Job Responsibilities
I'm responsible for drafting all types of legal documents and
communications with and on behalf of clients in the area of
financial services, specializing in derivatives and structured
financial products.
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Job Requirements
While working full time as a legal assistant at a leading
investment bank, I attended law school for four years part-time
in the evening division at New York Law School. New York Law
School was the natural choice because it is located close to, and
strongly affiliated with, Wall Street and the financial district
in Manhattan. During the first two years, I studied required
courses such as contracts, torts, constitutional law, legal
writing, evidence, etc. Then, during the last two years, I took
advantage of New York Law School's "applied skills" approach by
studying international banking, payment systems, securities, and
municipal finance. Most of the evening division students were
also working full time and many of them, like me, were pursuing
careers in the financial services sector. The combination of
attending school with practitioners, taking practical courses
taught by professors who also were practitioners made for a very
rewarding experience. It also helped the graduating class
network for job opportunities.
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Uppers
It's satisfying to specialize in an area of the law, continuously learn more
about it, practice it in depth, and come to understand the underlying principles
that drive the law in that area.
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Downers
I would guess that all attorneys agree that the least desirable
part of the job is taking care of administrative matters like
timekeeping, getting client and matter numbers assigned, and
getting documents produced on time.
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Lifestyle
The atmosphere in the law firm hwere I work is collegial and intellectual.
Partners pass on their expertise to associates and find ways to challenge them to
be better lawyers.
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Compensation
My compensation is in line with the local market in New York City
and is competitive to the compensation paid to in-house counsel
at the investment banks.
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Advice to Jobseekers
Lawyers who practice in the financial services area may view the
legal documentation to be dry and technical and they may question
the value of their work to society but, actually, they are part
of an industry that has a global reach and plays an essential
role to society - - that is putting capital to work where it's
needed.
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