Job Responsibilities
Defend agency against a range of employment-related suits. 4-6
hours a day writing. 1-2 hours a day speaking with clients. 1-2
hours a day attempting to reach settlement with opposing
counsel. 1-2 hours administrative tasks, such as filing,
closing cases, answering e-mails.
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Uppers
Intellectual stimulation. No two cases are ever the same. The facts of some
cases can be very interesting. It is a great feeling when you have been able to
remedy a wrong, or craft a settlement that makes both parties happy. Government
work is fairly low-stress and the hours tend to be fairly regular.
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Downers
Sometimes dealing with a client or opposing counsel or
complainant can be difficult. It is frusterating to have to
defend against some of the frivolous suits. The agency is not
always rights, and you have to defend some cases where you may
believe that the complainant is truly aggrived.
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Lifestyle
Government jobs tend to be 8-5 or 9-6 with additional hours when necessary.
There do not tend to be many social events because the government will not pay
for them, however, the social atmosphere at the workplace tends to be collegial
and very casual. The cases do not tend to deal with life-or-death issues, so the
job does not tend to be overly stressful.
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Compensation
Working for the government is not very lucrative, financially,
and there are no bonuses or stock options, but the hours are
great, and the workload does not tend to be overwhelming.
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Advice to Jobseekers
Being a government lawyer is a great way to gain experience.
The government tends to provide a lot of training opportunities,
which is great. In addition, most government agencies are
understaffed, so junior attorneys are given their own cases
almost immediately, and have an opportunity to litigate much
sooner than their counterparts in large firms.
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