Tea on Year 1
For First Year Associates...
A free mini-course to flatten your learning curve and help you thrive in Year 1. Five days of real strategies to navigate billing, avoid burnout, and build the relationships that will make or break your career.
Coming August 2026
The Toolkit
Skills-based courses for the things your firm won’t teach you
Orientation rarely covers the way lawyers in Big Law actually work or what they expect. The Toolkit aims to bridge this gap by teaching practical, day-to-day skills to help associates thrive—everything from how to make a binder and organize your case files, to write an email that actually gets answered.
Coming September 2026
The Know How
Strategy and insights for every stage of your career
Courses built to decode the unwritten Big Law rulebook. The billable hour and what it really means for your career. Managing up without losing yourself and managing down without losing your team. Positioning yourself for promotion before it’s too late. Reading the writing on the wall when it’s time to leave.
Coming Fall 2026
Interview Prep
For when nothing short of ready will do.
AI can help you prepare. But it won’t get you the job. Whether you’re interviewing for a Summer Associate position, a lateral move, or something else entirely, The Full Prep is a three-part, end-to-end interview preparation experience: a discussion, a deep-dive strategy session, and a full mock interview. So that when you walk into that (Zoom) room, you’re not just hoping for the best. You’re ready.
