Reply to Wife resents me for not earning more

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP, I'm not well versed in what lawyers make, but 160 does seem pretty low considering the academic cost and yrs spent at school (and therefore not making much money those adult yrs).

What is the average lawyer salary?  If you are making under 50th percentile, then yes I do think she is validated in feeling resentful.  You have loans to pay off, college to save for, and had to sell your house and are now living in a condo/apt.  [/quote]

That’s an extremely complicated question and observation, itself the subject of countless articles/discussion (is a law degree worth it?). Short answer is that median salary for a lawyer is about 120k in the US, with many earning a lot less and those at the top earning way, way, way more. 160k with benefits and a pension and 401k match and cheap healthcare and free commuting is pretty good. Not great, but solid.[/quote]

Yes, 160k for one salary is excellent, particularly when you factor in the obvious quality of life advantages that OP is enjoying (a regular and predictable schedule, rare evening/weekend work, overall lower stress). The vast majority of lawyers making more than this are "paying" for that higher income with very long hours, high stress work environments, and often extremely demanding clients (whether internal or external). I do know some people who don't suffer for the higher income, but they are rare. You have to luck into an in-house position that has a great work environment, or you have to have the exact right personality for one of these high-stress jobs (uncommon).

The bigger issue is that OP and his wife lived in their 20s and through law school as though they assumed that they would be in that higher earning segment of the legal industry. They took out loans on their future and now neither of them wants to pay them back. I feel bad for them, but not that bad. Everyone borrows for law school, but you can make choices to keep that borrowing low. I went to school with people who financed foreign vacations, engagement rings, and luxury apartments with loans. This is dumb, and it should be apparent how dumb and irresponsible it is to anyone with enough critical thinking skills to get an LSAT score. I graduated with 60k in loans, spent a little time in corporate law to get my overall debt down to what felt like a manageable amount long term, and now I pretty much get to do what I want without factoring my debt burden. But I didn't use loans to pay for a Spring Break in Paris at the George V, something numerous of my peers did. That they are now slaving away in Big Law jobs they hate doesn't keep me up at night.[/quote]

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