Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hello,

I'm on 7k a month with the rest being bonus.

I have a very good relationship with my ex-boss and i don't think it will be a problem for me to go back to private practice - but be clear that this will not be based on any kind of merit, it is very much based on connection (and our past working relationship, which was very good). I left practice because i felt i was being severely undervalued/underpaid (nothing to do with the boss mentioned above, just the culture in general). I'm currently on slightly less than twice what i used to earn and possibly a thousand more than what i would be earning had i remained in practice.

I miss practice a lot. The difference in terms of intellectual rigor is great - a lot of what i do is very much people management as opposed to hardcore legal work.

My welcome to this company was marred in equal part by the culture shock and steep learning (being the politics and people management) curve. The role of legal counsel requires you to work with many different people on a daily basis, each with their own agenda (most of the times not even hidden). It is like being thrown in a wolf's den because you know they are only working with you so they can throw you under the bus if anything blows up. It takes a certain finesse to maintain the tenuous balance between keeping people (remember that there is usually more than one person on any deal) happy and making the legally correct calls.

It is also a very lonely role - you should be used to making judgment calls on a daily basis. If you call your GC for approval on decisions often, the likelihood is that you won't have a job for much longer.

I think if you can find a firm that truly values your talents and skills and is willing to investment in your learning and progression, it is worthwhile to continue in practice. I sometimes think that if i had met seniors who were kinder (and more generous with teaching and mentoring) and firms that truly believe in the potential of their people, I would've stayed for a long time. Unfortunately, a lot of seniors are just plain assholes.

Good luck!