Pay scale for different types of law jobs

Graduate School Law School
1

<p>I'm actually looking into Law School, I'm a junior in high school and have been on the chase for a career to pursue and have finally settled all the hype in hopes of going to law school. I have searched thick and thin about law school, my one big question is what is the pay like afterwards for different jobs in law?</p>

2

<p>It was a long time ago, but my law school experience was the same as Drushba’s and PaperChase. (I thought it was clear that students don’t identify their stats, but he was giving examples of how everyone is in the same boat, and that being smart doesn’t give you any real advantage.)</p>

<p>My own kid recently attended two law schools. School #1 was lower ranked, but was more mellow and supportive without aggressive professors. Transfer School #2 was more competitive, professors were abrupt and less interested in students, and students didn’t socialize. Before selecting a law school, my kid visited a few of the schools where he was admitted and sat in on classes (also spoke to current students to get a feel for the school and find out about its placement office, whether sections were stacked against scholarship students, etc.) Each school had a slightly different feel. From section to section, there can also be differences. For ex., one class of criminal law may have an old-school professor who teaches exclusively with the socratic method and the other section may have a professor who throws some other material into the mix. You don’t get to choose your section, so it’s unpredictable. </p>

<p>I recommend reading 1L of a Ride and some of the other recent books on what law school is like. There’s also a good DVD “All About Law School” where students at multiple schools are interviewed on lots of topics like exams, moot-court and job hunting. You can find them at Amazon.</p>

3

<p>I’m always asking my d what law school is like, and she always has the same answer - that there’s a lot of work, but that, so far, teaching first grade was harder. She will probably always see things from a teacher’s POV. She thinks that law school wouldn’t be as hard for most people if they complained less and worked more. :D</p>

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<p>Lawyer pay is [url=&lt;a href=“http://www.nalp.org/salarycurve_classof2011]bimodal[/url”&gt;NALP - National Association for Law Placement | The NALP Salary Curve for the Class of 2011]bimodal[/url</a>]. Pay close attention that this graph is of reported salaries and that reporting is heavily self-selected towards those making more money, not less. Further, only half the class of 2011 got lawyer jobs at all, so this graph should include a whole other section of law grads that don’t make any lawyer salary whatsoever. However, also remember that this is recession data and if you do a legal job search it will be in 6 years, so things might look different.</p>

5

<p>Our firm (small firm, major metro area, no litigation) hires only from the top 10% of Tier 2 schools or top 50% of Tier 1. We prefer candidates with work experience (usually in summers) that demonstrates interest in the area of law they’ll practice. We also look for excellent communication skills and other intangibles including likeability, eagerness to work long hours and mental/verbal quickness. The meek need not apply. We try before we buy by hiring 2nd year students as summer associates and then offering permanent employment to those who do well (roughly half). Lately we’ve been getting about 50 qualified applicants for each summer position. Our first year lawyers start at about $80K.</p>

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<p>The child of a friend of ours is graduating this year and has obtained a clerkship in Lousiana - what is this and do these kind of jobs pay well?</p>

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<p>A clerkship is a one- or two-year job, sort of like an internship. They’re often quite prestigious (some are EXTREMELY prestigious) and used as stepping stones to the next job.</p>

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<p>To expand on bluedevilmike, “clerkship” is used in different ways. The job mike is referring to is working for a judge, usually drafting opinions and orders and doing legal research. The pay varies depending on whether this is a federal or state court clerkship but is usually around $40k. They tend to be valuable for the experience and, as mike said, stepping stones. “Clerkship” is also a term used by some law firms for temporary or non-partner track associates. The pay there varies widely according to the firm.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the info</p>

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<p>Here’s a good graphic: <a href=“http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/07/13/business/economy/economix-13nalp2011/economix-13nalp2011-blog480.jpg[/url]”>http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/07/13/business/economy/economix-13nalp2011/economix-13nalp2011-blog480.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>That is the best-case scenario - i.e. full-time, reported salaries. Anyone working part-time is not included; anyone who did not report a salary is not included.</p>