How much is a degree from a low level law school worth? (and more ?s)

[thatpfunk]

Also, regarding jobs out of school:

I am of the personality type that thinks
40-50hr weeks for 60-80k >>>>>>>>>>>>&g t;>>>>> 80-100hr weeks for 100-150k

basically time with family & friends is much higher on my priority list than being wealthy. i have no problem putting in 80+hr weeks for, say, the next 5 years. but more than that doesn't make any sense to me. i have NO interest in being 35yo and in the office until 10 while the wife and kids eat dinner alone.

how true is the 80hr+ week for young grads?

[El Diablo]

tpf,

I have friends who worked for smaller law firms or at companies where they worked reasonable hours. At big firms, they all work those type of ridiculous hours.

[Howard Treesong]

[ QUOTE ]
40-50hr weeks for 60-80k >>>>>>>>>>>>&g t;>>>>> 80-100hr weeks for 100-150k

how true is the 80hr+ week for young grads?

[/ QUOTE ]

Commonplace. Remember, though that in big firms, $ goes up 10% a year or more as you move up in seniority. A solid lawyer six years out could hit $350K, and the lowest level of equity partnership was worth $1.1MM. If you can stomach holding the brass ring for a few years (and the job never gets easier), you can jump ship, scale down, and live very well indeed. It is a dangerous strategy, however, if you get addicted to spend.

[joe c]

at most big firms, the associates aren't going to work 80+ hours a week every week. the number of 80 hour weeks will vary, but will the exception of a couple firms, they shouldn't be the norm. that being said, 60+ hours a week will be the norm at most big places.

many associates will leave after 5 or so years and take jobs in house, in the government, smaller firm etc. big firms push their clients to hire their associates, with the hope that then those former associates will continue to hire the firm for the client's work. these jobs typically involve less hours than working at a firm, at less (but still good) pay.

typical firm will consider people for partnership after 8 years, but its going to be hard at most places. partners of course make the big money, but generally not as much as 1.1 mil for a junior partner. the other perk of being partner is working less hours too. to some extent, the associates do all the work while the partners go home, but of course this will vary too.

to do any of this from a low level law school, you will need to graduate in the top 5% of your class. even then, could be a problem to get hired outside of the area the school is in. a NYC firm isn't going to look to favorably on the top students from a low-level school in the midwest, while they are more likely to consider the top students from the crappy NYC area law schools.

[natedogg]

Joe is correct. If you go to a lower tier school, make sure it's in the metropolitan area that you want to live and settle in. The alumni networks for the local less-prestigious law firms will keep you in business. And even bigger firms are more willing to hire you because of their exposure to people from that school.

Also, in the end it doesn't matter where you went to law school. If you are quality, you'll make a good living. Alot of lawyers run their own small firms and make as much or more as partners in the big firms.

natedogg

[XXXNoahXXX]

I'm a 1L right now.

I really enjoy my coursework and it is not at all overwhelming. I was similar to you in that I did well in college but I could have done better. If you view law school as a full-time job and just commit yourself to law school work from 9am-6pm, Monday through Friday, take Saturday off, and then a few hours on Sunday, you will be able to get everything you need done without need for all-nighters. Things do get hectic when memos or due or come finals, but that is not the norm.

If you have any specific questions about the 1L experience, feel free to post or PM me.

[Wired Jokers]

[ QUOTE ]
typical firm will consider people for partnership after 8 years, but its going to be hard at most places. partners of course make the big money, but generally not as much as 1.1 mil for a junior partner. the other perk of being partner is working less hours too. to some extent, the associates do all the work while the partners go home , but of course this will vary too.

[/ QUOTE ]

Quite frankly, this is one of the silliest statements in this thread. Trust me, as a partner in a law firm, you work exponentially harder compared to when you were an associate.

[numbnuts007]

TPF:

I graduated with SackUp in the Spring but had a somewhat different experience. After a tough first semester, I graduated exactly in the middle of the class. I didn't get on a journal, and I didn't do mock trial or moot court because I have no desire to do litigation. I had jobs at small time law offices through most of school but am now having a hell of a time finding anything permanent.

Part of this is because the only type of law i've ever wanted to practice is transactional entertainment law, which as you can imagine is pretty hard to get your foot in the door with. But part of my trouble has been that the job market is pretty lousy, especially in san diego, unless you went to a great school or performed pretty damn well where you went.

I would say that even now, 9 months after graduation and 6 months after getting bar results back, about half of my friends don't have full time jobs that they are happy with and aren't actively looking for something else/better. Right now i'm doing document review and playing poker just to pay the bills. I'm moving to (hopefully) greener pastures up in LA in the next couple months when my wife is done with school. The market, especially for what i want to do, is much better in LA.

The best advise i could give someone in my situation would be to have a good amount of savings before ever starting school because unless your grades rock the house big time, there is a good chance that you won't find anything for a while and will have to take the first thing that comes along whether or not it makes you miserable.

All that being said, i'm very glad that I went, just wish that I would have known to do a few things different along the way. If you have any more specific questions pm me.

Good Luck.

[steel108]

You can go to a bad school and then transfer to a good school if you excel. I met a couple of people who transfered in from bad schools to my school (they all went to Teir 4s)

[cambraceres]

tier 4's?