Any severely underemployed lawyers out there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is your legal career over/never began?

I’m in ediscovery, need I say more?

Yes. What is that?

It’s not practicing law. It is clicking a mouse

Does it ever occur to you that your bad attitude is one of the main reasons that you are where you are?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is going back to school in one’s 40s a realistic option? My legal career isn’t an option it is over, never began

Is this OP? I wouldn't take on more student debt at this point (in '40's). Do you have any law school debt? What is your family's financial picture like? If your family doesn't rely on your ediscovery salary, you might as well intern or start at the bottom of the barrel somewhere in an industry that you'll enjoy. That's what I would do, at least.

I still owe money, not married no kids. I couldn’t get any interviews for any entry level stuff in any field. I think school would show I sincerely want a new careeer

This is not about your degree - this is about you. You will get another degree and still won't be able to find a job. There has to be a reason you haven't gotten any interviews. Have you asked for feedback on your resume? Are you networking or are you applying through websites?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work in corporate and our in house counsel is a bunch of ex big law people. I seriously don't understand how they come to work every day. reviewing contracts and the such has to be mind numbing.

I work in-house and it is boring but it pays well and hours are reasonable. Have a nice office overlooking the Potomac river and can work remotely. Ideal for attorneys with kids at any age.

I work in house and reviewing contracts is maybe 10% of my job. I spend most of my time counseling the business. It's never boring or mind numbing. I have days when I can't believe how lucky I am to be doing something I actually enjoy and getting paid relatively well for it, with lots of room for possible career advancement as a bonus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any career change advice ?

lose weight, workout and get hard, find rich man to service. Read about Karen McDougal as your model. frequent the DCUM relationship site for guidance on how to complete the transaction

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work in corporate and our in house counsel is a bunch of ex big law people. I seriously don't understand how they come to work every day. reviewing contracts and the such has to be mind numbing.

I work in-house and it is boring but it pays well and hours are reasonable. Have a nice office overlooking the Potomac river and can work remotely. Ideal for attorneys with kids at any age.

This is exactly everyone on our legal team, lol. I will say that most of them are really bright so whenever I want to get away from the typical corporate idiots and have a conversation with someone intelligent I go up to the legal floor

[Anonymous]

I’m in house agency counsel and my job would be great if my boss wasn’t terrible.

[Anonymous]

Leave DC. Seriously. I take a lot of networking lunches for my alma mater and it blows my mind the garbage legal jobs kids will take just so that they can be in DC. We’re talking top-20 law school graduates working as “Law Clerks” for CACI and other dead ends. DC is the only city I’ve lived where these strange and non-transferable jobs exists. These kids are 3 years out of school and haven’t developed a single marketable skill. Legal is about skills, period. Take a pay cut, move, and put in some time at a small firm where you can learn the ropes of legal practice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:maybe a compliance department at a big company? your law degree would come in handy but you wouldn't actually be practicing law.

Compliance is practicing law. Just ask the in house counsel who go head to head with the DOJ and SEC. Yes, they do retain outside counsel t for those types of matters, but the day to day legal advising falls to in house compliance counsel. This is especially the case in fields like government contracting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Leave DC. Seriously. I take a lot of networking lunches for my alma mater and it blows my mind the garbage legal jobs kids will take just so that they can be in DC. We’re talking top-20 law school graduates working as “Law Clerks” for CACI and other dead ends. DC is the only city I’ve lived where these strange and non-transferable jobs exists. These kids are 3 years out of school and haven’t developed a single marketable skill. Legal is about skills, period. Take a pay cut, move, and put in some time at a small firm where you can learn the ropes of legal practice.

+1,000

I don't know what is so attractive about DC if you want to be a practicing attorney. It is a town built on connections - who you know is far more important than what you know. Taking a dead end job is a waste of your time. People in DC judge you based on your academic pedigree and where you work (including your title). Taking a job in flyover country to get some top skills and a solid title is good advice. You then come back to DC for legal conferences and network while you're here. In a few years, you'll have skills, a solid title and connections. Insider tip - if you take a job in flyover country, stay close to your company's lobbyist. S/he will know everyone in town. And can help introduce you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is your legal career over/never began?

I’m in ediscovery, need I say more?

Yes. What is that?

It’s not practicing law. It is clicking a mouse

Oh please. You can hate doc review because it's boring, dead-end, or low paid, but it absolutely is practicing law.
And, fwiw, I've been in both firms and government, and a shocking amount of my work has always been non-practice: hand holding, managing up, making things run better. Lawyer is the catchall job for bright people who see things in context and anticipate problems. Take those skills and leave DC for a small firm somewhere (hopefully you are barred outside DC?) or stay in DC and work in a public defender type role to get litigation experience.