Law school graduates aspire to achieving partnership at one of the nation’s premier law firms, yet this goal can prove difficult even for the top performers among them.
Law firms are offering flexible work options in order to attract talent, such as Fried Frank’s plans to allow its employees to work remotely three days per week starting August.
Government
At first, most law school graduates opt for private practice careers after graduation; however, working for government agencies may provide another viable path. According to the American Bar Association’s reports, 10.6 percent of recent law school grads opt for public service careers after their legal education is complete. If social advocacy is important to you as an attorney, government service could offer a rewarding place of work.
Lawyers working in the government sector may find employment at all three levels: federal, state and local. At a federal level, lawyers may defend the government in civil lawsuits brought by private parties; review legislation; conduct legal research and act as a judicial assistant. State-level positions include prosecuting attorneys, public defenders, county attorneys and city law department employees who handle civil litigation or draft ordinances for local government corporations like water authorities.
Local governments frequently employ lawyers to represent them in municipal court cases and draft local laws, regulations, and contracts. At a county level, this may involve property taxation or zoning issues while at the city level, they could work on topics like labor and business law, civil rights issues or public utilities issues.
Attorneys working for the government typically begin on a General Schedule (GS), earning promotions based on experience and performance. Lawyers choosing this route typically benefit from steady salary, stability and attractive benefits packages which may even include student loan cancellation upon reaching certain years of service.
Nonprofit, government-funded agencies offering legal assistance to vulnerable individuals may also provide an option. Such agencies employ lawyers who represent those unable to afford private representation, including children, immigrants and the homeless. Lawyers employed in this capacity typically handle high caseloads while receiving extensive training so they can assume responsibilities quickly on the job.
Some lawyers choose the military as a source of competitive pay, recruiting both officers and enlisted personnel as judges, law clerks, paralegals and attorneys. Furthermore, each armed force has its own legal department; lawyers in this sector often serve as legal advisors or judge advocates, supporting in court martial proceedings.
Private Practice
Private practice encompasses an expansive spectrum of employment options, from sole practitioners to large firms employing hundreds of lawyers. Working at a law firm allows young lawyers to gain exposure to different aspects of legal work while developing niche specialization. Many large firms also have training programs for new associates. While private practice can be financially rewarding and long hours may be stressful for new associates; initially at least, young attorneys must learn how to effectively manage client expectations during early phases.
Private lawyers provide their services and solutions for various clients – typically large corporations but also individuals, financial institutions and other organisations – by providing advice, services and solutions tailored specifically to meet those client’s needs – this may involve litigation or transactional work; fees can either be set on a fixed fee basis or as a percentage of gross profit earned from clients.
Private practice provides excellent opportunities for those who relish the challenge of developing their specialization to become partners or equity sharers of a firm. While taking on such responsibility may require taking on greater personal and financial responsibilities, private practice also promises significant personal and financial rewards that come from participating as an equity sharer in its management and fee collection processes.
Private practice attracts many young lawyers with its promise of high earnings; some top trainees reportedly making over six figures within one year. But, this money does not come without its cost: new associates often report working 60-80 hour weeks during their initial years of practice; in-house attorneys must often meet crisis management demands in emergency situations as well.
In-house lawyers typically devote themselves exclusively to one organization and gain an in-depth knowledge of its culture, requirements and goals more quickly than external solicitors who serve multiple clients while having to find new business on their own. While this can be advantageous in terms of familiarity with one company’s culture and goals, this can also limit variety in workload and the ability to see longer-term impacts of legal input on various matters.
Development of a professional network is an integral aspect of private practice. Young lawyers should always value and nurture their networks; keeping in touch with former classmates and university colleagues even after leaving legal practice will strengthen your connections – potentially becoming sources of referrals and job opportunities!
In-House
As their name implies, in-house lawyers provide legal services and advice to a specific company or organization. They typically handle any legal matters that arise within that business – contracts, employment issues and compliance are common examples.
In-house attorneys may find themselves working harder and longer hours than those working at law firms, as their needs of their company could change at any moment, with significant legal work likely being required for acquisition or merger plans requiring extensive legal advice and preparation to avoid disruption to their career.
While in-house positions may offer greater work/life balance for attorneys, it’s essential that they conduct thorough due diligence prior to making the switch. They should conduct some research into the company in question to make sure it won’t be sold, merged, or relocated shortly thereafter; and do their best to gain as much knowledge of its business operations so as to effectively manage client expectations.
One of the main challenges faced by in-house attorneys is not having access to as much sophisticated work as they would at a large law firm. For example, if their employer is involved in litigation with one of their former clients who has confidential information pertaining to that former client and they possess such information themselves; then working on that case is likely prohibited from within an in-house setting.
As well, in-house attorneys don’t enjoy the same visibility when it comes to promotion opportunities at large law firms; more junior associates may get priority for partnership opportunities over them. Because of this, many lawyers who go in-house eventually wish to return to private practice but find it challenging.
Self-Employed
Many attorneys aspire to becoming partners at large firms and earning considerable sums of money, but due to the competitive legal profession it can often be hard for new attorneys to break into top practices and practice areas. Unfortunately this requires them to explore alternative career options that offer greater flexibility than traditional law firm careers.
One possibility for attorneys looking for work is freelance law. This option suits attorneys with excellent work ethics who are willing to put in the effort necessary for success, with numerous websites connecting freelance lawyers with clients like UpCounsel, Freelance Advisor and LawDelivered providing connections for freelance lawyers looking for clients.
One way for lawyers to make extra money is as legal coaches. A legal coach serves as a consultant that assists small businesses and startups with any legal matters they might be experiencing, potentially earning up to $70,000 annually in income.
Attorneys can also become bloggers as another option for using their legal knowledge and expertise to generate content for their blog. Blogging allows attorneys to share knowledge and build relationships with potential customers while potentially earning revenue via reviews of books or products promoted on their blog.
Attorneys can also make money through creating podcasts. This can be an ideal side hustle for attorneys who enjoy speaking and entertaining others; usually podcast episodes receive around 10,000 downloads per episode – making this side hustle highly profitable for attorneys.
Most people imagine that being a lawyer is an appealing profession, but in truth it can be far less glamorous than expected. While there may be attorneys with large, prestigious firms and million-dollar incomes, most attorneys work at small law firms or for government offices; and most jobs performed by attorneys tend to be mundane and mundane in nature, prompting many attorneys to explore other fields with which they can use their legal skills such as helping entrepreneurs.