omg i have 2nd upper honors and my starting pay was 3k too. where are you?

nus law first class honours, 7.5k starting. justices' law clerk at supreme court

How about your peers?

2nd upper honours ought to get you a higher starting salary if you joined my ministry around the same time i joined but i guess it depends on the economy.

Last drawn > sgd250k a year in banking. Calling it quit after 14 years and recently decided to lecture in poly. Offered around 120k (bonus included though, assuming 3 months bonus).

Obviously can't compare with banking. Just wondering if offer is competitive within the industry?

Bachelor n Masters in Finance (Ntu).

I did join a ministry! Starting pay was $3000 in 2003, when I left in 2006 it was $3332.

Why didn't you join the magic circle firms instead... Heard those were paying $9 to 12k plus to start. U definitely stand a good chance if u are 1st class honours.

Empirically the other justice law clerks either stay in civil service or end up as a junior partner at a local firm which can pay as low as $10k for a junior partner.

And if u make partner, a junior partner will make at least $1mn.

Sorry The last para is in relation to a junior partner at a magic circle firm.

This post is not to disparage your career choice, obviously it's very very difficult to be selected as a justice law clerk. And it has good prestige and all.

But it's obviously not the optimal choice from a salary perspective, so given that this is a salary forum, i just wanted to understand ur rationale for choosing this route instead of the more lucrative private sector route.

I'm sorry but you're obviously nowhere near being a lawyer or a law student.

Firstly, there are the Big Four firms in Singapore are not called "magic circle" firms. That sounds ridiculous in the local context and is a term applied only to specific City firms in the UK.

Secondly, your claim that JLCs typically end up making junior partner at most in the private sector is complete and utter rubbish. Whether you're JLC or not, and whether or not you're first class, has no bearing on whether you make equity or senior partner. It's about your performance and how much rain you can bring in for the firm.

Thirdly, JLCs are certainly not handicapped in any way when they enter the private sector. On the contrary, JLCs are in huge demand because they know the ins and outs of the courtroom and the justices' chambers. They help draft judgments for High Court. Private firms can't wait to poach them when they finish their JLC terms, often with higher salary than for their peers. Many of them do stay in the judiciary by choice with the aim of becoming judges, not because they can't get other jobs (LOL)

I am not a law student nor a lawyer, but I know people in both local and foreign firms, and also JLCs, so I speak with facts as I know it.

By magic circle, I meant the UK firms operating in Singapore like Links, A&O etc. Obviously A&G and WP will not pay freshies $9+ - their salary scale is quite transparent at about $5k.

And I am not saying that JLCs cannot find a job in private sector, but empirically, many stay back in civil service, and many who leave start off as a senior associate or as a junior partner in local firms. One high profile example is Chris De Souza, the PAP MP. I am not saying they cannot end up as equity partner, but that's what most start off as.

I make no value judgement, but as I have clearly set out above, all I am saying is: from a salary perspective, a JLC route seems to be less lucrative than joining a Linklaters (for example) or A&O. So, given that this is a salary forum, my question is why the author of the post has chosen this route rather than the more lucrative route.

For your response to be of any value to the forum, please stay away from generic answers on the job scope of JLCs and generic statements in regards to industry reputations of JLCs. It is well established that JLCs are highly regarded.

What is of value instead is (i) empirical examples of where most have ended up and (ii) empirical examples of the paths they have chosen to get there (i.e. stay as JLC for 3 years, then go join local/foreign house as senior associate/junior partner, then make senior/equity partner in [ ] years).

Only then, can we make an educated appraisal as to whether the private sector route or the JLC route is more appropriate for a top law student, if he is looking at things purely from a lifetime monetary perspective.