Job Responsibilities
GENERAL PRACTICE OF LAW WITH EMPHASIS ON CRIMINAL, TORT AND
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW. DEALING WITH ANCILLARY PROBLEMS OF CLIENTS
THAT ARE NOT RELATED TO THEIR CASE COMSUMES MUCH TIME AND ONE
CAN'T CHARGE FOR IT.
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Uppers
LAW GIVES A GOOD BACKGROUND WHEN DEALING WITH ALL AREAS OF ONE'S LIFE. IT GIVES
A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF CURRENT EVENTS AND EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD.
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Downers
TO EARN A LIVING REQUIRES A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF TIME. A 40
HOUR WEEK WILL ALMOST COVER YOUR OVERHEAD. I HAVE WORKED A 70 TO
80 HOUR WEEK FOR 20 YEARS. IT IS A KILLER AND DESTROYS ANY LIFE
YOU MAY HOPE FOR. STRESS INCREASES EVERY YEAR AND IS AT LEVELS
THAT IS FAR BEYOND WHAT I, OR MOST OF MY COLLEAGUES CAN
TOLERATE. HEALTH IS AFFECTED GREATLY. ALSO EVERYONE OUTSIDE OF
THE LEGAL COMMUNITY HATES LAWYERS. I, LIKE MOST LAWYERS I KNOW,
DON'T SOCIALIZE WITH OTHERS OUTSIDE OF THE PROFESSION BECAUSE WE
JUST GET TIRED OF BEING ATTACKED. THE NUMBER OF NEW ATTORNEYS
HAS INCREASED SO MUCH OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS THAT THERE IS NOT
ENOUGH WORK FOR EVERYONE TO MAKE A LIVING. MY ACCOUNTANTS
CONFIRM THIS. WE WOULD NEED TO GET RID OF OVER ONE HALF OF
PRESENT ATTORNEYS AND SHUT THE LAW SCHOOLS FOR A WHILE TO MAKE
IT WORK.
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Lifestyle
FOR NEWCOMERS, GO TALK WITH LAWYERS THAT WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH
ABOUT THE PRACTICE, ONES THAT WON'T HAVE THEIR EGOS URGING THEM
TO LIE TO YOU. IF YOU STILL WANT TO PRACTICE, I WOULD URGE YOU
TO GET A SPECIALITY UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE (EX; ENGINEERING, ECT)
THEN GO WORK IN HOUSE FOR THAT INDUSTRY. WORKING FOR THE
GOVERNMENT, STATE OR FEDERAL PAYS VERY LITTLE. PRIVATE PRACTICE
CAN PROVIDE A $100,000 A YEAR OR BETTER BUT WILL BE AT A PRICE
THAT YOU WILL DO NOTHING BUT WORK. MY FATHER IN LAW IS WHAT CAN
BE CONSIDERED A "VERY SUCCESSFULL" ATTORNEY. THE TRUTH IS THAT
HE IS 73 AND STILL HAS TO WORK A 70 HOUR WEEK JUST TO MAKE IT
ALL WORK. IN YEARS PAST HE WAS ABLE TO PUT SOME MONEY AWAY BUT
THE TREMENDOUS INCREASE IN LAWYERS AND THE FACT THAT A LAWYER
HAS TO WORK MUCH LONGER AND HARDER FOR THE SAME MONEY HAS CAUSED
HIM TO GO THROUGH HIS ASSETS. HE WILL DO LIKE ALL LAWYERS AND
DIE AT HIS DESK WITH VERY LITTLE IN THE BANK
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Compensation
THE GOVERNMENT STATISTICS SHOW THAT 90% OF LAWYER MAKE BETWEEN
$44,000 AND $105,000 A YEAR. MY EXPERIENCE AGREES WITH THIS.
BUT TO MAKE THE $105,000 A YEAR OR BETTER, YOU BETTER BE
PREPARED TO WORK 80 HOUR WEEKS. FROM THIS MEDICAL INSURANCE
TAKES A BIG BITE AND HEAVEN FORBID TRYING TO SAVE FOR
RETIREMENT. THERE ARE MANY LAWYERS IN MY AREA THAT I PERSONALLY
KNOW WHO HAVE SIMPLY QUIT CARRYING MEDICAL INSURANCE AS IT IS
JUST TOO EXPENSIVE. IN A SMALL FIRM WE CANNOT DRAW A SALARY AS
INFLOW OF MONEY IS NOT CONSISTENT. WE MAY GO SEVERAL MONTHS AT A
TIME WITHOUT ANY MONEY COMING IN. AS A RESULT WE HAVE TO
CONSTANTLY HAVE EVERYTHING MORTGAGED TO THE BANK IN ORDER TO
MEET OVERHEAD. THIS MAKES IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO FUND ANY
RETIREMENT ACCOUNT.
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Advice to Jobseekers
FOR NEWCOMERS, GO TALK WITH LAWYERS THAT WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH
ABOUT THE PRACTICE, ONES THAT WON'T HAVE THEIR EGOS URGING THEM
TO LIE TO YOU. IF YOU STILL WANT TO PRACTICE, I WOULD URGE YOU
TO GET A SPECIALITY UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE (EX; ENGINEERING, ECT)
THEN GO WORK IN HOUSE FOR THAT INDUSTRY. WORKING FOR THE
GOVERNMENT, STATE OR FEDERAL PAYS VERY LITTLE. PRIVATE PRACTICE
CAN PROVIDE A $100,000 A YEAR OR BETTER BUT WILL BE AT A PRICE
THAT YOU WILL DO NOTHING BUT WORK. MY FATHER IN LAW IS WHAT CAN
BE CONSIDERED A "VERY SUCCESSFULL" ATTORNEY. THE TRUTH IS THAT
HE IS 73 AND STILL HAS TO WORK A 70 HOUR WEEK JUST TO MAKE IT
ALL WORK. IN YEARS PAST HE WAS ABLE TO PUT SOME MONEY AWAY BUT
THE TREMENDOUS INCREASE IN LAWYERS AND THE FACT THAT A LAWYER
HAS TO WORK MUCH LONGER AND HARDER FOR THE SAME MONEY HAS CAUSED
HIM TO GO THROUGH HIS ASSETS. HE WILL DO LIKE ALL LAWYERS AND
DIE AT HIS DESK WITH VERY LITTLE IN THE BANK
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