I have seen lawyers clandestinely handing out their name cards to applicants at community pro bono centers even though doing so is prohibited. Some of these centers pay a decent honorarium (250 - 350 for 2.5-3 hours?). I guess that's a way of building one's books?

If I get caught giving out name cards, what is the penalty? Will they report me to law society? It seems hard getting good paying clients at such places. Most of them are suckers looking for free legal advice.

I wonder if it is against professional conduct rules to pay referral fees to other small firms to refer their clients to me, assuming that these firms do not practice litigation?

Don't bluff leh you are from waste time firm Dentons

So low, trainee gets 7.5K, NQ 9K, even 5 yrs PQE still get less than 15K

Not sure if they will report you to law soc apart from blacklisting you. But then again, most of these centers are run by employees/volunteers who defer to the lawyers, closing an eye whenever such things happen.

From my previous experience as a student volunteer several years back, some of these suckers wouldn't mind paying if they are roused up enough and the "estimated" costs fall within their budget. Guess this is the reason why some 20-30 PQE sole props are still actively involved in these projects.

Ashurst
 

is AshurstADT financing team better than big 4 in terms of work and pay? how much do trainees and NQs get paid? is their culture good?

15k 10 char

what is nrf/ascendant trainee/nq pay?

Sounds quite low. This is less than NQ pay for Dechert / White & Case / Shearman / Milbank.

Don’t think i’ll accept

10k since it is an intl firm hokay

11k salary

options to choose
in-house with 3 mths bonus
or
4 pqe with 3 mths bonus (minus front load)

which to take

Depends if you are more concerned with work-life balance or salary.

Going in-house means slacker life but less pay down the road.

thoughts on the industry's backpedaling of the 1 yr TC?

For corp & finance work, which of these teams have better deals - baker or ashurst adt?

Last ditch effort to safe face - blame covid (and only for the period of 2022) when the wheels has been set into motion since 2018. Can’t tell if it’s a desperate attempt or they really take the citizens as fools.

How is it a last-ditch effort?

bump. any idea on this?

Senior Counsel Gregory Vijayendran, who was a member of the committee, told The Straits Times the pandemic has, among other things, impacted law firm revenue and livelihood.

“The profession needs a little more time to get accustomed to these changes from a cost, time and process re-engineering perspective,” said the Rajah & Tann partner.

He noted that, for example, by practically doubling the practice training period, this means doubling the allowance paid to the trainees. This works out to sizeable sums for larger firms that take in more trainees.

He added that law firms need to thrive in their economic recovery efforts.

s://.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/changes-for-stricter-bar-exam-and-longer-training-for-singapore-law-grads-pushed-to-2024

What does he mean? Instead of paying trainees a paltry peanut sum of 2K for 6 months and then 6 months of NQ salary, they get to pay the peanut trainee pay for 12 months under the new scheme. The firms SAVE MORE money under the new scheme.

Only way a firm spends more money is if they give out TCs without an intention to retain everyone at the end of the TC? Does R&T do that?

Those are two separate practice areas. Pick one.

Eh, lawyers, I got a proposal for you that's more exciting than a courtroom drama. Have you ever thought about ditching those law books and trying your hand at consulting?

Hear me out, okay? In consulting, you'll get to work with a bunch of different clients and industries, which is way more exciting than staring at the same old legal documents all day. Plus, you'll get to wear suits that aren't black, which is a huge win in my book.

And let's talk about the money, ah. In consulting, you could be raking in the big bucks, like cha-ching, six figures or more. Plus, if you play your cards right and become a partner, you could be rolling in cash like Scrooge McDuck.

But wait, there's more! Consulting can actually offer a better work-life balance than law. You'll still have to work hard, but you won't be pulling all-nighters like you might have to in law. And that means you'll actually have time to enjoy your life, like going to the beach, eating chilli crab, or whatever floats your boat.

And let's not forget about the opportunities for growth and advancement. You'll be constantly learning and developing new skills, which is way more interesting than trying to remember all those legal cases. And you'll be working with smart and funny colleagues who can help you progress in your career, and maybe even become your new besties.

So, if you're feeling tired of the legal grind, come join us in consulting. We promise it'll be more fun than a barrel of monkeys, or your money back (just kidding, no refunds). Don't say I bo jio, okay?

2 going 3 PQE
 

2020 called at Mass Call. FCH from a not so prestigious overseas uni. Passed part A and B with no resits. Am also dual qualified.

I’ve moved around a bit. Spent 1 year in the firm I trained as an associate (firm has 10-15 lawyers).

Career wise I made two failed moves to even smaller firms (6-9 lawyers), and landed up having two and landed up having <3month stints.

Should I still try applying to the bigger firms or hold out a little longer at my current firm (I am currently at firm 4) which I am close to completing a year and only start applying at the 1 year 1/2month mark.

I am paid in the 5.5-6 range and obtained a small bonus.

But they can't charge a trainee out at the same rates as an associate who's called to the bar... And like you said, some firms do take on more trainees then they intend to retain. Now they have to be more selective since it's a one year commitment at least, not just six months.

The new scheme allows them to charge trainees out at slightly lower rates for all 12 months

R&T and the other big 4 always tell students they train with the intention to retain all

and R&T already completed hiring for this year's batch 2 years ago

Straits Times forgot how to fact check? Just happy happy quote people?

No point one. Most lawyers won't step out of their comfort zone. These are the uptight student prefects that would book you for ankle socks and sit at the front of class to be teachers' pet.

But anyway, actually at the top tier, lawyers earn more than consultants, for roughly the same level of competition for these jobs (meaning MBB vs white shoe/Cravath-paying firms). So there's no incentive to jump out of law and be disadvantaged against general business/commerce/finance folks.

At the slightly lower tier (lower tier international firms or local Big 4), quality of life and pay is crappier for sure but these lawyers won't make it to MBB in the first place. They may be competitive for mid tier consulting but the pay for mid tier consulting is still better than mid tier consulting (Big 4 consulting, Oliver Wyman etc) so again there's no incentive to jump out of law for the same reasons.

*the pay for mid tier law is still better than mid tier consulting (Big 4 consulting, Oliver Wyman etc)

well I’m a trainee right now looking to enter consulting in the MBB would appreciate any help

so how do you move from law trainee to mbb consultant then

hi just curious, which are the more legit international FLAs/JLVs? hearsay the ranking is like that:

true ints (MC & SCs level) eg. CC, HSF, Ashurst

more integrated tie-ups eg. Simmons, BMWL, NRF

the rest: wkw, rodyk, mls, mpillay, dms, clyde, reed smith etc

is this accurate?

Aslant
 

How are the recruiters from Aslant?

Like Alice or Gwen

FCH and dual-qualification don't mean **** unless you have the work experience to back it up. Join a big reputable practice - it's a safe bet. You are also being underpaid. The faster you apply, the faster you can kickstart your career.

Why does "integration" matter here? FLAs / JLVs are just measures for international firms to advise and practice local law. "Integration" doesn't have much impact, as much as the strength of actual practice advising on local law.

Honestly, for mid to senior level i'd rather go for lower - mid tier intl than MC.
MC so cruel, they kick you out easily if you dont reach the target (bringing works for at least GBP3 mill). HSF dont even count cross referral as part of your target, you need to actually bring in new clients/works.

Interested too. Anyone can share a true experience?

6pqe disputes litigation lawyer here interviewing for inhouse roles

why do most companies says my liti experience not relevant and didn’t want to match my salary? I would think my liti exp can help prevent companies from getting into disputes, which is more valuable than a corp lawyer.

Anybody has similar encounter?

Lol. Appears that you have a limited understanding of the role of an in-house lawyer…

In-house counsel generally look after the legal affairs of the entire business. Is a company’s business litigating and avoiding litigation? I’m gonna answer that for you to say probably not. A large portion of the work relates to reviewing commercial contracts (relevant to the business) and keeping the day-to-day legal affairs in order (e.g. drafting resolutions, checking older contracts, etc.). Litigation (even preventing litigation) is a small portion of that. Would your 6PQE of disputes experience help you in these tasks? If yes, then you’re not selling yourself well. If no, then you have your answer…

What’s the difficulty of the supp papers like for part b?

looking to jump from big4 to int; hows the culture and deals in cc and baker cap mkts teams?

Gwen figure better

What do you mean ? 10char

Wongp has a new disputes department?