Specifics of a government attorney career

[Anonymous]

The hours are far better than firm hours, but they are not always short. A lot depends on the timing of your workload, the progress of your cases, etc. I still think it is a great switch and the work-life balance is dramatically better, but don't assume you'll be working 40-hour weeks every week (even if that's technically what you report you're working). But some weeks, maybe!

[Anonymous]

Couple more thoughts from gov't employment law attorney here...

1) Hours in government and in-house can vary greatly depending on the Agency or corporation. I don't think you could say one is definitely easier than another, but my bet would be that the hours are a bit more regular in government. I have friends in-house who work like dogs. And I also have friends who have really nice in-house jobs.

2) I have gotten the money question, along with the "why do you want to work in gov't" question on several interviews, and the answer was pretty easy for me (and truthful). My Dad taught me a long time ago never to grow into my firm bank account. I never have. I suspected early on that I wanted a different lifestyle, so giving up the money really wasn't that hard. I took a 50% paycut when I made the transition.... but I was at a big firm making obscene amounts of money, and I went to the top of the GS scale (still making more than enough). But when I was asked, I said, "I have always planned leave the firm life behind, I want something different out of my career... " yadda yadda. And I HAVE linked it to the work hours issue. I have told prospective employers I'm looking for more balance in my life. I've told them I don't mind working hard at all, but I no longer want to be working 60-80 hours a week on average. I feel this is a fair and truthful answer, and it also gives them an idea of what I'm looking for. If they want an attorney who's working "firm" hours for a government salary, they should choose someone else. My first government job the interviewer stressed to me (multiple times) how committed they were to the 40-hour week. That was music to my ears. I left that job for other reasons, but my current job is equally good. Most good attorney offices don't want an attorney who is going to leave at 5 every day regardless of whether or not the work is done. We are, after all, professionals. And sometimes working late is part of the game. But I think attorneys in government generally have a much much better life balance.