Lawyer Salary

Hi everybody.

Do rankings of law schools affect law firm's decision in hiring fresh grads? Or is it more faceted towards reputations and old schema and perceptions.

To provide some context, im a fresh graduate from poly with a pretty decent gpa and i would like to pursue a law degree overseas, preferebly in AUSTRALIA (ANU).
Would it be difficult to compete with fresh grads from Singapore, ceteris paribus.
Also, what are law firm's perspective of law degree holders from Aus

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hi everybody.

Do rankings of law schools affect law firm's decision in hiring fresh grads? Or is it more faceted towards reputations and old schema and perceptions.

To provide some context, im a fresh graduate from poly with a pretty decent gpa and i would like to pursue a law degree overseas, preferebly in AUSTRALIA (ANU).
Would it be difficult to compete with fresh grads from Singapore, ceteris paribus.
Also, what are law firm's perspective of law degree holders from Aus

Sad to say it but yes. With due respect, the truth is Aussie degrees are not that well "seen" here. Furthermore, with the glut of lawyers now. Some local cant even get a TC. I would suggest you to go to UK if you really want to do law. Unless is because of financial reason thats why you choosing Aussie.

In respect of paragraph 1, it’s really one of the most unlucky situations you can be in. Especially when you’re trying to find another job.

In respect of paragraph 2, I work for expatriates from a certain country that has very little morals or empathy. They are the kind of people willing to do anything to further their selfish goals.

In respect of paragraph 3, to wait for a childhood friend to become partner in his own firm takes 10-15 years?? So what do I eat for 10-15 years?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

i guess just nice the firm he was applying to, the partner saw his resume and knows the current boss he is working for... then meet up for lunch and also ask about you casually lor...

to the original poster, you really think your current boss so free to meet / talk bad about you to everyone he knows? he deals with so many associates come and go... just take it easy lar...

even if he really did badmouth you, you just have to try your luck somewhere else. life's like that... everybody will have their time one... who knows one day your childhood friend is a partner or starting his own practice and offer you an opportunity to join him along the way...

I have a first class honours friend from NUS, also one of the commendation listers in part b. He says it’s very easy to find a job - wherever he applies he will definitely get an interview and it’s usually a breeze. How true is this? Are grades important even after 5 PQE?

Anyone going for called in the mth of July? Hope to find enough people because I dont have a mover.

Or everyone will be waiting for the mass in Aug

is this thread dead already?

Anyone planning to be called in the month of July? I am looking for more people so that I dont need a mover. Currently not in law firm so got no one to ask for.

Just wanted to share a perspective. Do what you will with it.

I'm a 2nd year UK law student who just landed a vac scheme with an MC firm. Nope, I'm not oxbridge, I'm not even UCL/LSE. I might be the only person in my entire cohort (at least the singaporeans), to have gotten an MC vac scheme.

I don't hold myself out to have made it. I am aware that my journey has just begun.

I just want to point out that the training you get is a very important consideration, which unfortunately hasn't really been touched upon in this thread. If there is evidence otherwise, I am prepared to stand corrected.

I spent 1.5 years in a Chinatown firm before I went to law school. Can't really call me an intern because the scope of the work I did far exceeded that of any intern, can't really call me a paralegal for the same reasons, but I was definitely not a "lawyer"; i had no law degree and was certainly not qualified. I was fresh out of poly, by the way, I didn't even pursue a law diploma.

I was thrown work like drafting pleadings, affidavits (witness statements for reference in case you are a UK law student) , written submissions and what not. Believe it or not, these weren't merely for run in the mill cases; I assisted and in some cases, outright handled the drafting for several complex civil litigation matters that involved 10 or so causes of action.

Of course, these tasks weren't dumped on me on the first day, but gradually over time the boss began to trust me and value me (albeit to a degree he should not have given my inexperience). Additionally, I did all the other mundane things that one usually associates with an intern; binding, photocopying, so on and so forth. Yes, I get that it's really dubious that my boss entrusted me with all that, but hey, that's not my fault and not something I am in a position to justify. All i can tell is my story.


During that time, I was put to work harder than I have ever been in my life. There were a few months where I worked from 9 - 5. By that I mean 9am - 5am. This went on for 6, sometimes 7 days a week. How much was I paid?

Lol, $500 a month. Oh yeah, I also got all the usual abuse as well for "screwing up" the drafting, typographical errors on correspondences and all that kind of crap. Unlike some of the others who have been on the receiving end, I had no law degree or training whatsoever, very often I felt that the treatment was utterly unreasonable because its like blaming a child who doesn't even know why he's at fault. The scoldings were very vicious, and many a time I wondered if I was about to get punched in the face. In fact, I often joke to some of my friends that no scolding I received in the SAF could rival the scoldings I received in the law firm. This was true also of the reasonableness of the scoldings I got.

Yeah. my life was pretty sh*t. I wouldn't want to repeat that entire process again, especially on a $500 a month salary. I remember waking up in the middle of the night in cold sweat having nightmares about screwing up something in affidavit or statement of claim. I never had that before. There were days I felt like I was being slowly suffocated and there was nothing I could do about it.

I ended up quitting to go to law school and I still thank the heavens that I did.

Nonetheless, it was the training I received made me very successful in law school. Compared to what I had been through, my time in law school has been like a holiday. Grades wise, I scored high firsts on all my subjects in my first year save for one which got a 2:1. I placed 1st in a national level moot and have a string of other co-curricular achievements. Meanwhile, my peers from far more prestigious schools are struggling to even maintain a 2:1. I am someone who has never done well in school before university.

My intention in writing this is not to brag. Frankly speaking, I don't need validation from strangers on an online forum. I say this because in my view someone needs to emphasise that the quality of training you get is a very important and understated factor.

In my experience and from what I understand, some firms may pay better but provide very bad training. I would be very very hesitant to join such a firm. Having good mentor-ship and training are huge value adds that, in my opinion, payout huge dividends that will more than make up for marginally better salary.

As regards the working hours and environment, can be inhumane even in a Chinatown firm, but it doesn't have to simply be regarded as an absolute detriment. If you adopt the right attitude; it can be an invaluable learning opportunity and above all, very beneficial in terms character building.

To all of you out there who are about to start the grind, good luck and hang tough. Don't be defined by your path, instead, define the path you want to take.

Are U from Kings?

lol

Come to NUS then talk about getting First and 2:1 lah