If you're happy being a lawyer...

[Anonymous]

I am a happy lawyer, but I have a somewhat nontraditional policy-based advocacy type job at a nonprofit. I work 7.5 hrs/day and have a great deal of flexibility. I never bring work home, so it's a perfect job for a busy mommy. I make $70k.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love being a lawyer but I have a very unique job. Law school was ok. I went to a first tier school and did well but it wasn't the best time of my life. I practiced in a big firm for a few years. The money was good, forged a few friendships, but I couldn't wait to get out. Now I work for a specialized federal agency. Although my agency is my "client", really I feel that my job consists of making the right decisions. Rarely am I pushed in a specific direction. I get to apply the law (in an administrative setting) and do what I think is right. I work about 50 hours/week but telecommute 100%. Make about $110K base salary but another $10-20K in bonus. Interesting enough work and great work/life balance.

Can you share which agency?

Not the poster, but I'm willing to bet she works for the MSPB. I would kill to work there.

[Anonymous]

What's the MSPB?

[Anonymous]

I'm happy being a lawyer, but I work at a legal services office and spend my day helping people who wouldn't otherwise have any protections for their rights. For the most part my clients are lovely people and are very grateful for what I do, and I enjoy being an expert in my field. I'm not very well paid (compared to pretty much any other attorney out there), but I have work-life balance (meaning I work around 40 hours a week) and truly enjoy working on my cases. I also have a wonderful office.

I would definitely do it all over again - when I did. As for the career, I'd do it again, but I worry a lot about attorneys just graduating in this tough market. Legal services jobs aren't any easier to come by than other jobs right now, and with the lower pay the wait to find a job is that much harder even after you eventually get one. No idea what I'd do if I wasn't doing this - maybe culinary school? Like that's an easy industry...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's the MSPB?

merit systems protection board

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love being a lawyer but I have a very unique job. Law school was ok. I went to a first tier school and did well but it wasn't the best time of my life. I practiced in a big firm for a few years. The money was good, forged a few friendships, but I couldn't wait to get out. Now I work for a specialized federal agency. Although my agency is my "client", really I feel that my job consists of making the right decisions. Rarely am I pushed in a specific direction. I get to apply the law (in an administrative setting) and do what I think is right. I work about 50 hours/week but telecommute 100%. Make about $110K base salary but another $10-20K in bonus. Interesting enough work and great work/life balance.

Can you share which agency?

Not the poster, but I'm willing to bet she works for the MSPB. I would kill to work there.

Because of the 100% telecommute?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love being a lawyer but I have a very unique job. Law school was ok. I went to a first tier school and did well but it wasn't the best time of my life. I practiced in a big firm for a few years. The money was good, forged a few friendships, but I couldn't wait to get out. Now I work for a specialized federal agency. Although my agency is my "client", really I feel that my job consists of making the right decisions. Rarely am I pushed in a specific direction. I get to apply the law (in an administrative setting) and do what I think is right. I work about 50 hours/week but telecommute 100%. Make about $110K base salary but another $10-20K in bonus. Interesting enough work and great work/life balance.

Can you share which agency?

Not the poster, but I'm willing to bet she works for the MSPB. I would kill to work there.

Because of the 100% telecommute?

As far as I know MSPB doesn't allow 100% telecommute. (Or if they do, it's a well-kept secret!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So for me, whether I like being a lawyer has much more to do with the circumstances of my job than anything else, and I think that is true for a lot of people. There are things I'm more passionate about, like music, but I don't have the talent to make a career out of them. Law is a default that happens to suit me, at least in my current position. So my advice would be, before you commit to law school, to take a hard look at what job would suit you when you come out, and how you will get it.

This is uncannily like my DH. DH is this you?

Nope, I am female.

[Anonymous]

I'm an attorney in private practice at a large boutique. The work is interesting and challenging. I work about 50 hours a week and make BigLaw money. I am very happy being an attorney.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm an attorney in private practice at a large boutique. The work is interesting and challenging. I work about 50 hours a week and make BigLaw money. I am very happy being an attorney.

Are you a partner or on partnership track?

[Anonymous]

I'm a lawyer at a tiny (under 10 lawyer) firm. Love my job and the work-life balance (no telecommute option, but supportive when I need flexibility for the kids and pretty much 8:30-5 unless I have a trial. I'm not making anywhere near bigfirm money, but I went to in state school on scholarship (so no debt) and, for me, the work life balance outweighs the lower salary.

Overall, I love my job, but probably wouldn't do it over. I hated law school but kept going because I wasnt sure what else to do with my life. I got really lucky with finding my firm. But, many of my classmates are unemployed or working and miserable...

[Anonymous]

I am happy being a lawyer. I work in government. The hours are reasonable. The pay is fine. It's family friendly. The work is interesting. But, if I had it to do again, knowing what I know now, not what I knew when I made the decision, no I wouldn't do it again. I don't find my job fulfilling. I am more of a gatekeeper for the money - make sure people get what they are entitled to get but not more. I would prefer a career that really means something - like maybe nursing. But, then there is always the question of whether I could have the family life I have if I had chosen that as my career. So, I'm probably better off on the whole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm an attorney in private practice at a large boutique. The work is interesting and challenging. I work about 50 hours a week and make BigLaw money. I am very happy being an attorney.

Are you a partner or on partnership track?

PP here. I am a partner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love being a lawyer but I have a very unique job. Law school was ok. I went to a first tier school and did well but it wasn't the best time of my life. I practiced in a big firm for a few years. The money was good, forged a few friendships, but I couldn't wait to get out. Now I work for a specialized federal agency. Although my agency is my "client", really I feel that my job consists of making the right decisions. Rarely am I pushed in a specific direction. I get to apply the law (in an administrative setting) and do what I think is right. I work about 50 hours/week but telecommute 100%. Make about $110K base salary but another $10-20K in bonus. Interesting enough work and great work/life balance.

Can you share which agency?

Not the poster, but I'm willing to bet she works for the MSPB. I would kill to work there.

Because of the 100% telecommute?

As far as I know MSPB doesn't allow 100% telecommute. (Or if they do, it's a well-kept secret!)

I'm the one who guessed MSPB. I guessed that because: 1) I know there is a frequent poster who works there and has already posted about being happy with it: and 2) the applying the law in an administrative setting to make the "right" decision" thing. I'm willing to bet she specifically works in the Office of Appeals Counsel.

[Anonymous]

I'm a lawyer (counsel) at at big firm doing litigation and am very happy. I have a great reduced schedule, tons of flexibilitym have terrific friends there, and find the work challenging and interesting about half the time, and routine but painless the other half. I make a ridiculous amount of money for what I do, and at least for now I feel like I have good job security.

The downside is this is as far as I probably will ever advance professionally and if I left/got booted out, there is probably nothing else I could do that is remotely as well-compensated and flexible. I have it good because I've stuck it out there for a long time and have developed good relationships/trusts with the partners who give me work. So I am personally beholden.