Practicing Law

[The Transient]

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?

[ncray]

Maybe you can ask 'George Raymer.'

[slickpoppa]

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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.

[Blarg]

Sounds wise. She should also keep in mind that those lawyers in private practice who are not on the partnership track -- long hours, bringing in new business, etc. -- are often eased out after that becomes clear.

So "hovering" may not even be a realistic option.

[kyleb]

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She thought she could find a good job right out of law school where she would only have to work 45 hours a week.

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women are so stupid

[slickpoppa]

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[ QUOTE ]
She thought she could find a good job right out of law school where she would only have to work 45 hours a week.

[/ QUOTE ]

women are so stupid

[/ QUOTE ]

There are some public interest jobs out there with hours like that, but the pay is really low. That's fine if you have a sugar daddy, but not if you have to pay off 6 figures of law school loans by yourself.

[kyleb]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
She thought she could find a good job right out of law school where she would only have to work 45 hours a week.

[/ QUOTE ]

women are so stupid

[/ QUOTE ]

There are some public interest jobs out there with hours like that, but the pay is really low. That's fine if you have a sugar daddy, but not if you have to pay off 6 figures of law school loans by yourself.

[/ QUOTE ]

emphasis mine

[slickpoppa]

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[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
She thought she could find a good job right out of law school where she would only have to work 45 hours a week.

[/ QUOTE ]

women are so stupid

[/ QUOTE ]

There are some public interest jobs out there with hours like that, but the pay is really low. That's fine if you have a sugar daddy, but not if you have to pay off 6 figures of law school loans by yourself.

[/ QUOTE ]

emphasis mine

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Yeah, like I said in my first post, it depends on what one defines as a "good job." It's pretty common in DC, where I went to law school, for female attorneys to work at public interest type jobs with nice hours so that they can crank out kids, while the husband works at the big firm to pay the bills. From the wife's perspective, that might be considered a good job.

[mason55]

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Practicing Law

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I hope my lawyer has had enough practice by the time I hire him!


*zing*

[sethypooh21]

Depends on where you live, but 65 is probably high. There will be weeks where she does have to work that much, but 50-55 is probably more realistic unless she's determined to work at a BigLaw (which would entail her being roughly top 10% of her LS class as well).