Lawyer Salary

Originally Posted by Unregistered

They will hire but not as an associate. Try and see if you can find traineeships or paralegal positions and work your way up

The US system is different from the SG or UK system. You join as a first yearer after you graduate with a JD, subject to you passing the bar. You get your offer usually by spending your 2L summer with the firm as a summer associate.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Get called first, your marketability skyrockets.

Thanks for the kind and sound advice. I probably reached a point that I feel law is becoming less worth it because of the intense competition, undercutting and the consideration to cut legal fees. But I will soldier on and just tahan, although the working hours are insane

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Second this. Get called first, especially now TC only 0.5 years.

True. It will be worse after 2023

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Thanks for the kind and sound advice. I probably reached a point that I feel law is becoming less worth it because of the intense competition, undercutting and the consideration to cut legal fees. But I will soldier on and just tahan, although the working hours are insane

Local firms are fighting for scraps lol.

[LegalBeagle]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hey LegalBeagle (and other international firm pals), I kinda need some guidance here. I'm doing a JD in a lower T14 US school right now, and I'm hoping to return to Singapore to work. I love it here in the US, but my parents are old and the thought of not seeing them and regretting when it's too late to do so fills me with dread...

Are there any biglaw firms in Sg besides Latham that hires fresh US associates? My grades are pretty ass (I'm not exactly a great student, just a tiny minnow swimming amongst sharks) and I'm pretty sure Latham with their GPA cut-offs ain't hiring someone like me.

Based on your academic profile, if you come back directly after graduation, you may have trouble even getting into a local Big4 firm. The sad reality about practice in SG is that local firms here expect to pay peanuts for diligent, highly qualified warm bodies. US firms generally do not take pupils into their SG offices, preferring to poach trained associates from their competitors.

Also, US firms here generally do not pay Cravath, save for two (Latham’s and Milbank). All the rest pay either local Magic Circle rates or a funky mysterious mid-Atlantic rate which sits between MC rates and proper Cravath rates. They use the tax differential/cost of living argument as justification for this difference.

So if you’re looking to earn NY scale salaries in SG, your best course of action would be to fight for a job in the US market in a mobile area of law which would allow you to move back to SG such as cap markets, B&F, Project Finance etc. I don’t know anything about the NY legal market so I can’t say much. I imagine you’d face strong competition there, though quite certainly not as fierce as the fight you’d face here!

You face an additional complication due to the need to consider family. That’s a tough one which you’ve got to decide on your own. I’ve turned down many amazing overseas job offers throughout my years in practice, for the sake of family. I’ve always felt short term regret, but in the long run I think staying is the right thing to do. I don’t think I could face myself if I’d allowed my aged parents to die alone in their twilight years. On the other hand, it does seem silly to come back to this cheapskate, crowded market and take local firm salaries when you could potentially be earning literally 4 times as much in a US firm (and note, this is not an exaggeration).

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Local firms are fighting for scraps lol.

Quite the opposite. Grads, whether local or not, are fighting for the scraps. Heard stories of Chinatown sole practitioners getting requests for RLT/TC even though they never offered

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hey LegalBeagle (and other international firm pals), I kinda need some guidance here. I'm doing a JD in a lower T14 US school right now, and I'm hoping to return to Singapore to work. I love it here in the US, but my parents are old and the thought of not seeing them and regretting when it's too late to do so fills me with dread...

Are there any biglaw firms in Sg besides Latham that hires fresh US associates? My grades are pretty ass (I'm not exactly a great student, just a tiny minnow swimming amongst sharks) and I'm pretty sure Latham with their GPA cut-offs ain't hiring someone like me.

Srry but is doing a jd in the us really viable for a Singaporean? As i understand it, scholarships are mostly off limits for international students and u most likely have to pay full sticker? Although i can see the merits of practising law in the us. Just genuinely curious about yr situation over there...

Hello seniors, I’m currently a 2 PQE in a big 4, doing disputes work. Looking to switch to Corp and/or move in-house.

What are my chances?

How do I fare against Corp applicants from small/medium-sized firms?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Quite the opposite. Grads, whether local or not, are fighting for the scraps. Heard stories of Chinatown sole practitioners getting requests for RLT/TC even though they never offered

I mean the local firms are not able to get good quality and profitable work.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I mean the local firms are not able to get good quality and profitable work.

Ahh. Can't disagree. That is why some of the local firms start merging with big international law firms to get more profitable work. Or else, it is no longer milk and honey like the 80s