Salary.sg Forums - View Single Post - Compare civil service salary
View Single Post
  #1060 (permalink)  
Old 10-09-2011, 06:10 PM
Unregistered
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Unregistered View Post
I'm sorry but you're obviously nowhere near being a lawyer or a law student.

Firstly, there are the Big Four firms in Singapore are not called "magic circle" firms. That sounds ridiculous in the local context and is a term applied only to specific City firms in the UK.

Secondly, your claim that JLCs typically end up making junior partner at most in the private sector is complete and utter rubbish. Whether you're JLC or not, and whether or not you're first class, has no bearing on whether you make equity or senior partner. It's about your performance and how much rain you can bring in for the firm.

Thirdly, JLCs are certainly not handicapped in any way when they enter the private sector. On the contrary, JLCs are in huge demand because they know the ins and outs of the courtroom and the justices' chambers. They help draft judgments for High Court. Private firms can't wait to poach them when they finish their JLC terms, often with higher salary than for their peers. Many of them do stay in the judiciary by choice with the aim of becoming judges, not because they can't get other jobs (LOL)
I am not a law student nor a lawyer, but I know people in both local and foreign firms, and also JLCs, so I speak with facts as I know it.

By magic circle, I meant the UK firms operating in Singapore like Links, A&O etc. Obviously A&G and WP will not pay freshies $9+ - their salary scale is quite transparent at about $5k.

And I am not saying that JLCs cannot find a job in private sector, but empirically, many stay back in civil service, and many who leave start off as a senior associate or as a junior partner in local firms. One high profile example is Chris De Souza, the PAP MP. I am not saying they cannot end up as equity partner, but that's what most start off as.

I make no value judgement, but as I have clearly set out above, all I am saying is: from a salary perspective, a JLC route seems to be less lucrative than joining a Linklaters (for example) or A&O. So, given that this is a salary forum, my question is why the author of the post has chosen this route rather than the more lucrative route.

For your response to be of any value to the forum, please stay away from generic answers on the job scope of JLCs and generic statements in regards to industry reputations of JLCs. It is well established that JLCs are highly regarded.

What is of value instead is (i) empirical examples of where most have ended up and (ii) empirical examples of the paths they have chosen to get there (i.e. stay as JLC for 3 years, then go join local/foreign house as senior associate/junior partner, then make senior/equity partner in [ ] years).

Only then, can we make an educated appraisal as to whether the private sector route or the JLC route is more appropriate for a top law student, if he is looking at things purely from a lifetime monetary perspective.
Reply With Quote