Lawyer Salary

Originally Posted by Unregistered

You know why you hate your work? Because you're incompetent at it.

It's not your fault of course. You're new, so you're naturally incompetent. You've got a steep, daunting learning curve ahead, and whilst climbing that already painful curve, some a**hole partner or SA is throwing you meaningless grunt work to do.

The older birds have been there, done that. I started out where you are now, almost 5 years ago. I stuck with it, pulled the hours and took the crap. Hard times don't last forever, and things got better with the passage of time. I became more competent and efficient, making work easier and my hours shorter. New NQs and pupils came in year after year, taking on what used to be my grunt work and filling the bottom bun roles.

With better competence and a support base of junior associates came more time, more sleep and more confidence. As a 5PQE senior associate in a Big4 now, life is oddly cushy. I wouldn't dream of leaving my job for anywhere else - not even for double pay. I couldn't stand starting from the bottom again.

Bottom line my friend - stick out the hardships at the start and things naturally get better. If you keep jumping around, you'll always be the new bottom bun, and your life will never get better. All the best!

True. No point to keep jumping ship if you don't get to move up the rank. You may get more pay but you will always be at the bottom rung.

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

Originally Posted by Unregistered

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?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Not that bad.. how many years PQE?

4 - 6 (keeping it deliberately vague)

probably below the median in my batch

Originally Posted by Unregistered

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

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.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

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.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

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.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

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.

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.