<p>what are other options of careers after law school besides working at a Big L? </p>
<p>it doesn’t seem easy to raise a family; i want to be a mother some day.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Government work seems pretty popular among attorneys who are on the mommy track. For example, being a board attorney at the National Labor Relations Board. Or being an administrative law judge. These jobs tend to have medium pay, good hours, and great benefits.</p>
<p>The problem is that AFAIK it’s become very competitive to get government jobs particularly if you want to work in a big city setting. Also, unless your law school has a good loan repayment program, it will be difficult to pay down your debt on a government salary.</p>
<p>Thank you for the advice. My aunt is a lawyer that works for the government, and she gets great, flexible hours, only goes to work 4 days a week, around 6 weeks of vacation time, and great benefits. She still makes upwards of 200,000 a year. However, I don’t want to do what she’s doing. She defends foreigners, or something on that line. </p>
<p>Would it be possible to practice contract or property law (both of which I’m most interested in) and work in a secure government position?</p>
<p>Also, I’m not worried about marriage/kids ;] I’ve always had plenty of suitors, haha.</p>
<p>Reality is that at most major law firms, partnership decisions are made about 8 years in. That timing is just plain lousy for most women because of their biological clocks. Many young women find themselves in a position of having to decide whether to try to get pregnant even though it might happen during that last critical year or two for partnership decisions or put off trying and run the risk that they will be able to have kids a couple of years later. And, of course, they worry about what will happen if they don’t make partner. At some firms, you’re still expected to leave–and the thought of trying to find another job while you are pregnant or have a newborn is pretty intimidating too. </p>
<p>Yes, many women have kids in their mid-30s or later. Here in Manhattan though, a heck of a lot of those kids are conceived after a LOT of effort to get pregnant. The # of twins in Manhattan elementary schools is mind-boggling and that’s in large part due to the # of kids being born to parents who used in vitreo. It’s NOT a pleasant, pain-free process for women. And the mental stress–did it “take” this time?–can drive people pretty nutty. It’s also expensive. Most couples I know of who succeeded paid more than 4 years of tuition, room and board at a private college to get those bundles of joy. </p>
<p>So, just personally, I don’t think we are being entirely fair to our daughters when we suggest that they can pour their heart and soul into their jobs until they become partner at the age of 35 or so and then find the perfect guy who wants kids , marry him and actually have those kids with a lot less effort. But men CAN wait until they become partners at age 35, and then marry and have kids. So, IMO, there IS a difference between men and women and we ignore it at our peril. </p>
<p>It’s NOT that easy–for men OR women-- to be a partner at a major law firm and have a happy marriage and two healthy, well-adjusted kids. It’s still a bit harder for women. Some law schools have alumnae reunions just for women grads. Let me tell you the panels on balancing a legal career with marriage and kids haven’t changed much over the decades. And the fact that they are always among the best attended of the offerings among women attorneys in their early 30s suggest that it’s not something that THEY think is easy to pull off.</p>
<p>Big firm law is not a life that you want. The money isn’t worth the personal sacrifices that you’ll be expected to make. I worked in big law for a long time before I became a government attorney --less money and I am so much happier.</p>
<p>One more thought:</p>
<p>It is not easy to work in Biglaw. I think I have made my feelings on that abundantly clear in my many, many posts on the topic over the years. This applies equally to men and women. </p>
<p>There are special reasons why success in Biglaw is especially difficult for women. I have also discussed this on several occasions here in the past. Among these reasons are that (1) while many Biglaw firms pay a lot of lip service to their egalitarian opportunities, the reality is that many are still big boys’ clubs, (2) men and women generally have differing approaches to problem solving and conflict management, and, while the men are in charge, the male approach is preferred and, (3) whether or not it is true, there is a perception and a fear that every woman will at some point get pregnant, go out on maternity leave and then never come back after letting the firm pay for their leave (this does happen often enough that it creates a big problem and an almost insurmountable stigma for women). There are also few female mentors (because there are so few senior women and female partners in Biglaw). I’ve also found that men can be uncomfortable at times with women in the room, since they feel they have to be on their “best” behavior (no cussing, etc.). </p>
<p>Biglaw is not easy and it is not for everyone. Not everyone who wants Biglaw will have the opportunity, and for most who get the opportunity, they will be pushed out or they will leave. However, it is certainly possible for women to become successful attorneys. It is also undoubtedly possible for women to become successful attorneys in Biglaw while finding husbands (or alternate significant others) and having and raising children. Some challenges are well worth the time and energy needed to overcome them.</p>
<p>MODERATOR’S NOTE
This thread is about life in a large law firm, not about “attractiveness” or sexuality or women v. men.</p>
<p>Keep it on track, please, or it will be closed.</p>
<p>“My aunt is a lawyer that works for the government, and she gets great, flexible hours, only goes to work 4 days a week, around 6 weeks of vacation time, and great benefits. She still makes upwards of 200,000 a year.”</p>
<p>This doesn’t sound right. The top salary for a GS 15 with the federal government (a high level position) is just over 129K.</p>
<p>[2011</a> General Schedule (GS) Locality Pay Tables](<a href=“http://www.opm.gov/oca/11tables/indexGS.asp]2011”>General Schedule)</p>
<p>Toronto-guy’s post is spot on.</p>
<p>Over 90% of the people entering biglaw come in knowing they are not going for partnership. They want to put in their 4-6 years and then move on, either in-house or government or to a small to mid-size firm. They know they are going to work hard, but what they get back is training and a permanent stamp on their resume indicating big-law work…and hopefully a dent in their law loans. This is a good trade-off. I took the same route and my big-law training is still paying dividends. Its amazing the kind of hours you can pull when you’re young. I look back on my days as an associate and I can’t believe I worked the hours I did. But you can’t do it forever, at least not most of us. Burn-out is real. But I wouldn’t trade my biglaw experience for the world. It made me a better lawyer and it opened up doors that just are not accessible to the vast majority of other lawyers.</p>
<p>EMM1 is correct; none of the numbers in that post have any basis in fact-not the salary, not the work days, not the vacation-none of it.</p>