If you're happy being a lawyer...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"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."

You must be a management-side lawyer to think that MSPB comes out with the right decisions!

Ha. PP here. I see where you are coming from. I didn't say that the Board comes out with the right decisions. I said that the attorneys in OAC *try* come up with the right decisions. I refrain from giving my opinion of whether they get it right!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"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."

You must be a management-side lawyer to think that MSPB comes out with the right decisions!

Ha. PP here. I see where you are coming from. I didn't say that the Board comes out with the right decisions. I said that the attorneys in OAC *try* come up with the right decisions. I refrain from giving my opinion of whether they get it right!

And BTW, have you been paying attention to the decisions coming out of the Board in the past year? Almost all of them have come down in favor of the employee. The era of management skating on these actions is over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of the PP's posted that she/he is in transactional real estate law and loves it. I was happy to read that is how she/he feels but that's my field, too, and I can't say I love or even like it half the time. It took me some years to realize that the lawyers don't get to put together the deals - the lawyers mainly "paper" the deals that were already put tgoether by the developers and business folks before they even gave a thought to calling the lawyers in. Second of all, plenty of real estate clients are not happy with the way a deal turns out, or falls apart (and take it out on their lawyers). To most clients, the lawyers are a necessary evil in a business transaction (I say that as a lawyer in private practice, and my DH is in house counsel also doing transactional work "putting deals together" and he feels the same way, and his clients are all within his company!), which does not make me feel like I'm really contributing to anything. It doesn't feel fulfilling to me at all, and if I had to do it over again I wouldn't (not sure I'd even be a lawyer, but definitely not in this field in any event). But my point is that what works for one does not work for another, so I'm not sure that everyone's replies will help you, OP.

you and the other PP should be happy you have jobs in 2011 in transactional real estate. My firm shit-canned 8 good lawyers practicing in that area two years ago.

[Anonymous]

I love everything about being a lawyer. The money, the travel, the clients. Okay not the clients as much, but I'm a reader and an analyzer so I constantly am challenged to push my limits in those areas. With the job I've had the last year I have to interact with people a lot more than I am comfortable with, but that is probably a good thing.

[Anonymous]

I love it. I love being regarded as smart and as a subject matter expert. Business people also seem to have a surprisingly low amount of confidence, and sometimes they need me to hold their hand. I love public speaking, and writing. I love the logical, analytical nature of it. I love working as a team towards a goal. It's better than I thought it would be - have a lot of legal relatives, but they practice different types of law.

I love that quality stands out.