I was having a conversation with a good friend this weekend.
A friend who made great grades at a very good law school, and who is employed in a shitty small law firm in a shitty small town making shitty money doing boring shitty work.
A friend who made great grades at a very good law school, and who is employed in a shitty small law firm in a shitty small town making shitty money doing boring shitty work.
me: Ugh I don’t wanna study. I just want a government job with
decent pay and good hours. Is that too much to ask for?
Friend: sure doesn’t seem
like it is
me: I mean… 50k a year working 8:30-4:30
and I’d be thrilled. THRILLED!
Friend: I'll be honest...the
only reason I’m sticking this lawyer bullshit thing out is because I would feel
guilty as fuck if I left the profession
me: well
and what the fuck else would you do?
Friend: movie star
me: lol
I mean I'd do something else, I guess. If there was something
else to do.
Friend: you could write
I’ve thought about doing that myself
me: I've thought about
that too
but where can i get a job writing that pays 50k?
Friend:
right
me: find me that job and
my resume is in their inbox before they get to work in the morning
SO...
First off let this serve as a potential warning to those of you thinking about law school. This is not an unusual conversation. Basically everyone I know is in this situation. Friends from top 10 law schools with 5+ years of experience are doing contract work, hoping they can turn it in to an offer for a full time position.
Second - Seriously... What else is there to do? What is everyone doing? I have had a couple public defender interviews that unfortunately haven't panned out, and honestly that's really the only job I want and would consider taking.
Yeah, I realize I'm being pretty discriminating, but that's because I know I'd jump out my window at a job doing foreclosure defense, billing 2200+ hours a year, etc. (No offense to people with jobs like that/in that practice field - just throwing out there what I know I would hate).
I said I would never start my own firm because I don't want to be responsible for bringing business in... While I didn't start my own firm, I'm currently responsible for bringing my own business in. I eat what I kill. I love the lawyering aspect of it. That's why I know I'm in the right profession. But DEAR GOD I hate trying to bring business in. I don't want to advertise. I don't want to hustle and hand out business cards at the courthouse. I just want to practice law. That's it.
This is a huge reason for me taking the Texas bar exam. I'm hoping that if I can get licensed in Texas I can get some court appointments (since most Texas counties don't have public defender offices to take indigent defense cases, whereas just about everything in Illinois is handled by PD's). However that still leaves me on my own to figure out the rest of it, since it would be next to impossible to make enough money to live off of court appointments alone.
So at what point do I give it up?
At what point do I "give up the dream" and look for "something else"?
And I'm being 100% serious here - what IS "something else"? What else could I do?
If I were to start seriously looking for something outside of the practice of law - what would I do? Has anyone successfully made that transition? Where do you even begin?
As I'm rounding the corner on Barzam 3.0, I've found myself wondering the same thing.
ReplyDeleteI hate trying to bring in business. It's exhausting and absolutely not like being a lawyer. I don't know when you throw it in, but I wish it wasn't so hard out there. I have friends who are still unemployed too and selling cars. Cars! I honestly don't recommend law school to anyone who asks.
ReplyDeleteI hope you find some direction.
I've practiced in both NZ and the UK and studied in the US and had several iterations of my career as a lawyer. I've discovered that I get the most job satisfaction out of working for good people with good hours...good, interesting work helps, but I nearly killed myself with commitment and hours in jobs that I was passionate about. I still think about leaving the law daily though...it's just I can't work out what's next either.
ReplyDeleteMost people I know who started out as lawyers are still just that, but they've traded down for more specialised work in boutique firms with better lifestyles. Once you have a few years' experience in the law things get so much better and your options broaden.
Hope that doesn't sound too smug or preachy or something - I really feel for you lady!
My current inspiration for a lawyers who has a growing non-legal career is Meredith Atwood - her site is http://www.swimbikemom.com/
ReplyDeleteSeriously how nice would that be - to get paid to talk about what you're passionate about?!??!
I am not a lawyer....but I am a CPA that works in Big Four and I recently made a transition into a complete CAKE job that pays me more and requires me to work way less (I had 2275 billable hours last year). And I hate to admit it...but I miss my old job. I miss the challenges, my staff (yes, even the shitty ones), the client interaction, the "thrill" (pretend I didn't say that).....I guess what I am trying to say is sometimes you don't know what you have until it is gone. Like I said, I am not a lawyer, so if it really is that bad, you could always turn the blog in to a full time gig! ;)
ReplyDeletejust so you know, this post terrified me ;) I am a jobless 3L and I have no idea how this is all going to turn out.
ReplyDeleteMy husband began his career as a public defender in Indianapolis, IN. He loved the job and got tons of experience. He followed me to TX when I got a faculty position here and now he's a prosecutor here. Keep trying with the public defender if you can (he had his application in for half a year or so and one day just happened to get the call)...it's great work (tough but very important).
ReplyDeleteBLOG!!!!!! I'm no help, but I can tell you writing? It doesn't pay a whole lot. Good luck with the Texas bar and any transition that is to come. I'll be thinking about you!
ReplyDeleteOur firm starts associates out doing a fair amount of court appointed work. It seems that just by being involved in the local bar that way, other attorneys see how you do and sometimes refer you work if there's a conflict and whatnot. Takes a while to build up the reputation, and the pay for court appointed work isnt great, but it's something.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea but this post scares me too (as a *now* jobless law graduate).
ReplyDeleteI do know of a few people from my school who have entered politics (working on various campaigns and at thinktanks) and a couple are working at a local mortgage center. The people at the mortgage center seem to love it, I guess the quality of life there is pretty great. In fact, a few attorneys in the area have quit law altogether to be loan officers there.
I practiced law for awhile before going back to school to get my M.A. in Counseling Psychology. I'm now doing the job hunt in that field, but I already love it way more than law. I did my practicum in a psych hospital, which is stressful, but I enjoyed it so I know it's the right field for me.
ReplyDeleteThere's a great blog out there about a woman who left the practice of law and is now paying off her student loan debt. She posts some great stuff about this topic: http://attorneytotemp.blogspot.com/
Thanks Lawfrog - I just spent a solid hour reading her blog. Interesting, to say the least.
DeleteI truly cannot imagine going back to school at this point. My parents and grandparents have paid for WAY TOO MUCH school, I've taken on enough debt, and after my bar exam dealings I cannot imagine paying for schooling for something that I'd have to pass a test to practice. But it's nice to know that the transition can be made!
Here's a thought for another job. Principal position is open at your high school. HA! Would you not love to guide all those girls to greathood. What a job.
ReplyDeleteI second the move to the political arena. I'm not a lawyer but I worked in state government for many years. While lawyers are a dime a dozen, there's a ton of opportunity and ways you can take your career - the legislature, either on the staff of a member or in the bill drafting depts, lobbying (it sounds like a bad word but can be wonderful in the right situation), associations, none profits, the state AG office, etc. It's like anything else, it's about a foot in the door, but once you're in you can move around and pay increases typically come with every move. I started out (again not a lawyer, just a staffer) at $23,000 but in less than 10 years I was at $65,000. A lawyer would certainly start at where I left off dollar-wise.
ReplyDeleteI graduated in 2011 and was a lawyer for about four months...it sucked and I cried almost every day. Once I got so stressed out in a meeting about mandatory weekend work that I literally got sick aferward. Obviously I was not cut out for the law. Anyway, I used my writing background to get a job as a technical writer...I combined the "Hey, I can write simply and well" part of my journalism degree with the "I can handle really complex processes/concepts" part of my law degree, and so far technical writing has been a really good it. It's pretty dry, but I leave every day by five, make really decent money, and have almost zero stress.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about transitioning into becoming a technical writer. I have an English degree and recent J.D. grad. I don't like the practice of law and regret going to law school but couldn't take wasting all of that money after the first year to even think about dropping out. I love editing and writing and am certain I would enjoy the job, but it seems difficult to get into. Is the journalism degree necessary? How did you find a job in technical writing with no experience? Most of the job postings I see require some kind of experience. I appreciate any guidance!!
Delete