Corporate legal departments and law firms were battling for lawyers not too long ago and the in-house hiring market was, as one recruiter quipped last year, the “Wild West.” Legal talent profited from the cash shootouts. But, as with any war, there were casualties. 

Now, as the smoke clears and the sizzling legal hiring market cools, lawyers are coming forward with stories about how poorly they were treated amid the recruiting frenzy and its aftermath. Some said the mistreatment was so bad that they’ve turned their backs on the profession.