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Posted on 3/18/25 at 7:57 am to Masterag
I've done all 3.
Small firm life (right out of law school) was still firm life: billable hours and eating shite as the low man on the totem pole.
I was in-house for about a dozen years. No billables, Fortune 100 corp life was a goddamned breeze if you could put up with endless, mindless meetings. The problem was incremental pay growth (corps don't generally bonus like law firms) and waiting on the guy/lady above you to die/retire was the only way to advance without changing jobs every few years.
Now I'm solo practitioner. It suits me the best. Total flexibility/freedom to do or not do whatever work I want. The downside, of course, is that the buck stops with me and if I'm not working (either making rain or pushing paper) then the whole machine stops.
Someone said it best above: you don't really know what kind of law you want to practice yet. Pick one that suits your personality/temperament or you'll be miserable no matter what kind of work it is.
Small firm life (right out of law school) was still firm life: billable hours and eating shite as the low man on the totem pole.
I was in-house for about a dozen years. No billables, Fortune 100 corp life was a goddamned breeze if you could put up with endless, mindless meetings. The problem was incremental pay growth (corps don't generally bonus like law firms) and waiting on the guy/lady above you to die/retire was the only way to advance without changing jobs every few years.
Now I'm solo practitioner. It suits me the best. Total flexibility/freedom to do or not do whatever work I want. The downside, of course, is that the buck stops with me and if I'm not working (either making rain or pushing paper) then the whole machine stops.
Someone said it best above: you don't really know what kind of law you want to practice yet. Pick one that suits your personality/temperament or you'll be miserable no matter what kind of work it is.
Posted on 3/18/25 at 7:59 am to wesfau
I’d also say pick somewhere that’ll let you get meaningful experience. If litigation, that means taking depositions and going to court and arguing. If you get stuck drafting and being behind the scenes for your first 5-7 years, you are way behind the 8 ball.
This post was edited on 3/18/25 at 8:00 am
Posted on 3/18/25 at 8:05 am to Ssubba
quote:
I'm in my 30s and don't mind the grind (and don't work in law) right now, but man I really hope to slow down to 40 hour work week when I'm in my mid 40s and have kids who need me/my support.
That's one of the things about certain careers, which include law (medicine and finance are 2 others). The typical route to making bank means ungodly amounts of work, and unlike other fields, it doesn't end when you establish yourself during your mid-20s to mid-30s. If you want to do Biglaw, that's what you're signing up for and while it gets a little better as you move up the partner ranks, you still have major billables you have to hit.
Posted on 3/18/25 at 8:07 am to SlowFlowPro
You also have the stress of worrying that the people under you won’t make colossal mistakes and chase away clients
Posted on 3/18/25 at 8:07 am to NIH
quote:
If litigation, that means taking depositions and going to court and arguing. If you get stuck drafting and being behind the scenes for your first 5-7 years, you are way behind the 8 ball.
Correct.
Posted on 3/18/25 at 8:42 am to Masterag
quote:
Going back home and working for the DA's office for a few years, learning how to litigate and then partnering with my childhood buddy who clears a mil/year by himself every year for the last 5 years. He suggests I work for the DA for two years then come on with him. Straight parter status. Problem is: he's a family lawyer and I'm not sure I really want to do family law. Starting salary 100k as a DA, then 200 + whatever I bring in forever.
Highly doubt your divorce lawyer buddy is clearing a million by himself if that’s all he does. You can’t bill enough on divorce cases only to make that kind of money. If f he has a ton of associates under him billing their dicks off, maybe.
Let’s say your buddy bills at $500/hr. To make a million before expenses/overhead, he’d need to bill 2000 hours and also have no A/R (no one collects everything they bill). Your friend is lying to you.
And what DAs office pays a starting salary of $100k? Unless you’re in a city like New York, you’re probably looking at half that most places starting out.
This post was edited on 3/18/25 at 9:17 am
Posted on 3/18/25 at 8:44 am to Masterag
quote:
an hour outside of Dallas
An hour outside of Dallas is still Dallas.
Posted on 3/18/25 at 8:44 am to Masterag
If you are good, go corporate.
Posted on 3/18/25 at 9:44 am to Masterag
quote:
then bust a move and take over the dept when she retires in 7-10 years. Starting at about 130 w/bonus, 8% 401k match. Dept. head makes 300 w/ bonus.
Baw hasn’t passed the bar and already thinks he’ll be taking over a corporate legal department within 7 years.
Posted on 3/18/25 at 10:43 am to NIH
quote:
You also have the stress of worrying that the people under you won’t make colossal mistakes and chase away clients
Jordan Peterson talked about this in his lectures (before he got famous and kooky). I set the video to the proper time.
Posted on 3/18/25 at 10:50 am to SouthPlains
quote:
then bust a move and take over the dept when she retires in 7-10 years. Starting at about 130 w/bonus, 8% 401k match. Dept. head makes 300 w/ bonus.
Baw hasn’t passed the bar and already thinks he’ll be taking over a corporate legal department within 7 years.
yep
I'm not putting down anyone's chosen vocation but those numbers don't seem like a decent ROI if his student debt is anywhere near the horror stories about how much debt kids are coming out of post grad schools with these days
Posted on 3/18/25 at 11:17 am to Masterag
quote:
learning how to litigate and then partnering with my childhood buddy who clears a mil/year by himself every year for the last 5 years. He suggests I work for the DA for two years then come on with him. Straight parter status. Problem is: he's a family lawyer
A million a year as a family lawyer in Texas? Wow.
Posted on 3/18/25 at 11:32 am to Riverside
quote:
Might want to pass the bar first before you start trying to take over other people’s jobs. But that’s just me.
The arrogance of this guy not only taking others peoples jobs but listing his expected salaries and future earnings too
Posted on 3/18/25 at 11:41 am to boosiebadazz
quote:
How is guy No. 2 clearing a million a year doing family law? Those numbers seem a bit exaggerated TBH
Are you accusing a lawyer of lying?
Posted on 3/18/25 at 11:43 am to Masterag
You seem to be an Aggie so you should be able to get hired anywhere under affirmative action.
Posted on 3/18/25 at 11:45 am to Masterag
How much of the workload does the lawyer actually do? Seems like an easy AF job that AI could quickly replace.
Posted on 3/18/25 at 11:46 am to Masterag
This is the 3L equivalent of a "which of these three bikini models should I bang" thread
Posted on 3/18/25 at 11:48 am to Cold Cous Cous
quote:
This is the 3L equivalent of a "which of these three bikini models should I bang" thread
I was thinking more 1L-ish
Posted on 3/18/25 at 11:49 am to GeorgeBaird
quote:
These are three radically different positions, so it depends on what you want to do.
Included the "he said" since the OP is an Aggie.
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