poor lawyers

[nature]

First-year jobs always pay the least, in any profession. Do well and you'll work yourself up. IMO, unless you're willing to accept the bare-ass average starting salary in your location, you should reconsider the investment of a legal education.

[silvercannonca]

Law school was a terrible financial mistake, and I am certainly poor compared to where I was before I went to law school.  I now make $50,000 a year, drive a 1990 car, and live in an efficiency.  With that $50,000 I have to pay $1300 a month in student loans, then there's the taxes, and dry cleaning bills (not cheap when you can't wear shorts and jeans anymore), plus work 60 hours a week for an a-hole.  The first few years out of law school are really awful.  At least in school you are getting financial aid, when you are done, the credit card balance shoots up because you need to pay for the bar, study materials, job interviews, buy a new wardrobe, etc.  I worked full time up until a week before the bar, so there wasn't any accumulating debt while 'studying' for three months.  Do I feel poor.  hell yeah.  no hope for buying a house in the D.C. area for several years yet, no new car, and working my ass off for a bad quality of life.  I'm I poor, well, no, but certainly not as well off as I would have been had I never gone to law school.  Right now, after I pay rent and loans, my left over spending money is about $300 for everything else.  It's all relative. 

[Erapitt]

Law school was a terrible financial mistake, and I am certainly poor compared to where I was before I went to law school.  I now make $50,000 a year, drive a 1990 car, and live in an efficiency.  With that $50,000 I have to pay $1300 a month in student loans, then there's the taxes, and dry cleaning bills (not cheap when you can't wear shorts and jeans anymore), plus work 60 hours a week for an not so nice person.  The first few years out of law school are really awful.  At least in school you are getting financial aid, when you are done, the credit card balance shoots up because you need to pay for the bar, study materials, job interviews, buy a new wardrobe, etc.  I worked full time up until a week before the bar, so there wasn't any accumulating debt while 'studying' for three months.  Do I feel poor.  hell yeah.  no hope for buying a house in the D.C. area for several years yet, no new car, and working my ass off for a bad quality of life.  I'm I poor, well, no, but certainly not as well off as I would have been had I never gone to law school.  Right now, after I pay rent and loans, my left over spending money is about $300 for everything else.  It's all relative. 

Where did you attend law school and what was your class standing if I may ask?

[burger king university]

Law school was a terrible financial mistake, and I am certainly poor compared to where I was before I went to law school.  I now make $50,000 a year, drive a 1990 car, and live in an efficiency.  With that $50,000 I have to pay $1300 a month in student loans, then there's the taxes, and dry cleaning bills (not cheap when you can't wear shorts and jeans anymore), plus work 60 hours a week for an not so nice person.  The first few years out of law school are really awful.  At least in school you are getting financial aid, when you are done, the credit card balance shoots up because you need to pay for the bar, study materials, job interviews, buy a new wardrobe, etc.  I worked full time up until a week before the bar, so there wasn't any accumulating debt while 'studying' for three months.  Do I feel poor.  hell yeah.  no hope for buying a house in the D.C. area for several years yet, no new car, and working my ass off for a bad quality of life.  I'm I poor, well, no, but certainly not as well off as I would have been had I never gone to law school.  Right now, after I pay rent and loans, my left over spending money is about $300 for everything else.  It's all relative. 

Do you mind me asking where you went to school and what you do now?

[silvercannonca]

I went to George Washington in D.C., was on law review, moot court, graduated with honors, and did a judicial clerkship.  I'm doing corporate litigation now.  but, i only started doing this 3 months ago and the clerkship was of zero help.  I would advise people to not fall for the law school career service people push to do a clerkship.  if you've  another offer in an area of law you like, take it!  the clerkship was of no help to me or any of the other clerks that worked at the court when i did (federal).  if you've the paper to get the clerkship, you also have the paper to get started working.  if you went to stanford and graduated top 10%, you get the big firm job regardless of the clerkship.  if you didn't, you are really looking regardless. 

Don't get me wrong, i really like what i'm doing, but financially, it sucks

[Erapitt]

I think this is a troll thread.  There is no way you were GW law review, top of your class, wanted biglaw, and are now making $50K per year lol.

I make more than that now working for the government.

Quit trolling.  Top 10% at Catholic would get you a great job, let alone honors at GW.




OK... I just read through your posts.  You are the same retard that said brought us such insights as "No Yale, No State," and also stated that people get good jobs out of GULC because of mommy and daddy hahahha.  Your entire account exists to irritate people and now that it is known, nobody will pay anymore attention to you troll.

[T. Durden]

my neighbor is a GW 3L

he is on law review

he is leaving DC to start work in NYC - he will be starting at 145k / year come august

this isn't speculation / guess work / hearsay, etc. - this is fact

but yeah his life as afucntional human being is over and he knows it  - he will be billing 2100 hours next year whic means that he is working 70 (+) hours a week

welcome to the "good life"

[Happy_Weasel]

All I really want to do is to make like 60 or 70 out of law school...I wonder if I can do that coming out of a TTT. I have a family so I just can't accept anyone under 55k.

[Erapitt]

Dude, you can make over 55K in a normal job.  By the time I graduate law school I will likely be a GS-13 making around 75-80K per year.  That is government and not as a lawyer.  If you can't make 55K a year you need to re-evaluate your skills.

[ll]

I suppose the obvious answer to this is that it all depends on your definition of "poor". 

Exactly! Poverty depends on so many factors. Someone with no loans, no kids, in an inexpensive city will be extremely well off with 50-60K. Add a stay at home wife, 2 kids, move him to NY, LA, or Miami, and add a nice $750 monthly loan payment .... it's a completely different story.