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The life of attorneys

DunkinDeacon

DunkinDeacon

Blame Tuesdays
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Mar 18, 2011
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I know that there are many attorneys on the board and Wake is a breeding ground, so let's discuss. I've been practicing law for many years and am a partner at a top twenty firm in a big city. I have done well but increasingly recognize that the reward for being a solid attorney is always more work, it never ends and leaves most that I know either underemployed or always hoping or looking to find an alternative profession. Yet society still views doctors and lawyers as positions to be strived for from early days forward? Kids are told that these are positions to strive for in society. Odd. My view is that the practice of law is shrinking and clients are becoming more demanding (as they should be) every year, making the practice more challenging and time-consuming no matter what the size of your practice or practice area may be. What do others think about the practice of law at this point? Surely there are solid rewards for those who work hard and have support for clients, but that pool seems to be shrinking every year and the work and realization issues are palpable. Giant pain in the ass, if you ask me. thoughts?
 
I gave up the practice of law, in the traditional sense, 7 years ago. Best thing I've ever done.
 
I own a business. Our customers are lawyers and paralegals.
 
WFUtoUSC said:
What do you do now?
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a-team.jpg
 
Never understood phrases like "top 20 law firm." Do you honestly think you work at one of the 20 best firms in America?
 
In Florida the worst thing about being an attorney is the saturation rate of the profession. There are 100,000 lawyers in Florida. Actually it may be higher than that now. But getting clients without a big firm name behind you is very difficult, there are no job openings that pay well and there is certainly no prestige. At last count Florida had 13 law schools. Ridiculous. And people keep enrolling...going into debt to walk into a saturated, dead-end profession. I'm okay at this stage in my career but I wouldn't want to be 26-30.
 
Also the recession made clients savvier...they figured out most law firms won't sue a client for unpaid bills, so they string you out...even with the economy back up clients often go way past 90 days delinquent...but you are in a fiduciary position and even if you have a great retainer agreement, if you fire the client they can grieve you to the Bar, which is often composed of naive people who have never dealt with this, and dealing with a grievance is very stressful and time consuming (I had one in 11 years of practice and it was tossed out in two weeks, but the claimant was severely mentally ill and it showed in his claim) . So you'll likely finish out a matter even if the dickhead is delinquent on fees, and that sucks.
 
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On the bright side, Brangus, you are still getting laid AT LEAST weekly, so you've got that going for you.
 
I'm five years out of law school and I don't know what to think about the practice of law. My first job out of law school was a moving company doing manual labor because my BigLaw offer was rescinded due to the recession two months before I was supposed to start. I then worked at legal aid as a volunteer and got my first paying job at the social security administration.

That job at SSA was probably the closest I've come to full blown depression. Awful pay and terrible work with even worse coworkers. So I went back to school and got my LLM and have been practicing for a little under two years at two different firms.

I generally like my life but I'm paranoid that the work will slow down and I'll be looking for a new gig. Granted I'd be in a better position than a lot of people as I'm licensed in two states and went to good schools but despite making good money I feel like I'm living paycheck to paycheck because I'm paying down debt from school and periods of unemployment.

Overall, I like my job and being a lawyer and I would make the same decision to go to law school today if I had the choice.
 
Say Hey Deac said:
On the bright side, Brangus, you are still getting laid AT LEAST weekly, so you've got that going for you.
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Aunt Flow was in town followed by a nasty cold so my batting average is down. Gotta get things going. Thinking of pulling out the yellow Borat halter speedo tonight.
 
Brangus said:
Aunt Flow was in town followed by a nasty cold so my batting average is down. Gotta get things going. Thinking of pulling out the yellow Borat halter speedo tonight.
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You should shave each other.
 
Ball State Deac said:
Never understood phrases like "top 20 law firm." Do you honestly think you work at one of the 20 best firms in America?
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As an employee of an "Others Receiving Votes" Law Firm, I object to this stratification.

The happiest lawyers I know are small town North Carolina attorneys. There is a strong argument to be made for 4.5 day work week, low overhead and living ten extra years.

I will probably encourage my kids to go to law school and not practice law. I think it's a good education, but a difficult career to strike the right balance. I hope my children are well-educated long haul truckers. That would be awesome.
 
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jhmd2000 said:
As an employee of an "Others Receiving Votes" Law Firm, I object to this stratification.

The happiest lawyers I know are small town North Carolina attorneys. There is a strong argument to be made for 4.5 day work week, low overhead and living ten extra years.

I will probably encourage my kids to go to law school and not practice law. I think it's a good education, but a difficult career to strike the right balance. I hope my children are well-educated long haul truckers. That would be awesome.
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LOL Whut.
 
jhmd2000 said:
Dude, think about it. It would be awesome to be a long-haul trucker.
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Long hours, nights away from your family, rising costs for drivers, pressure to work (you only get paid when you're behind the wheel)...coupled up with the debt incurred to go to law school in your dream scenario...what's not to love!?
 
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