Lawyer Salary

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Not true, some are only getting $3,500-4,500
Called in aug 2017.

Nearing 2PQE here. The figures really provide perspective on the shitty reality faced by a fair proportion of my cohort not talented/lucky/whatever quality enough to make it into Corp roles or big firms.

Unless and otherwise you current law students are justice seekers or people who thrive on moral sustenance, 4500 for 2PQE (+2 years for foreign grads) is frankly not worth it.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Nearing 2PQE here. The figures really provide perspective on the shitty reality faced by a fair proportion of my cohort not talented/lucky/whatever quality enough to make it into Corp roles or big firms.

Unless and otherwise you current law students are justice seekers or people who thrive on moral sustenance, 4500 for 2PQE (+2 years for foreign grads) is frankly not worth it.

Poster is correct. 2PQE is about $3.5k-4.5k
GES all this is true for ppl in big four and larger firms

Originally Posted by Unregistered

By Average Gross Monthly Salary (in brackets are the 75th-percentile salaries)
NUS Bachelor of Laws – $5,263 ($5,840)
SMU Law (4-years programme) Cum Laude and above – $5,256 ($6,000)
SMU Law (4-years programme) – $4,856 ($5,600)

By Permanent Employment Rate (in brackets are the median salaries)
NUS Bachelor of Laws – 92.6% ($5,500)
SMU Law (4-years programme) Cum Laude and above – 92.6% ($5,513)
SMU Law (4-years programme) – 90.8% ($4,500)


the stats for nus law are not broken up into honours classification. So it's not a right comparison to say $5500 vs $4500

Not true. The stats for SMU law (4 year programme) are for the entire cohort of law students (regardless of honours) so it's a fair comparison. I posit that the pay difference is due to the "old boys factor" in leaner years (as more hiring partners are from NUS, they would likely take a NUS grad over an SMU grad when times are tough and they have to choose).

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Poster is correct. 2PQE is about $3.5k-4.5k
GES all this is true for ppl in big four and larger firms

Wow this is nuts.. if they're making 3.5 to 4.5 as 2PQE then what was their NQ pay??

Originally Posted by Unregistered

By Average Gross Monthly Salary (in brackets are the 75th-percentile salaries)
NUS Bachelor of Laws – $5,263 ($5,840)
SMU Law (4-years programme) Cum Laude and above – $5,256 ($6,000)
SMU Law (4-years programme) – $4,856 ($5,600)

By Permanent Employment Rate (in brackets are the median salaries)
NUS Bachelor of Laws – 92.6% ($5,500)
SMU Law (4-years programme) Cum Laude and above – 92.6% ($5,513)
SMU Law (4-years programme) – 90.8% ($4,500)


the stats for nus law are not broken up into honours classification. So it's not a right comparison to say $5500 vs $4500

Let's look at the median salaries as in your post, $5,500 vs $4,500. (mean is $5,263 vs $4,856)

The "SMU Law (4-years programme)" refers to the entire smu law cohort, ie including non-cum laude, cum laude and above, and whatever. It is a fair comparison with the "NUS Bachelor of Laws" which also refers to the entire nus law cohort regardless of honours classification.

We can just ignore the "SMU Law (4-years programme) Cum Laude and above".

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Wow this is nuts.. if they're making 3.5 to 4.5 as 2PQE then what was their NQ pay??

No increment lah very obvious what

Originally Posted by Unregistered

No increment lah very obvious what

Maybe not 3.5k at 2PQE. But 4.5k is still very likely, assuming one started off at 3.5k and then +500 per year increment.

Don't forget this is with regards to lawyers being from a non-big4/international firm, and not practicing corp.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Maybe not 3.5k at 2PQE. But 4.5k is still very likely, assuming one started off at 3.5k and then +500 per year increment.

Don't forget this is with regards to lawyers being from a non-big4/international firm, and not practicing corp.

This is true. I left at PQE 3 making 5.5k with approx 3 months bonus every year (i stayed in the same firm from training till PQE 3). Went in house for an mnc and make much more now.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Let's look at the median salaries as in your post, $5,500 vs $4,500. (mean is $5,263 vs $4,856)

The "SMU Law (4-years programme)" refers to the entire smu law cohort, ie including non-cum laude, cum laude and above, and whatever. It is a fair comparison with the "NUS Bachelor of Laws" which also refers to the entire nus law cohort regardless of honours classification.

We can just ignore the "SMU Law (4-years programme) Cum Laude and above".

Yah pls don't go SMU to read law. Harder work (more coursework and project work) for less prestige (SMU law is ranked 400+ in the world vs NUS Law 10?), lousier grades (only 50-60% graduate with Cum Laude and above - seen as 2.1 equivalent whereas in NUS Law almost everyone graduates with a 2.1) and lousier pay (see above stats). Not a good deal at all lol.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Yah pls don't go SMU to read law. Harder work (more coursework and project work) for less prestige (SMU law is ranked 400+ in the world vs NUS Law 10?), lousier grades (only 50-60% graduate with Cum Laude and above - seen as 2.1 equivalent whereas in NUS Law almost everyone graduates with a 2.1) and lousier pay (see above stats). Not a good deal at all lol.

I think the reason for the disparity is that NUS grads are typically perceived as being more legally sound vs SMU fluff.