A few random thoughts on finances and biglaw. Not all of them are applicable to your particular situation, but I thought I would post them anyway. You can skip directly to #5.
1. Save up a $30k emergency fund. You are more than likely going to be fired or gently asked to leave the firm at some point and you may not be able to find a job for months. It's not a matter of if you are going to get shown the door; it's a matter of when.
2. Once you have a cash cushion, pay down high-interest debt as fast as possible. This is probably your 8.5% Grad Plus loans, of which many graduates have a large amount outstanding. I would pay these off before even thinking about putting money away. Some of my friends have $15-18k in interest every year. It makes me sick just to think about.
3. Max your 401k once your high-interest debt is paid off. This should be a given, but inexplicably there are associates who don't do it. Most of us are paying at least 35%+ of tax on our marginal dollar of earnings, yet people still do not take advantage of this option. Do not listen to the people telling you a Roth is the way to go. Don't throw away a 35% gift because "future taxes will be high."
4. Pay down the rest of your debt with any remaining money. Do not take any expensive vacations or make any major purchases until this debt is gone.
5. Don't get sucked into the golden handcuffs lifestyle. This is a big problem for some associates. You are going to be invited to parties at the $2m houses owned by the partners. You can't afford these. You can't even afford a $300k condo in Hoboken. You are like an NFL player with a limited career - you need to accept that. This is not a "career" that you keep up for decades, so you need to bank as much now as possible.
6. Don't buy a home while you're in biglaw. You don't want to be tied to one location when you're looking to lateral into government or go in-house. Also you will spend very little time actually living in your home, so no point in dropping a ton of money on it and then furnishing it.
7. Don't slum too far though. Assuming you're in Manhattan or a similarly expensive city, you may be tempted to live with a roommate in Queens to save cash. This works if you're a person that can tolerate adding a lengthy commute on top of an already absurd work day, but be careful you don't add to your already ridiculously high probability of burn-out. Sure, this works for people who work a 9-5 and are ok with commuting. But they don't have to work from 9am to 4am, go home, shower and be back in the office by 8am. You do. From a financial independence standpoint, you're better off making your job as tolerable as possible and allowing yourself to earn $250,000 for another year of your life. Saving $500 a month but moving to a crappy living situation may push you over the edge. It would be nice to move to the suburbs, but it's just not practical for me because the commute would be exhausting after an 18-hour day. It would make me want to quit my job more than i already do, so I spend a little extra money to stay sane. Don't spend more than $2k/month and you'll be fine.
8. Don't sweat the small crap. Worrying about spending $1 on coffee or $4 on a sandwich that helps you get through the day is pointless.
9. Consider the HDHP and contributing to an HSA. A little extra tax savings for you and you won't have time to go to the doctor anyway.
10. Seamless, seamless, seamless. Order the full amount you're permitted at your firm and eat the rest tomorrow for lunch. But be a grown-up about it. Order multiple salads - not multiple cheeseburgers.
11. You don't "deserve" anything. One of the associates at my firm spent $15,000 on a 2-week European vacation last summer because "he deserves it since he works so hard". He has $125k in loans still outstanding. Don't be him. Don't have that mentality.
12. If you're married, most firms have very generous paternity/maternity leaves. If you're planning to have a kid, have it right before you quit.
13. Get the hell out of biglaw. It's not worth it.