I have impeccable credentials and was on a strong partnership track at my firm. Even so, I knew the chances of making partner at a large firm were not in my favor. I worked with a headhunter who placed me at my current firm which is a small firm. Whenever one of our placed candidates starts new employment, I worry about how they are going to handle those first few months of adjustment.
Culture shock is the appropriate expression.
The large law firms expect their employees to put in long, grueling hours. In fact, the law firm becomes more of a home than the employee's actual domicile. Because of the amount of time spent at the firm's offices, there tends to be certain distractions and niceties within the confines of the firm itself. In addition, the support is unbelievable. Secretarial and paralegal staff around the clock, the latest technology in computer systems, telephones, copy machines, etc.