Re: Practicing Law
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My girlfriend has recently become interested in law school. She is a junior at a good school (Notre Dame), but does not have spectactular grades. I don't know the specifics, but they seem average to slightly above. She intends on taking a year off after school and doing paralegal work to strengten her resume.
Today, we discussed what her hours would likely be as a lawyer. She thought she could find a good job right out of law school where she would only have to work 45 hours a week. I told her that most good jobs would require her to work around 65 hours a week. I know a bunch of you guys are lawyers, or at least know some. What are the hours like right out of school?
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It varies A LOT depending on city, type of lawyer, what you consider a "good job" etc. If one's definition of a good job is a big law firm in Chicago that pays 160K, then you'll definitely be working much more than 45 hours per week. Even working at a smaller firm in a small city or as a prosecutor can entail long hours. The only jobs as a lawyer where you can be somewhat guaranteed of nice hours is at a government agency, but the pay for those jobs is not very good. I think the bottom line is that if your GF is that worried about hours, she should not become a lawyer.
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