I also do administrative appeals. It's not the most interesting job but it's flexible and I have a high quality life outside of work.

I have been a fed for nearly 15 years and am happy. I worked for a few years out of law school writing administrative appeals, which I enjoyed, but did not want to do forever. Now, I'm in an appellate section at DOJ. The work is interesting, the people on my team are friendly and collegial, there are opportunities for advancement, and I have a lot of autonomy in terms of how I handle my cases. My schedule is not as flexible as some other places in government (no AWS, no telecommuting), but far more flexible than my friends at Big Law.

I am happy. I do administrative appeals. The work is ok, but mostly I am happy bc of the flexibility of my schedule and the low stress work environment.

Anonymous wrote:A number of career judicial law clerks are very happy.

That is my dream job, having done a 2-year clerkship that I loved. However, I am very happy at my agency, doing a mix of appellate litigation and the sort of work one finds in a typical general counsel's office. It is not as interesting as some of the work I did at a big law firm, but then again it rarely has giant document productions, which I detest. So it has neither the highs nor the lows of some other jobs I've had, but it's a good fit for me overall.

Anonymous wrote:Are there any happy federal government lawyers out there? If so, would you share where you work and what type of work you do? I'm trying to determine whether I need to change agencies (short term) or simply just leave government altogether (long term). I do strict admin law--writing regulations--and find my work both boring and frustrating. Thank you.

FWIW, I do exactly what you do and I love it. Unless your boredom/frustration is specific to the way your agency does things, I don't see that changing employers (in or out of govt) will help: sounds like you need a new practice area. Could you offer to cross-train in something different, or be secunded to another division in your agency?

A number of career judicial law clerks are very happy.

I am at an agency where I believe in our mission and most of what we do. I'd say about 1/3 of my work is rulewriting, 1/3 is defensive litigation, and 1/3 is ongoing counselling. I like it a lot-- the work can be very challenging, but at the same time there is a lot of bureaucratic crap that goes on.

Anonymous wrote:I love my job. I do investigations and litigation. It is more boring than my firm job because I now work with a narrow area of the law and all my cases are variations on three themes. in short, it is easier and less challenging than my old job. But that is why we call it work and not fun.

What agency are you with?

I am very happy. I am at a DOJ agency doing quasi litigation, legal reviews and advisory to law enforcement agency. I love it! I worked very hard but I am also lucky my path took me to my current position. It wasn't always easy or perfect but there are awesome, challenging, interesting govt jobs out there.

I love my job. I do investigations and litigation. It is more boring than my firm job because I now work with a narrow area of the law and all my cases are variations on three themes. in short, it is easier and less challenging than my old job. But that is why we call it work and not fun.

The lawyers I know who do interesting affirmative litigation where you are doing a clear public good (FTC, DOJ civil rights) tend to be happier. I did rule writing for a time and wanted to scratch my eyeballs out because of the unbearable politics.

Most I know are a bit bored but happily trade that for decent pay and relatively great schedules.

Are there any happy federal government lawyers out there? If so, would you share where you work and what type of work you do? I'm trying to determine whether I need to change agencies (short term) or simply just leave government altogether (long term). I do strict admin law--writing regulations--and find my work both boring and frustrating. Thank you.