Lawyer Salary

Originally Posted by Unregistered

My advice: given your current education qualifications, don't join the civil service right after graduation. Reason is that you have average A levels grades and the fact that you can't get into a local uni will set you back by a couple of years compared to your peers who made it to the local uni's. Don't join, unless you really have a penchant for public service (even so, you will change your mind after joining - you'll find civil servants are driven by things other than passion).

If i join the service, do you know how I will be classified as an ACCA trainee without work experience and as an ACCA member with experience?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Another advice, though redundant as it seems, is to do well in your undergraduate studies. I may be wrong, but if I read correctly, I think your family can afford to sponsor your foreign studies for the next 4-5 years. So don't waste this opportunity. Do well in the foreign uni, then get into a top tier grad school for 1 or 2 more years. And start your career with a top tier MNC or law / accounting firm. I assure you this will be the best gift you can give yourself and your family.

Time is the most important consideration for me. If I could be as well off just with ACCA alone as without a law degree, I will not spend my time studying overseas. I will just go out and start working. But, I just hope I won't encounter any glass ceilings or discrimination because I didn't possess a degree and live to regret my decision I made in the past.

Originally Posted by Accountant

If i join the service, do you know how I will be classified as an ACCA trainee without work experience and as an ACCA member with experience?



Time is the most important consideration for me. If I could be as well off just with ACCA alone as without a law degree, I will not spend my time studying overseas. I will just go out and start working. But, I just hope I won't encounter any glass ceilings or discrimination because I didn't possess a degree and live to regret my decision I made in the past.

Without a degree, you will lose out by A LOT in the civil service, glass ceiling, low CEP, discrimination, you name it.

My sincere advice again: Don't join. Go overseas and study hard.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Without a degree, you will lose out by A LOT in the civil service, glass ceiling, low CEP, discrimination, you name it.

My sincere advice again: Don't join. Go overseas and study hard.

Good luck.

Point taken.

Yeah but Singapore is expensive really, a screwdriver costs US$ 7.50 in australia (which i thought was really expensive) but its S$ 18 for a tequila shot in Orchard towers !!! But to be fair, u guys got one kick ass casino which actually gives u money to party (i got lucky at a roulette table and made 900 on a 25 bet. but seriously wht r the prospects of a law graduate from another country who does a 1 yr course in S'pore ????

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Yeah but Singapore is expensive really, a screwdriver costs US$ 7.50 in australia (which i thought was really expensive) but its S$ 18 for a tequila shot in Orchard towers !!! But to be fair, u guys got one kick ass casino which actually gives u money to party (i got lucky at a roulette table and made 900 on a 25 bet. but seriously wht r the prospects of a law graduate from another country who does a 1 yr course in S'pore ????

Law grads make the highest starting pay. Check out Graduate Employment Survey 2010 (published 2011) | Salary.sg - Your Salary in Singapore

hi, does any one know what the pay of civil servant lawyers (specifically, within the legal service commission as dpps, ass. registrars or wtv) is? for scholars and for non-scholars? how much does this differ in the long run from my career trajectory in the private sector?

i was lucky to do well enough in a levels to be offered places in top uk unis (lse, ucl, cambridge etc.), and am thinking whether or not i should join the civil service or just come back and try for a job at the big firms..... obviously, i am considering other factors e.g. worklife balance, job satisfaction and security etc, but still a bit confused la. help will be very much appreciated =)

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Without a degree, you will lose out by A LOT in the civil service, glass ceiling, low CEP, discrimination, you name it.

My sincere advice again: Don't join. Go overseas and study hard.

Good luck.

hi, do you know what the pay of civil servant lawyers (specifically, within the legal service commission as dpps, ass. registrars or wtv) is? for scholars and for non-scholars? how much does this differ in the long run from my career trajectory in the private sector?

i was lucky to do well enough in a levels to be offered places in top uk unis (lse, ucl, cambridge etc.), and am thinking whether or not i should join the civil service or just come back and try for a job at the big firms..... obviously, i am considering other factors e.g. worklife balance, job satisfaction and security etc, but still a bit confused la. help will be very much appreciated =)

Originally Posted by Accountant

I have recently finished my national service and i'm currently contemplating on furthering my studies in the UK. I've received offers from recognized universities to read law there. My A level grades were above average but not good enough to enter the law faculties or courses related to the top professions.

I am also about to finish my ACCA qualification which i studied part time, I really like accounting but the general consensus in Singapore is that a degree is of paramount importance to secure a bright future. I am also keen on joining the civil service, this puts me in an even more difficult position as my divisional grading is determined by the qualifications I have.

The question is do erstwhile accountants perform well in the legal profession? Would law firms specializing in M&A, equity and trusts and Tax see a person possessing accounting knowledge in a brighter light? What other areas do accountants-turned-lawyers practice in? And is there any potential conflict of interests I should be aware of due to my dual capacity as accountant and lawyer? Your advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

Hi! Have you decided on your path of career?

Well, I was not an A-Level student, only with a Diploma. I managed to get into a University in UK and gotten 2nd upper class LLB.

I think armed with an accountant background, your starting pay as compared to your peers would be higher. My ex colleague had some sort of a corporate background and he confessed that his starting pay at the law firm was higher than his peers, even though his corporate background was somewhat irrelevant to the type of law he was practising!

If you are willing to break the law, you will probably earn much more!

Originally Posted by HelloK

Hi! Have you decided on your path of career?

Well, I was not an A-Level student, only with a Diploma. I managed to get into a University in UK and gotten 2nd upper class LLB.

I think armed with an accountant background, your starting pay as compared to your peers would be higher. My ex colleague had some sort of a corporate background and he confessed that his starting pay at the law firm was higher than his peers, even though his corporate background was somewhat irrelevant to the type of law he was practising!

HelloK

Its comforting to know that my accounting knowledge will not go to waste. I really do like tax, so I'm hoping to work in the legal department of IRAS after I graduate. If that option is not open to me, I'll probably would like to practice tax law at one of the law firms. I'm not intending to stay working in the government for life, because my long term goal is to form my own boutique accounting cum corporate law firm, offering audit, tax and legal services all at one place. But I'm not very sure of the legal implications if i do that so I'll work at IRAS first and see how it goes.

I've made up my mind on my university choice and I'll be going to the University of Leicester this September. TBH I'm feeling little anxious when I think of leaving my comfort zone here in Singapore. There's going to be a drastic change in lifestyle. I have to prepare all my own meals, I fear I might end up ordering lots of fast food in the end. Did you enjoy yourself while you were there?