Good non-law jobs for a lawyer?? (Page 2)

As a former probation officer, I know there are more than a few POs who were previously practising attys. Most got sick of their former careers, and opted for a more regular work schedule. Of couse, if you worked in my dept where no one paid any attention to personnel whereabouts, you could arrive at work at 9AM and leave at 3:30PM everyday. Excellent work set-up if you're into tri or any other endurance sport!

What about the IRS?

Edited by betyoursilver 2006-03-20 8:32 PM

This user's post has been ignored.

I would echo that you might want to try something transactional. I litigated the first five years out of school and then burned out. The past eight years I have done estate planning, estate administration and elder law. It is intellectually challenging, not boring ( which was a big fear of mine) and reasonable hours (more time to train). I do seminars which allows for the opportunity to do public speaking and education. Every once in a while, an estate dispute allows me to litigate if I feel the need to argue with someone. This field also allows you to work with those in the financial and insurance fields to see if you have any interest in those areas. Oh, if you want to do something completely different, I had a friend who closed his practice and became a postal carrier. I guess you can do anything with a law degree!

I have said this before and I still think that you should write a book about your tranformation.

It probably wouldn't make enough money to be a good job, but I still think you should write one.

Check out a career in the Foreign Service at http://careers.state.gov/officer/index.html  Successful applicants serve as U.S. diplomats in our embassies and consulates abroad, as well as at home in the Department of State.  The career offers fascinating work that appeals to a variety of interests.  

I LOVE litigation. That said, I do see how byou could get burned out. I agree that mediation is generally a lose-lose proposition--that said, it sure looks like an easy life (no billables, flexible hours, etc.).

Bill

Hours vary dramatically based on which sort of firm you are with, which sort of work you're doing, etc. Most of the big firms require in the neighborhood of 2,000 billables per year.

One thing to be careful about with billable requirements is what happens when your time gets cut? Do you still get the credit for those hours? When you first start practicing, projects may easily take you 2-3 times longer than it would take an associate with a few years of experience. So, what happens when you work 6 hours responding to discovery and the firm only bills the client for 2.5 hours? Did you earn 2.5 billables or 6 billables? Definitely something to keep in mind and ask about when you are comparing offers your third year.

Also, find out how much non-billable time is required. Many large firms expect or "encourage" their associates to participate on the ABC committee or the XYZ committee. These non-billable projects can eat up huge amounts of your time.

Back to your original question, I'm at a litigation boutique (7 attorneys) that only handles large, complex ("big firm") litigation. We all work very hard. I billed just shy of 2,700 hours in my first full year of practice (January - December). While that was high, even for our firm, I'll probably bill around 2,500 this year. This is at the extreme upper end of hours. Most of my friends bill around 2,000 annually. Before I joined the firm, I knew that it would be aggressive, hard work--frankly, that's one of the reasons I joined this firm.

Most associates bill between 1,900 and 2,200 depending on their area of practice, size of the firm, etc. There are firms with very low billable hour requirements--in fact, that is often one of their big selling points. The trade-off, of course, is lower compensation.

Also, some years you may just have a huge project (trial, closing, etc.) and work much harder. This is the business we have chosen.

Feel free to PM me with law school or practice questions. Law is a great field. I love what I do. I work very hard, but I enjoy it and I am well compensated. I have also worked out my work-life balance such that I have time for family, exercise, and leisure.

Good luck with law school.

Bill

You managed to get Dennie Crain into two posts this week - nice!

As for another job - maybe legal headhunting? My husband did this for a while and enjoyed it. He worked for a general headhunting firm as the "legal only" guy, not as a recruiter at a firm. He also did it on his own for about two years before deciding to go back to litigating.

Thanks for the information Bill. I really appreciate the help!

Drew