Lawyer Salary

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Proof that ppl here do not know what they are on. A new EP in B4 can easily pull in between 600k to as high as 1 plus million, depending on their seniority as well.

This is correct - with emphasis on the equity part.

Am an NQ from disputes jumping into tax practice, after having some thought on how picking an area of specialisation would help. Going to a small tax outfit instead of the big names out there - any advice on the timeliness of my move? I took a paycut of SGD1k for this jump and am going for a month long break because of burnout with my soon to be ex boss, a bit worried about whether my departure from disputes appears too rushed. New firm boss is older and slower (as much as I could glean from the interview) but his assocs all leave due to the low pay. (I took it because I really want to train in tax as an NQ....)

Any views on tax practice in SG? Is it a better idea than disputes?

how much does linklaters pay in sg for a 0 pqe

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Am an NQ from disputes jumping into tax practice, after having some thought on how picking an area of specialisation would help. Going to a small tax outfit instead of the big names out there - any advice on the timeliness of my move? I took a paycut of SGD1k for this jump and am going for a month long break because of burnout with my soon to be ex boss, a bit worried about whether my departure from disputes appears too rushed. New firm boss is older and slower (as much as I could glean from the interview) but his assocs all leave due to the low pay. (I took it because I really want to train in tax as an NQ....)

Any views on tax practice in SG? Is it a better idea than disputes?

Oh dear… moving to a tax practice is a bad idea. And moving to a tax practice at a really small firm with low pay is a really bad idea. I would recommend that you plan your exit ASAP unless you are being groomed as the protege to take over your new boss’ business (provided he has a good book of business).

Very few full service law firms in Singapore do tax. The reason for that is that tax planning and advice are being given by your big 4 accountancy firms at much lower price/greater efficiency. For real legal tax queries, they are being handled by your international practices in Singapore like Baker. Your big 4 firms like WP do have a tax department, but they are typically seen as a tag-along department that’s not particularly profitable.

You need to know that tax is an ancillary practice area that feeds off other practice areas. For instance, M&A - if you have a huge M&A deal, the tax department would typically be consulted on the specific tax law points.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Am an NQ from disputes jumping into tax practice, after having some thought on how picking an area of specialisation would help. Going to a small tax outfit instead of the big names out there - any advice on the timeliness of my move? I took a paycut of SGD1k for this jump and am going for a month long break because of burnout with my soon to be ex boss, a bit worried about whether my departure from disputes appears too rushed. New firm boss is older and slower (as much as I could glean from the interview) but his assocs all leave due to the low pay. (I took it because I really want to train in tax as an NQ....)

Any views on tax practice in SG? Is it a better idea than disputes?

Tax has always been a niche area in SG and the community is small. has good in-roads into parallel practice areas such as funds / private client / trade, and with BEPS2.0, maybe some international tax practice work as well in the coming years. Not ideal if your end goal is in-house practice.

Do SG law firms do layoffs in a bad economy or just salary freezes?

I know that US firms do cut entire batches of associates. Haven't really heard of that in SG firms apart from the salary slashing back during the 2015-2017 period.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

how much does linklaters pay in sg for a 0 pqe

Heard its NQ is approx 14.5k, which is magic circle rate.

Lower than the US firms which give cravath rate (24.5k starting) or mid-atlantic (17k starting).

But still higher than silver circles which start 11k.

Wish to jump to A&G from a small firm. Currently serving my probation, is it an unsaid rule in the industry to serve 1+years before jumping if not it wont look good on CV?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Am an NQ from disputes jumping into tax practice, after having some thought on how picking an area of specialisation would help. Going to a small tax outfit instead of the big names out there - any advice on the timeliness of my move? I took a paycut of SGD1k for this jump and am going for a month long break because of burnout with my soon to be ex boss, a bit worried about whether my departure from disputes appears too rushed. New firm boss is older and slower (as much as I could glean from the interview) but his assocs all leave due to the low pay. (I took it because I really want to train in tax as an NQ....)

Any views on tax practice in SG? Is it a better idea than disputes?

It’s not ideal to train at a tax practice in a small firm. Most tax related work are being done by big 4 accountancy firms at a fraction of the cost, and for the more complex legal tax matters, they are being done by a select international firms (e.g. baker). Would recommend that you pivot out of tax asap.

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If anyone wants me to give his expertise and professionalism to your high quantum arbitration matter, please feel free to reach out to me anytime. I am now a leading arbitrator that will be ranked in Legal500 and Chambers in times to come.