Well it is different everywhere. I started off as an in house counsel, pay is comparable to fresh law grads and work load is definitely manageable..

went inhouse and my hours are pretty good now

total comp is ~130k so i can't exactly live like a baller

Not that bad.. how many years PQE?

4 - 6 (keeping it deliberately vague)

probably below the median in my batch

mine is 1-2 years PQE not that bad prolly slightly below median

Life in law is tough
 

I think life in Singapore and Hong Kong law firms are tough. They don't work that long hours in Europe. Just started out as a trainee and my first day of work ended at 12mn. It's overwhelming when you don't know anything. The knowledge in law school is so irrelevant to corporate work. It's like the skills set needed - a verbatim note taker and to do paperwork fast. I don't see how working so hard in law school is a promise of a future stable career. Work life balance is so much more important.

wongp? ahahahah 12mn is considered normal.

I don't think it's normal for a trainee. It is an insane amount of data entry and formatting. Law firms should consider investing in voice recognition services that the iPhone Siri is so capable of.

Just wanna challenge some notions that you have here and provide you with some perspective to guide you along.

a) they don't work that long hours in Europe? In top flight City of London firms, sometimes they work LONGER.

b) Nobody knows anything on the first day. Its natural, don't be too hard on yourself.

c) Long hours aren't the killer, its the unpredictability that wears you down. If I could go home everyday, 5 days a week at 12 midnight, I'll be very happy. It's planning social events for the weekend and then having to scrap them for the umpteenth time that makes you hate your job.

d) Law school teaches you to understand legal concepts, nothing more. You will pick up what you need to know on the job along the way. Don't fret it.

e) Working hard in school was never a guarantee of a stable job in any field.

f) Important for what? Balance for its own sake? How do you even define work-life balance. What is balanced to you may not be balanced to someone else. You have to find your own balance. Just be sure that you don't use this nebulous concept as a crutch to avoid the hard work that goes into starting out any career or field.

Thanks for putting it in perspective. It's really helpful advice. Just got back some of my drafts from the associate and it's covered in corrections. I don't remember a time in law school where a research paper I wrote had so many corrections. It's frustrating.

One thing I wonder is why law firms are so bent on hiring dean listers and summa cum laudes when the knowledge acquired in law school is so irrelevant to corporate practice. If everyone starts on an equal footing, i.e. new, on their first day of work, it simply does not add weight to such a hiring policy.

I have friends working as management associates in private banking this year and their work hours are surprisingly good. I don't mind long hours but what I find frustrating is that there is so much wastage involved when you don't know and the whole exercise becomes one of trial and error.