| Topic Name: |
Law, Pay, Hours, and Quality of Life |
| Message Name: |
lots of choices |
| Date Posted: |
01/05/2002 |
| In Reply To: |
Assuming that I get into a law school in the top 15 to top 5 range, perform reasonably well, and generally enjoy legal practice, what major categories of job opportunities will be available to me upon graduation?
More specifically, I am most concerned about the pay, hours, and quality of life available for those in the varying categories of legal work. For example, do certain areas of law (e.g. biglaw) *generally* have high pay, long hours, and a low quality of life, whereas others may have relatively good pay, shorter hours, and a high quality of life?
Thanks. |
| Message: |
Do well in a top 10 school,
and you'll be able to choose from a variety of options.
BIGLAW firms usually, but not always, offer higher pay initially, longer hours, and
more "commercial" oriented cases and transactions. Littlelaw firms vary from gonzo litigation boutiques that pride themselves on paying more and working more than BIGLAW to "lifestyle" specialist boutiques that focus on avoiding big firm politics and big firm hours, to generalist shops that do the least sophisticated work and can be immensely remunerative (a few personal injury shops) or barely remunerative. In law, whether your first job is BIGLAW or boutique, you make so much of your own fortune by how well you do as a young lawyer. A BIGLAW partner usually makes great money, but many littlelaw partners
also make very good money.
PI big dogs make more money than either, but this requires
jury skills that not everyone has or easily acquires. The bottomw line is that if you get top grades from a top 15, you'll have the banquet before you, and then what you make of the banquet will depend again on you. I know to undergrads, to law students and even to young associates that first job's salary level is the "make or break",but in fact the "make or break" moments really begin to happen in a big way once one is a few years out.
The key is this--get those grades from the best law school you can, and you'll have choices ranging from big money to big lifestyle, with a continuum of more or less of either in between.
|
|
