Lawyer Salary

I am currently a penultimate year student at a Malaysian T1 school (but still nowhere close to the ranking of NUS/SMU). Feeling extremely hopeless; my internship is unpaid (big firm) and the retention rate/return-offer after pupillage is so bad. What is the GPA cutoff to transfer to NUS? (I don't have A-levels smh)

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I am currently a penultimate year student at a Malaysian T1 school (but still nowhere close to the ranking of NUS/SMU). Feeling extremely hopeless; my internship is unpaid (big firm) and the retention rate/return-offer after pupillage is so bad. What is the GPA cutoff to transfer to NUS? (I don't have A-levels smh)

NUS doesn’t to transfers. You’ll have to apply as a fresh undergraduate.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I am currently a penultimate year student at a Malaysian T1 school (but still nowhere close to the ranking of NUS/SMU). Feeling extremely hopeless; my internship is unpaid (big firm) and the retention rate/return-offer after pupillage is so bad. What is the GPA cutoff to transfer to NUS? (I don't have A-levels smh)

Smu ranking?

Genuinely, why would people want to become lawyers in Singapore? The opportunity cost is extremely high now that training is a year. The entire process has been lengthen by such a huge time frame.

The promise land after getting called isn’t even that sweet in light of the hours that lawyers have to put in. I don’t think it gets any better as you grow more senior. The hours might be better because you have juniors doing your work but it will be a different kind of stress (read: billables).

Any takers on the above? Please no law is a calling counter point please.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Genuinely, why would people want to become lawyers in Singapore? The opportunity cost is extremely high now that training is a year. The entire process has been lengthen by such a huge time frame.

The promise land after getting called isn’t even that sweet in light of the hours that lawyers have to put in. I don’t think it gets any better as you grow more senior. The hours might be better because you have juniors doing your work but it will be a different kind of stress (read: billables).

Any takers on the above? Please no law is a calling counter point please.

speak for yourself

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Genuinely, why would people want to become lawyers in Singapore? The opportunity cost is extremely high now that training is a year. The entire process has been lengthen by such a huge time frame.

The promise land after getting called isn’t even that sweet in light of the hours that lawyers have to put in. I don’t think it gets any better as you grow more senior. The hours might be better because you have juniors doing your work but it will be a different kind of stress (read: billables).

Any takers on the above? Please no law is a calling counter point please.

Well, not everyone can do finance and end up in buy-side or IBD.

Compared to other professional degrees, law is still a pretty good bet even with the longer training period. Sure it’s not as easy as before but this same argument applies to most other professions. It does get somewhat easier as you grow up in respect of the actual day to day work, but there are other stresses like bringing business in and building / maintaining client relationships. That said, the law business model is very straightforward.

In any event, in our current economy there is no risk free way to get rich fast (which you seem to imply that law was previously).

I have finally graduated from local uni
Looking back, i feel that i pick the wrong major to read.

My peers are as usual gunning for the bar exams.
Honestly, i dont feel motivatied to do so.
Furthermore, the training period has lengthen, aint it.

What are my options if i dont follow usual route.

Many thanks.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Genuinely, why would people want to become lawyers in Singapore? The opportunity cost is extremely high now that training is a year. The entire process has been lengthen by such a huge time frame.

The promise land after getting called isn’t even that sweet in light of the hours that lawyers have to put in. I don’t think it gets any better as you grow more senior. The hours might be better because you have juniors doing your work but it will be a different kind of stress (read: billables).

Any takers on the above? Please no law is a calling counter point please.

The career outcomes you will get in law are still fine. You won't get spectacular outcomes, but very few people get spectacular outcomes in any field anyway. Even hot fields like coding face cyclic demand and wide open competition from lower barriers.

Law attracts a certain type (neurotic, kanchiong, competitive, nerdy, and generally hardworking or unafraid of long hours), but only those with true passion for lawyering will remain to become partners and build their book of business. Note: lawyering is not equivalent to enjoying the academic study of law, which is a highly different beast. The majority don't last and take legal-adjacent jobs like legal counsel or compliance.

I dont know of any peers from my lawyer batch who have not done well in some way for themselves, regardless of whether they're still in practice or not. "Well" is, of course, relative, but the vast majority of my lawyer and ex-lawyer peers are financially comfortable for their age band. I can't think of any who are in sub-par situations. Maybe it speaks to the kind of people who entered law in the first place? But I hazard to guess that its both a mix of driven personalities, and the inherent higher across-the-board salaries that law starts you out with (vs other industries).

In other industries, hitting a ceiling and plateauing at mid manager level is very real for average performers. In law, there's also a ceiling for average performers, but that ceiling puts you in a better financial position compared to the ceiling many industries. And it goes without saying that the top end of law also puts you in a better financial position compared to the top end of many industries.

The real foolishness lies not in choosing law as a career over the other "mythical" better options, but going into law with starry eyes thinking that there's a "promised land" just by virtue of being called. You haven't "made it" by becoming a lawyer at mass call. The hard work starts the very day you are called.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Well, not everyone can do finance and end up in buy-side or IBD.

Compared to other professional degrees, law is still a pretty good bet even with the longer training period. Sure it’s not as easy as before but this same argument applies to most other professions. It does get somewhat easier as you grow up in respect of the actual day to day work, but there are other stresses like bringing business in and building / maintaining client relationships. That said, the law business model is very straightforward.

In any event, in our current economy there is no risk free way to get rich fast (which you seem to imply that law was previously).

Also, to all the whining posters complaining that UK salary is higher than SG - other than the arguments made in the post above (in the earlier page), the reality is that the majority of people who get TCs in the UK usually have to paralegal for like 1.5-2/3 years before they secure their TC. And even then, it takes an additional 3 years for them to get qualified (1 year SQE, 2 years TC). The people who get straight TCs off penultimate year in uni are really exceptional cases in the grand scheme (and even then they take 3 years to qualify).

So, the grass is not always greener.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Genuinely, why would people want to become lawyers in Singapore? The opportunity cost is extremely high now that training is a year. The entire process has been lengthen by such a huge time frame.

The promise land after getting called isn’t even that sweet in light of the hours that lawyers have to put in. I don’t think it gets any better as you grow more senior. The hours might be better because you have juniors doing your work but it will be a different kind of stress (read: billables).

Any takers on the above? Please no law is a calling counter point please.

People want to become lawyers because, assuming you are smart enough to get into a decent law school and get above average grades, this is the surest way into the upper middle-class. How many other jobs in Singapore have a starting salary of $7k+ (after call) which has the potential to rise to $17k+ within 8 years (just looking at B4 salaries, ignoring international firms)?

The one extra year of training is nothing compared to the much lengthier training period that other professionals like doctors have to go through. The stress and hours that lawyers face are also no different to other highly-paid white collar jobs like bankers and consultants.