Lawyers who love your jobs--what do you do?

[Anonymous]

Big firm, part-time, happy happy.

[Anonymous]

Fed. govt. lawyer and yes, I like my job -- emphasis on "like," not "love" as in your subject line - I'm not sure there is an attorney job I would love, but I like my practice area and I work with incredibly smart attorneys who are also really nice, interesting people. My office is a very pleasant place to go every day and is very family friendly and this is extremely valuable to me as a working mom. I'm busy, but not too busy and the hours and stress level are usually quite reasonable and regular.

I used to be at a private firm and took a 40% cut when I left about 5 years ago (salaries were not quite as high at firms at that point, by now I could make 150% more at a firm) BUT I am still able to make a low six figure salary working for the govt. That allows for a decent lifestyle in this area. Obviously, more money would be nice but there is no way I could handle full-time at a firm.

I sometimes wonder whether part-time at a firm would work and allow me to make more money for fewer hours, but I suspect the hours would be unpredictable and the job would be more stressful so it is not something I've pursued.

[Anonymous]

Another federal government attorney who loves her job here--the work is really interesting, the people are great, and there's plenty of flexibility in terms of hours if something comes up with my son. I never worked for a firm--came straight to the government from law school almost ten years ago--so I can't really comment on the pay difference, but I will say that the top of the government pay scale, which is where most senior attorneys are, is a comfortable living.