Bliz Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 Also, Yusuf kinda alluded to this in his post, but for all the practicing lawyers who posted on here, what is a regular workday for you guys? As in, what do you guys do during your work hours and your billable hours during the day? I'm trying to get a sense of the daily life of a lawyer, which I'm probably gonna see in an internship anyways, but there seems to be all different sorts of lawyers on here, and I'm guessing all the work is different. The billable hour means you live your life in 6 minute increments. Timing what you do and billing in tenths of an hour. 10 minute phone call means you write down that you spent 0.2h talking to ___ regarding ____. It's one of the worst parts of the job. I usually work 7:30 - 6:30 and bill between 8 and 8.5h. That might be better if I weren't addicted to extremeskins. I'm at a smaller firm, and the minimum is 1850 for the year (but you won't make partner billing the minimum each year). It's rare for me to work weekends or nights, because so many cases settle. If I do work weekends or nights it's because I choose to so I can make up some hours, or there is a particular hearing I'm preparing for. A lot of people don't have that luxury. The work itself changes from day to day. Working on motions/briefs/pleadings, reviewing and editing contracts, conference calls, research, writing for certain publications, reviewing client documents...some practices you get the same thing over and over again and you can be an expert in 6 months. In mine you can be practicing for 30 years and have a new issue come across your desk that you need to research (or have someone research for you) because you've never seen it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Tater Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 Usually, the easy-to-get careers are the ones where you get treated like garbage. This is especially true of a career path where a lot of people want the same job. There are tons of people who want to teach, but you get paid just above the poverty line and you put in crazy hours. The best bang for your buck is a science degree, in my opinion. I would recommend computer science, because that's what I did. Everybody should be like me, because I'm awesome. It's a tough degree to get, and most people who start it don't finish it. That's part of why it pays well. Once you get the hang of it, it's incredibly fun. I put in 40 hours a week, and I love every minute of it. I'd NEVER recommend a CS degree. Most people work their butts off and get paid **** for a person with a degree. Thing about any science degree its more about what you've got between the ears than anything you have any control of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Clark Fan Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 Don't kid yourself on the "higher level" part. Getting a law degree and pasing the bar is not that hard/great of an accomplishment. ever taken the bar? if not you have NO IDEA what your talking about...oh and you think law school is a walk in the park...haha u ain't got a clue lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bliz Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 One other thing about law school that I don't think anyone mentioned is the importance of first year. If you go, your first year is by far the most important, so bust your hump. Study your butt off, don't party as much as everyone else, and do everything you can (ethically) to be close to the top of the class. You want to work as a summer associate after your 2nd year. You interview for that job in November of your 2nd year. In November of your 2nd year, interviews are based on your grades from 1st year because that's all you have. If you get a summer job after 2nd year and do well, they'll make you an offer to work for them after graduation. So those 1st year grades are super-important. After 1st year, you can cut back and start having more fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grhqofb5 Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 No. But it pays well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Tater Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 I thought about it. Then I asked myself "Do I want to do homework for the rest of my life?"Hell no. I can't think of any professional field where not doing 'homework' is a good idea. I know my field (computer science, specifically predicted performance in HCM), you do 'homework' just to keep your head above water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Tater Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 Yah, whoever mentioned nursing... not sure about that one.Yes, the pay is tremendous, and hospitals are looking for nurses anywhere and everywhere. The reason? Because being a nurse is probably the toughest job there is, period. Insane hours, midnight shifts, job stress the likes of which almost no profession can measure up to... burnout is rampant. The reason the pay is so good and nurses are so hard to find is because it takes a very, very special person to do it. If you think being a lawyer might be tough stay the hell away from nursing. You forgot about the number one thing that most nurses who burned out tell me, lack of respect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Tater Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 The billable hour means you live your life in 6 minute increments. Timing what you do and billing in tenths of an hour. 10 minute phone call means you write down that you spent 0.2h talking to ___ regarding ____. It's one of the worst parts of the job. I usually work 7:30 - 6:30 and bill between 8 and 8.5h. That might be better if I weren't addicted to extremeskins. I'm at a smaller firm, and the minimum is 1850 for the year (but you won't make partner billing the minimum each year). It's rare for me to work weekends or nights, because so many cases settle. If I do work weekends or nights it's because I choose to so I can make up some hours, or there is a particular hearing I'm preparing for. A lot of people don't have that luxury. The work itself changes from day to day. Working on motions/briefs/pleadings, reviewing and editing contracts, conference calls, research, writing for certain publications, reviewing client documents...some practices you get the same thing over and over again and you can be an expert in 6 months. In mine you can be practicing for 30 years and have a new issue come across your desk that you need to research (or have someone research for you) because you've never seen it. You have a minimum of 1850? I need to bill about 1900 hours a year just to stay away from being fired! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 You forgot about the number one thing that most nurses who burned out tell me, lack of respect. That's very true. They take a lot of abuse from Doctors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bliz Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 You have a minimum of 1850? I need to bill about 1900 hours a year just to stay away from being fired! It was 2000 until this year. They couldn't keep pace with the market increases [for those outside the practice, starting salaries at the market-setting big firms were around $100k in 2005, and jumped to around $140k in a series of quick moves in '06-'07] so they reduced the minimum hours and did a smaller salary increase to keep people from jumping at the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedskinzOwnU Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 Work experience generally won't help you get into law school, unless you've done something really unique or exciting. Grades are important for admissions, but LSAT is more important. Bad grades can be offset by a stellar LSAT score. A low or mediocre LSAT score CANNOT be offset by great grades. For the best schools you usually need the total package. US news and world report ranks law schools, and gives you the necessary GPA or LSAT ranges to get in. If you aren't in the 50-75%ile of each range, the odds are against you unless you're a minority. Admissions offices are very mechanical - your essay and the rest of your resume doesn't really matter. They basically look at your grades and your LSAT and churn out a response. If you applied in october or early november, you can expect to start receiving acceptances soon. If they want you, you won't have to wait long to hear. Non-early-admission rejections come in April. If you waited longer to apply, you're putting yourself at a disadvantage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedlightG20 Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 Yah, whoever mentioned nursing... not sure about that one.Yes, the pay is tremendous, and hospitals are looking for nurses anywhere and everywhere. The reason? Because being a nurse is probably the toughest job there is, period. Insane hours, midnight shifts, job stress the likes of which almost no profession can measure up to... burnout is rampant. The reason the pay is so good and nurses are so hard to find is because it takes a very, very special person to do it. If you think being a lawyer might be tough stay the hell away from nursing. There are some good nursing jobs out there. Namely, you can do home health, where you pretty much work your own hours. It's a hell of a lot better than working in a hospital or nursing home. The other issue is that since nursing is very female-dominated, it really takes a special kind of dude to be a nurse. You need to have the right mindset and be highly motivated to keep up with the work, which is very tough to do for most guys (and perhaps steers many away from getting involved in nursing in the first place). Healthcare providers are always looking for a great male nurse. If something in healthcare sounds good, you may want to look into physical therapy. Along with nursing, it's a field that is currently in high demand, but schools can be tough to get into. You don't have to deal with all the crap that many nurses have to, not to mention PT will be considered primary care (by 2015 I believe)... meaning that patients don't need a doctor referral to be seen by a PT. If you own your own PT clinic... ca-ching! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bliz Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 Something I came across today reminded me of this thread. If you are applying to law school, for god's sake don't lie on your application about prior arrests, even if it's embarrassing misdemeanor stuff from when you were a juvenile that was expunged from the record because you did community service or something. When you apply for the bar there is a "fitness application" that asks about all that stuff, and they do a very thorough background check. The son of an acquaintance of a co-worker (I know) just got tagged. For whatever reason he didn't list a DUI and misdemeanor possession charge from when he was younger. They found it. 2nd semester 3rd year and he's been suspended from school for a year, after which he has to reapply. Oh yeah, and don't get arrested or a DUI in law school. Seriously. That **** can end your career before it starts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Flanders Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 Something I came across today reminded me of this thread.If you are applying to law school, for god's sake don't lie on your application about prior arrests, even if it's embarrassing misdemeanor stuff from when you were a juvenile that was expunged from the record because you did community service or something. When you apply for the bar there is a "fitness application" that asks about all that stuff, and they do a very thorough background check. The son of an acquaintance of a co-worker (I know) just got tagged. For whatever reason he didn't list a DUI and misdemeanor possession charge from when he was younger. They found it. 2nd semester 3rd year and he's been suspended from school for a year, after which he has to reapply. Oh yeah, and don't get arrested or a DUI in law school. Seriously. That **** can end your career before it starts. That's some serious ****. I have a friend who worked as an attorney overseas in asia, got a sweet job from an american based company, and lost it 4 months after moving to Japan. His urine and hair came up dirty from a doobie - ONE doobie before he moved, and he was terminated and had to move back. Mind you, he had to move HIS WHOLE FAMILY AND POSSESSIONS. The test was on the spot, he had no choice. This guy did not deserve that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChocolateCitySkin Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 its obviously something you're very passionate about why don't you figure out what you enjoy doing and pursue that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sisko Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 If something in healthcare sounds good, you may want to look into physical therapy. Along with nursing, it's a field that is currently in high demand, but schools can be tough to get into. You don't have to deal with all the crap that many nurses have to, not to mention PT will be considered primary care (by 2015 I believe)... meaning that patients don't need a doctor referral to be seen by a PT. If you own your own PT clinic... ca-ching! I second the endorsement of PT. The only thing is that you'll have to be willing to get a PhD....same as with pharmacy which is also a great career IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.