Job Responsibilities
Litigation Associate. Responsibilities vary by case, but my
focus is on corporate criminal matters. I spend a great deal of
time researching and drafting correspondence and/or court
filings. I assist with internal investigations (witness
interview, document collection, review and production), take
depositions and assist at trial. I work about 60 hours per week,
on average.
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Job Requirements
N/A. Must have a JD and be a member of the appropriate Bar to
practice law.
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Uppers
Intellectual challenge, team work associated with trying a case, reasonably high
salary.
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Downers
Long hours, often tedious/boring details associated with trial
work (document review, e.g.).
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Lifestyle
Frequent business travel; heavy hours (60 hrs/wk on average, some weeks much
more); frequent socializing within the firm (and outside the firm if you're truly
ambitious); business casual dress.
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Compensation
150,000 base salary + bonus (varies); Full range of benefits
(much better than other law firms) with lots of little perks.
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Advice to Jobseekers
Advice to newcomers: Don't choose law by default, really try to
sense whether your interest in it is deep and genuine. Becoming
a lawyer is not a gateway to riches, if that's your bag, take a
job in capital markets or in line management of a growing
company. I love being a lawyer, but many of my colleagues do
not, and they suffer their hasty decision to become one daily.
Job prospects: There will always be a need for skilled junior
attorneys. If you aspire to partnership at a large law firm, you
really need to love the law to succeed because the time
committment is significant. If you are interested in government
service or public interest law, then the outlook for lawyers will
remain fair to good (and demand tends to be fairly consistent).
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