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Many lawyers are, by their nature, people who like to complain and people who feel entitled. A lot of law school students also get caught up in some fantasy about their career, and then become disillusioned when the reality doesn't match up. Being a lawyer is like most other jobs. You have bosses, managers, angry customers, etc...When I'm down on my job, I always remind myself it's better than cleaning out the deep fryers at Earls.

The salaries can be very high, but you won't get there without working hard. The reality of the situation is that there are a lot of lawyers out there. So firms have cut back on salaries (relative to inflation at least) while not decreasing work hours. So if you are at the bottom of a firm, you will work very stressful and long hours without a huge monetary reward for that work. The vast majority of people who succeed at large firms have connections, either in law or an industry that can bring in business. Usually these are family connections.

There has been a huge generational shift, where work loads have increased substantially for lawyers, but the monetary payouts and buying power of their salaries have decreased. Although, this may be a problem with society as a whole, and not reserved to the legal industry. For example, my friend's father, with his 4 year call salary, purchased his home and the office building he worked in. Most new lawyers today rent reasonably sized apartments.

Even working for a small firm can be difficult, as it will require dealing with a senior lawyer. Many lawyers who are great at law have less than enjoyable personalities. Basically, dealing with other lawyers is probably the worst part of the job.

In terms of "job satisfaction", I think that one again goes back to an issue of expectations. I can't think of any paying jobs that provide a constant feeling of satisfaction or positive feedback. Law may be different, in that it's an industry of conflict, so there is an added psychological toll, which can be overwhelming.

My advice would be that if you have a specific industry you are interested in, pursue that instead of law school or perhaps consider an MBA towards that goal. Also, realize that law school and being a lawyer are a huge commitment. That being said, I know several people from law school who just said F-it and worked in other industries post law school. So even if being a lawyer isn't for you there are other options.