Best Cities for New Attorneys

[thechoson]

i read some article saying Pittsburg, of all places, is the best city for new attorneys.  no idea why. 
So based on jobs, cost of living, city quality, etc.. what do you think is the best city for young or new attorneys?  I have read in various articles that San Jose will probably pick up in demand for attorneys again, so I'd have to go with San Jose when considering how great that entire Bay Area is.

[jgruber]

i read some article saying Pittsburg, of all places, is the best city for new attorneys.  no idea why. 
So based on jobs, cost of living, city quality, etc.. what do you think is the best city for young or new attorneys?  I have read in various articles that San Jose will probably pick up in demand for attorneys again, so I'd have to go with San Jose when considering how great that entire Bay Area is.

You forgot the 'h' in Pittsburgh.  My grandmother comes from Pittsburgh.  How dare you leave off the h.

I've heard some good things in recent years about Pittsburgh in general.  Since the steel mills shut down, the air is better.  Maybe that's why the Steelers are struggling.


  My sister and brother live in PA.  They get hammered on some ridiculous taxes.

[forthguy]

i read some article saying Pittsburg, of all places, is the best city for new attorneys.

You forgot the 'h' in Pittsburgh.  My grandmother comes from Pittsburgh.  How dare you leave off the h.

How do you know he meant Pittsburgh, PA? 

I've heard some good things in recent years about Pittsburgh in general.  Since the steel mills shut down, the air is better.  Maybe that's why the Steelers are struggling.


  My sister and brother live in PA.  They get hammered on some ridiculous taxes.

Pittsburgh's a great city.  I spent about 5.5 years there in undergrad and in my first job.

Not sure about the taxes.  State income tax was relatively low (compared to Massachusetts, where I went next, and especially California, where I am now), there were some small municipal taxes, and in Allegheny County, anyway, there are some extra sales taxes for the new stadiums.  Overall, tax liability was the lowest of any place I've been in my working life.

Having not seen the article, I can only speculate as to what would make Pittsburgh a good city for new lawyers.  It's a decent-sized city with a fair number of corporate headquarters (Heinz, Alcoa, PPG, PNC, Mellon Bank, USX, etc.), cost of living is reasonably low, and there's easy access to the state capital and the rest of the northeast.  For life outside of work, there's a well-respected museum (the Carnegie), good schools for kids, two major universities (Pitt, Carnegie Mellon) plus some smaller ones (Duquesne, Chatham, Carlow, Robert Morris, etc.) and lots more.

Overall, it wouldn't be a bad place to live.  If the legal market is reasonably good, so much the better.

Greg

[thechoson]

They just drafted Ben Roethlisburger

[jbshane]

Steelers fan over here - I'm loving their choice.

[ajlynnette]

do you think that answer depends on what area of law you wanted to practice? i'm wondering because i would think that the '(silicon) valley' would be great for emerging ip lawyers, atlanta would be good for healthcare and maybe ip/patent lawyers, etc. etc. when i was in las vegas i was reading in the paper at how much they're growing yearly (wow!). i also looked thru their classifieds and saw that there's an ever increasing demand for attorneys there; i forgot which types. but there were many an ad!

any thoughts? because this is a good question. thanks!!

[thechoson]

Good point AJ!
I guess it's hard to generalize cities like this, which that one article I was reading was doing in selecting Pittsburgh. 
Good point on the Silicone Valley.  Actually I was thinking about this, in relation to your comment on Vegas.  I think for a city to have good growth in demand for attorneys, it needs to have a natural economy to hang its hat on.  Like the Bay Area, which despite its recent stagnation, I still believe will be just fine for attorneys because of its strong IT sector.  New York and Los Angeles being huge commercial hubs obviously will have the greatest demand for attorneys.  Chicago is also a huge commercial hub. 
As I was researching law schools and where to go, I did do some thinking on Vegas and Phoenix, and both of those cities, despite their phenomenal growth, do concern me.  Both are cities that really don't belong.  They aren't natural cities where a natural economy existed and drew people to it.  Vegas maybe, but their reliance on gaming would probably only create low paying jobs (which is still a concern in Vegas).  Phoenix was a bigger concern for me because though it's a huge city, it does not seem like it has any real natural economy.  I've heard people move there for the cheap cost of living, then are unable to find good paying jobs easily.  This would concern me regarding growth in attorney jobs.

So anyways, just my thoughts on some cities I was looking into.

[L1]

My experience has been that jobs in Vegas are actually artificially high. I was a lifeguard at the MGM and Caesar's and was being paid at $10/hr to start (mind you I was only 16). My sister works at the Bellagio at the front desk and makes $16/hr plus bonuses. My mom made $65,000/yr as a hotel manager at the MGM (she now works in the non-profit sector). My boyfriend's old roommate had saved up $50,000 after one yr as working as a bartender in the Imperial Palace, which isn't a high roller hotel either. My friend's dad is the director of the Western division of the restaurants in the Four Seasons and is a millionaire.

I know that legal secretaries make like $40,000/yr w/out any experience even. Really I would have to say that it was more common for me to know ppl that were doing well rather than struggling.

[thechoson]

So Giraffe
Do you think this is because of a labor shortage in Vegas?  I know the economy increased and created a sizable demand for jobs, yet Nevada is one of the most uneducated states in the nation (4th in terms of lowest per capita college degrees).  So I guess if you can get someone who is qualified, you overpay them?

[L1]

Part of it has been that there is a labor shortage it is to a small degree. There's about a net of 4,000 ppl moving in/month and this in itself creates new jobs. LV is the second largest destination in the world for vacationing behind Orlando. Also, connections plays a huge role. Once you've been there for awhile you begin to know ppl in positions that can help you. The police chief of Henderson, our old neighbor, is helping my brother become a police officer once he retires from the Marines. My sister has received many of her jobs b/c her friends' mom or dad that could help her out.

Another part is that LV has a huge service industry base, which is one of the section of the economy that is growing in the US. This means that you don't have to be particularly bright in order to be a valet, waiter or whatever else. You just have to do it well.

Personally, I think it's better b/c many ppl go to college who don't really belong there but stick it out. Also, even though ppl may not have college degrees they are being paid well and live a middle-class lifestyle. In many cities if you aren't educated it condemns you to the poor class and possibly crime. I think that LV is A LOT safer than most large cities. (I live in the suburbs of Philly now and ppl in Philly will break into your car for a roll of quarters or even gum. A Penn professor was struck with a rake by a homeless man and hospitalized earlier this year b/c he refused to give him change).