Job Responsibilities
I am a practicing attorney, and focus my practice primarily on
labor and employment law. I spend about 60 hours a week engaged
in client counseling, research and drafting, and litigation.
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Job Requirements
I attended the UCLA School of Law and enjoyed the program
tremendously. The classes and professors were excellent, and are
highly regarded in their particular legal fields.
I was able to get all of the classes I wanted, although there
were times when I had to wait a semester or two for a popular
class. The nice thing about UCLA's class selection system,
assuming it still uses the same system, is that priority rotates
from one semester to another. In other words, students who are
low priority one semester are given preferential priority another
and, thus, can usually secure the preferred classes during a
priority semester.
The workload in law school is always demanding, as one might
expect, but I found that it was not unreasonable. I was even
able to work a part-time job at a local law firm during my second
and third years at UCLA.
The grading is done on a forced curve at UCLA. When I was a
student, 20% were given As, 60% were given Bs, and 20% were given
Cs or lower. Needless to say, it really was not too terribly
difficult to get a B in class, but the As required a significant
amount of additional work and effort.
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Uppers
I would have to say that some of the best parts of my job are the court
appearances, depositions, and litigation maneuvering. Labor and employment law
is a great area for new attorneys who want to get their feet wet right away.
Because of the nature and value of such litigation, many cases are handed over to
young associates to handle, which accelerates a young attorney's legal
development.
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Downers
Sometimes the constant bickering with opposing counsel over
trivial matters, and some of the long hours during difficult
crunch times can drag me down. I find, however, that these
periods pass rather quickly and that the more exciting parts of
the job tend to compensate for the "downers."
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Lifestyle
The lifestyle that I enjoy at Bryan Cave is actually fairly relaxed. I put in
my hours and, at times, put in even more hours, but find that on average I really
work a decent shift, usually between about 50 to 55 hours per week, and can
easily hit my 1900 billable hour per year requirement. I usually take nights and
weekends off. I spend most of my free time with my family, but other attorneys
who are single will often attend community activities and social events, which
provides them with greater business development opportunities. The nice thing
about practicing law, particularly at a firm such as Bryan Cave, is that the
attorneys are free to craft their lifestyles as they see fit.
Most of my work is in Phoenix, Arizona, or in the surrounding communities and,
thus, I find that I rarely need to travel. The dress code is relaxed as business
casual has become the norm.
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Compensation
Base salary for a sixth year attorney in the Phoenix office at
Bryan Cave ranges fairly dramatically from about $110,000 to
about $127,000. Additional bonuses are provided for work above
the 1900 hour minimum, namely $10,000 for 2000 hours, and an
additional $10,000 for every additional 150 hours billed up to a
certain maximum (I have never reached the maximum). There is
also an automatic fee sharing bonus for associates who bring in
their own clients -- associates receive $5,000 if they bill
$25,000 in fees to the new clients during the calendar year.
Associates also receive an additional discretionary bonus if they
bill significantly in excess of the $25,000 target.
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Advice to Jobseekers
The job outlook is excellent, as many firms are hiring in this
particular field of law. The best advice that I can give
applicants would be to work hard on their education (good grades
will open a lot of doors), decide what interests them in the
practice of law early, and enjoy themselves along the way.
Although we call the law a profession, and those who practice it
professionals, it is still a job. Young attorneys need not put
their lives on hold to become successful.
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