Inês Pinheiro resigns from DLA Piper after two weeks, citing burnout and culture clashes
A 29-year-old trainee solicitor who had built an online following as a budding lawfluencer has quit her training contract with DLA Piper just two weeks after starting.
Inês Pinheiro, who previously completed a vacation scheme with the firm, began her contract in September 2025 in the core finance seat. She quickly drew attention for her candid LinkedIn posts, where she expressed apprehension about corporate life even before her start date. “I am not looking forward to it,” she admitted in one post, though she added, “someone needs to bring light to the darkest places.”
Her early doubts soon materialised. In her first week, Pinheiro told her 5,000 LinkedIn followers that she was working from home because burnout had returned. Shortly afterwards, she revealed she had resigned. “I have taken the important decision to resign from my position as a trainee solicitor at DLA Piper,” she wrote.
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The Venezuelan national explained that she was grateful for her short time at the international law firm, describing it as a positive experience overall. “I’m forever grateful for the opportunity and the nice memories,” she said. However, she concluded that “Big Law is not a safe environment for recovering overachievers to heal from burnout.”
Pinheiro also spoke openly about her motivations for entering the legal profession, reflecting critically on her own choices. “What initially drew me to corporate law was greed, fuelled by insecurity, fear and necessity,” she admitted. She used her platform to challenge perceptions of resilience in the sector, asking why it is deemed acceptable for senior lawyers to suffer burnout years into their careers, but not at trainee level.
“We know how competitive the application process is. We know how important achievements and extracurriculars are to secure a TC,” she wrote. “And as the profession becomes more diverse, we’re opening the doors to people from unconventional backgrounds, many of whom are dealing with hardship.”
Pinheiro also disclosed that she had narrowly failed Part 2 of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam, missing the pass mark “by 0.03%”. Despite this setback, she secured her training contract at DLA Piper following her vacation scheme performance.
She has since said that she intends to continue building an online community but is also considering a career outside law. Speaking to RollOnFriday, Pinheiro outlined plans to return to creative pursuits, including writing and illustration. “I have a ukulele at home and I’ve been meaning to learn how to play it for years. I’m exploring the possibility of writing a children’s book based on my dog, and making illustrations for birthday cards and things like that. Maybe I’ll open an Etsy shop. I am not sure yet.”
Responding to critics on social media who labelled her ungrateful, Pinheiro stressed that her decision was not an attack on the profession or those who had built careers in it. “I understand that you have worked incredibly hard to make this profession something honourable,” she said. “I understand that my decisions may look like an attack on your personal and professional choices. But they are not.”
She also sent a lighter message to her detractors on RollOnFriday, suggesting they might benefit from salsa dancing rather than devoting their free time to online criticism.
While Pinheiro’s swift departure may come as a blow to DLA Piper’s trainee retention statistics for 2027, her story highlights broader debates about workplace culture, mental health, and expectations within the legal profession. Her high-profile exit, amplified through social media, has sparked renewed discussion about whether corporate law can adapt to support trainees from diverse and unconventional backgrounds.