Lawyer Salary

Originally Posted by Unregistered

OP here. Since you’re apparently so daft you need help figuring out that what I meant by ‘cannot be right’ is a topic starter, I shall gracefully unpack some of the elements for you.

General employment practice is that salaries will be adjusted EOY to account for inflation and/or other factors. Although these are not typically big increases, it is not insignificant. To have the SAME salary back in 2010 as it does in 2021, is pretty self-explanatory and evidence to the poor salary structure within the legal industry.

Now what is even more problematic is that junior staffers and even some salaried seniors in the legal industry are apathetic to this. Perhaps jaded and rightfully so because the system is so tilted in favour of those that are in power.

This leads to why this platform with anonymity is beneficial to educating and discussing the how and the why.

$5,500, compounded 5% annually for 11 years, is ~$9,400. We're being exploited day in day out.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hi, could anyone share more recent info about JLC and Sheridan Fellowship/Asst Prof/academia in general? Specifically:

JLC

- Starting salary

- Typical career paths after the programme ends (hearsay a lot of ex-JLCs join private practice? Any benefits going the JLC -> practice route as opposed to getting the extra PQE?)

- Is JLC the best path to take for those aspiring to (eventually) become judges?

Academia

- NUS Sheridan Fellow starting salary

- Assistant Professor salary and expected progression

- Is a PhD necessary or will an LLM suffice/is there some form of glass ceiling for non-PhD holders for more senior positions eg Assoc Prof?

(Disclaimer: I know all the paths I've listed here are highly selective and not easy by any means. Currently working hard in school to attain my goals haiz).

You need stellar academics.
Fch. Plus Oxbridge LLM or Harvard LLM.
Nothing less.
Phd is additional after you get the qualifications listed above

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hi, could anyone share more recent info about JLC and Sheridan Fellowship/Asst Prof/academia in general? Specifically:

JLC

- Starting salary

- Typical career paths after the programme ends (hearsay a lot of ex-JLCs join private practice? Any benefits going the JLC -> practice route as opposed to getting the extra PQE?)

- Is JLC the best path to take for those aspiring to (eventually) become judges?

Academia

- NUS Sheridan Fellow starting salary

- Assistant Professor salary and expected progression

- Is a PhD necessary or will an LLM suffice/is there some form of glass ceiling for non-PhD holders for more senior positions eg Assoc Prof?

(Disclaimer: I know all the paths I've listed here are highly selective and not easy by any means. Currently working hard in school to attain my goals haiz).

JLC: it's not a question of going down the path - you will get invited to apply for it. Sort of like being fielded as a PAP MP candidate - you are identified and selected, not the other way round. If you do get it, you will be perceived as the very cream of your cohort, so it is definitely worth it.

Being a judge: following from the fact that a JLC is perceived as being the cream of the cohort, obviously being a JLC will put you in a better position to be a judge than a non-JLC. But judgeship, and I assume you mean Supreme Court judiciary, is so remote that you might as well ask if you can be a Minister or Perm Sec.

PhD: law PhDs are usually called JSDs by the way. Just go to the NUS or SMU website and look at the faculty profiles to see how many get JSDs and you'll have your answer.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

JLC: it's not a question of going down the path - you will get invited to apply for it. Sort of like being fielded as a PAP MP candidate - you are identified and selected, not the other way round. If you do get it, you will be perceived as the very cream of your cohort, so it is definitely worth it.

Being a judge: following from the fact that a JLC is perceived as being the cream of the cohort, obviously being a JLC will put you in a better position to be a judge than a non-JLC. But judgeship, and I assume you mean Supreme Court judiciary, is so remote that you might as well ask if you can be a Minister or Perm Sec.

PhD: law PhDs are usually called JSDs by the way. Just go to the NUS or SMU website and look at the faculty profiles to see how many get JSDs and you'll have your answer.

JLC: It's not that you are selected per se, it's that only first-class/top 10-15% (in terms of grades) get to attend the interview. However, evidently the academic rigor of each school is different. You'll see "first-class" students from sub-par overseas schools getting asked to attend the interview alongside the top students from oxbridge/locals.

If you're really serious about JLC, be a law journal writer, a top student in your cohort, or win a prestigious moot.

Judge: This is a crapshoot, but generally speaking it's actually easier for high achievers in private practice to be invited to become a judge than working your way up the ladder (from say AGC to District Court Judge/AR to supreme Court Judge).

PHD: A JSD from a good university will open doors for you in the academic field, but it's so long/waste of time that most law schools do not require that their professors take the JSD (unlike in other fields where a PHD is a basic requirement). Just get a good LLM from at least a tier 2 school (obviously tier 1 would be best).

Academia is a good career for lawyers. It’s also very prestigious.

It is hard to get a lectureship or assistant professorship at the entry level of academia.
Research assistants and research associates, including Sheridan fellowships are more attainable, even for those with a 2:2.

If you want a lectureship (or assistant professorship) in any of the 3 law schools in SG, be prepared to do well in undergrad, have a LLM from Oxbridge/Harvard at the minimum.

If you want tenure, you eventually need a PhD/SJD from a good university and a solid publication list (more than 40+ peer reviewed papers)

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Agreed. Had a friend who interviewed there. I was told it was a terrible experience.

i interviewed at creco some time back.
it's cray. hahahahaha. don't join.

Which type of Chinatown firms to avoid for tc?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

$5,500, compounded 5% annually for 11 years, is ~$9,400. We're being exploited day in day out.

Hard truths. Singapore lawyers are so behind in terms of remuneration. So much for NUS being a top law school when lower tier UK/Aus law grads trump NUS grads paywise lol

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hard truths. Singapore lawyers are so behind in terms of remuneration. So much for NUS being a top law school when lower tier UK/Aus law grads trump NUS grads paywise lol

You must be from a lower tier school.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

$5,500, compounded 5% annually for 11 years, is ~$9,400. We're being exploited day in day out.

nobody's forcing you to stay, and it's not exploitation if you enjoy the work