Lawyer Salary

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Depends on what you want in terms of your future career.

If you wish to try for a tc in London, then go to LSE. While it is true that you may not get into a magic circle firms right from the get go, getting a TC at at a silver circle firm will still afford you the opportunity to transition into magic circle once you gain a few years pqe. Also, let's be real.. you'll have have a better life as a trainee in london than in SG.

... and most of my batch mates from LSE who did well (high 2.1, FCH - which is what you'll need for applications to MC/SC firms anyway) still got TCs in SG Big4

If you want to practice in SG, NUS for sure. No questions about it.

Thank you for sharing!

Part of the issue is that I don't even know what I want (in a sense?)... I would love to have a shot at trying for a tc in london, but I'm not confident that I can make it.. haha. It sounds stupid ik, but in that lens, I guess I feel 'NUS' is safer given that it is located at home.

I didn't know that life as a trainee in london would beat out life in SG. Huh! Thanks for that

I am 2 PQE planning to switch firms and am wondering if anyone has thoughts about whether I should (a) write in directly to a big firm's Partner or (b) write in through the big firm's main recruitment email address.

My concern with the latter option is that I'm not sure if my application would stand out (among the masses of emails received) for TCs / NQ Associate position. However, I am also presently unaware of any specific department in bigger firms who are hiring (I stand corrected on this). As such, I'm not sure if a speculative application to a big firm's Partner as a Junior would work.

I know there is no magic to the recruitment process but would be grateful if anyone has tips / insights to share on this?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Wait... if your parents can afford it (and I assume they are lawyers), then isn’t it a no brainer that you should go overseas to do law?
Or can you reapply to Oxbridge in another year?
It’s no point going in this Sept everything is online learning there’s no proper experience

(I'm sorry, somehow it looks my initial reply was lost but lemme try again now).

Ok, maybe 'can afford it' is a misnomer. My parents (neither are lawyers) are a bit cagey about money (and they aren't lawyers), but I get the impression that they would be able to pay for it with some sacrifices. I suspect that if I go, they won't have any savings left.. which leads me to my misgivings of taking their money.

On reapplying: I can! And I plan to do it! That's also why I'm presently leaning towards NUS. Cause, in that sense, I would only be taking up the offer for a year for 'pre law training' before going to oxbridge. But of course, getting into oxbridge in 2021 is not a guarantee, and if I choose to do so (take NUS instead of LSE in 2020), LSE will probably blacklist me as a no-show in sept. But then again, taking LSE as 'pre law training' would also mean I would blow aprox 25k of my parent's hard earned money on top of the oxbridge int fees (should i get it)... Or are you suggesting I take a gap year? Although after serving NS for 2yrs I'm not sure if I would let my brain atrophy further...

On the online semester: NUS is apparently gonna go online for sem1, but LSE says that tutorials will still be F2F... so I guess that's a point for LSE?

Anyways, thank you for taking the time!

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I am 2 PQE planning to switch firms and am wondering if anyone has thoughts about whether I should (a) write in directly to a big firm's Partner or (b) write in through the big firm's main recruitment email address.

My concern with the latter option is that I'm not sure if my application would stand out (among the masses of emails received) for TCs / NQ Associate position. However, I am also presently unaware of any specific department in bigger firms who are hiring (I stand corrected on this). As such, I'm not sure if a speculative application to a big firm's Partner as a Junior would work.

I know there is no magic to the recruitment process but would be grateful if anyone has tips / insights to share on this?

Can only speak for Big 4 as I work in one: Hiring is very much handled by HR in the big firms. There is usually a partner in charge of recruitment, sure, but his/her job is to set overall policy and doesn't get involved in the day to day nitty gritty. That's still HR's job. So, your email directly to a partner will likely go ignored or you will be politely returned a "please direct your emails to HR".

That being said, you should trust that HR does their job. Personally, I have cold emailed a big firm when they did not have any positions available listed and gotten hired through there. Just be sincere in emailing and state what positions you are interested in and let them get back to you.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

(I'm sorry, somehow it looks my initial reply was lost but lemme try again now).

Ok, maybe 'can afford it' is a misnomer. My parents (neither are lawyers) are a bit cagey about money (and they aren't lawyers), but I get the impression that they would be able to pay for it with some sacrifices. I suspect that if I go, they won't have any savings left.. which leads me to my misgivings of taking their money.

On reapplying: I can! And I plan to do it! That's also why I'm presently leaning towards NUS. Cause, in that sense, I would only be taking up the offer for a year for 'pre law training' before going to oxbridge. But of course, getting into oxbridge in 2021 is not a guarantee, and if I choose to do so (take NUS instead of LSE in 2020), LSE will probably blacklist me as a no-show in sept. But then again, taking LSE as 'pre law training' would also mean I would blow aprox 25k of my parent's hard earned money on top of the oxbridge int fees (should i get it)... Or are you suggesting I take a gap year? Although after serving NS for 2yrs I'm not sure if I would let my brain atrophy further...

On the online semester: NUS is apparently gonna go online for sem1, but LSE says that tutorials will still be F2F... so I guess that's a point for LSE?

Anyways, thank you for taking the time!

hi, just regarding the NUS point, most Y1 modules would still take place F2F as the groups as smaller

Originally Posted by Unregistered

(I'm sorry, somehow it looks my initial reply was lost but lemme try again now).

Ok, maybe 'can afford it' is a misnomer. My parents (neither are lawyers) are a bit cagey about money (and they aren't lawyers), but I get the impression that they would be able to pay for it with some sacrifices. I suspect that if I go, they won't have any savings left.. which leads me to my misgivings of taking their money.

On reapplying: I can! And I plan to do it! That's also why I'm presently leaning towards NUS. Cause, in that sense, I would only be taking up the offer for a year for 'pre law training' before going to oxbridge. But of course, getting into oxbridge in 2021 is not a guarantee, and if I choose to do so (take NUS instead of LSE in 2020), LSE will probably blacklist me as a no-show in sept. But then again, taking LSE as 'pre law training' would also mean I would blow aprox 25k of my parent's hard earned money on top of the oxbridge int fees (should i get it)... Or are you suggesting I take a gap year? Although after serving NS for 2yrs I'm not sure if I would let my brain atrophy further...

On the online semester: NUS is apparently gonna go online for sem1, but LSE says that tutorials will still be F2F... so I guess that's a point for LSE?

Anyways, thank you for taking the time!

No. If you dont know what you want to do, and your parents are sacrificing all their future saving, you dont have the money to go overseas.

NUS. You will have a comfortable life in sg after a few shitty years. Probably even be able to support your rents quite comfortably.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Yeah until I recently came across a few Singaporean KCL FCH in the US internationals drawing more than 30k per month at 2-3pqe.

Made me eat my words and swallow the paper it is worth on
30k can you imagine how that fattens the bank balance every month?

Yeah until I saw how all other schools that are reputable have alumni that become leaders of the free world or richest 50 persons in the world. Then I thought to myself, the degree mill analogy is still true.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

(I'm sorry, somehow it looks my initial reply was lost but lemme try again now).

Ok, maybe 'can afford it' is a misnomer. My parents (neither are lawyers) are a bit cagey about money (and they aren't lawyers), but I get the impression that they would be able to pay for it with some sacrifices. I suspect that if I go, they won't have any savings left.. which leads me to my misgivings of taking their money.

On reapplying: I can! And I plan to do it! That's also why I'm presently leaning towards NUS. Cause, in that sense, I would only be taking up the offer for a year for 'pre law training' before going to oxbridge. But of course, getting into oxbridge in 2021 is not a guarantee, and if I choose to do so (take NUS instead of LSE in 2020), LSE will probably blacklist me as a no-show in sept. But then again, taking LSE as 'pre law training' would also mean I would blow aprox 25k of my parent's hard earned money on top of the oxbridge int fees (should i get it)... Or are you suggesting I take a gap year? Although after serving NS for 2yrs I'm not sure if I would let my brain atrophy further...

On the online semester: NUS is apparently gonna go online for sem1, but LSE says that tutorials will still be F2F... so I guess that's a point for LSE?

Anyways, thank you for taking the time!

If you got money, and would like a good shot of getting an international, LSE hands down. No money, NUS.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I am 2 PQE planning to switch firms and am wondering if anyone has thoughts about whether I should (a) write in directly to a big firm's Partner or (b) write in through the big firm's main recruitment email address.

My concern with the latter option is that I'm not sure if my application would stand out (among the masses of emails received) for TCs / NQ Associate position. However, I am also presently unaware of any specific department in bigger firms who are hiring (I stand corrected on this). As such, I'm not sure if a speculative application to a big firm's Partner as a Junior would work.

I know there is no magic to the recruitment process but would be grateful if anyone has tips / insights to share on this?

I work in a B4. I would say apply to the partner so he/she sees your email and it doesn't get lost in a sack of other applicants.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

(I'm sorry, somehow it looks my initial reply was lost but lemme try again now).

Ok, maybe 'can afford it' is a misnomer. My parents (neither are lawyers) are a bit cagey about money (and they aren't lawyers), but I get the impression that they would be able to pay for it with some sacrifices. I suspect that if I go, they won't have any savings left.. which leads me to my misgivings of taking their money.

On reapplying: I can! And I plan to do it! That's also why I'm presently leaning towards NUS. Cause, in that sense, I would only be taking up the offer for a year for 'pre law training' before going to oxbridge. But of course, getting into oxbridge in 2021 is not a guarantee, and if I choose to do so (take NUS instead of LSE in 2020), LSE will probably blacklist me as a no-show in sept. But then again, taking LSE as 'pre law training' would also mean I would blow aprox 25k of my parent's hard earned money on top of the oxbridge int fees (should i get it)... Or are you suggesting I take a gap year? Although after serving NS for 2yrs I'm not sure if I would let my brain atrophy further...

On the online semester: NUS is apparently gonna go online for sem1, but LSE says that tutorials will still be F2F... so I guess that's a point for LSE?

Anyways, thank you for taking the time!

it's just like investing in high risk stocks. is your family able to afford the "risk" of not getting into a big 4? you seem correctly aware of the pros and cons of LSE and NUS. but if you suspect "they won't have any savings left", then my advice is go for NUS. it's the safer route. can't go wrong. you can always go to a UK firm after graduating