Comments on: Trading money for time in your legal career

By: Kim

Kim — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:12:19 +0000

I have to agree with much of what has already been said. I would however, like to add some options to the lists above for “alternative” legal careers. I currently work with a number of lawyers in the insurance industry who were looking for a different way to use their legal educations. They often are found as brokers who represent clients or as claims experts. Both of these roles have requirements for significant contractual review, understanding of case law and ability to distill very technical legal concepts for clients.

It is important that if you find yourself having the choice as to whether you are interested in a legal career, that perhaps you find a few people in the field to talk to in order to get a realistic impression of the work. You may find that some of the “alternative” legal careers, such as the insurance ones I mentioned, often don’t require a legal degree and could be entered with the experiences you already have.

By: Donna Seale

Donna Seale — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:08:25 +0000

Very detailed and thorough response to a not-so-easy-to-answer question, Jordan. The only comment I would make is in relation to your suggestion that looking at public sector law jobs might provide the predictable and more traditional hours your reader is looking for. Having practiced in both the private and public sectors, I have a slightly different take on the hours issue. I think it very much depends, similar to other points you make in your response, on the area of law in which you practice. I come from a litigation background and I can tell you that I saw no difference in my hours in my shift from private to public. In fact, I think it would be safe to say that my hours significantly increased in the public sector because of the clients I was representing. Now, this was not the case for all of my colleagues. Again, it depended on who their public sector clients were and in what area of law in which they represented them. In addition to your practice area, I also think there is a difference regarding whether you work for the provincial or federal governments, although I want to stress that this is a generalization. My colleague equivalents at Federal Justice did have a bit more flexibility in their work schedule than I found I had and they also had some ‘perks’ that us Provincial Justice lawyers did not. But, then they had to deal with the difficulties of representing clients who were centered in Ottawa, a subject unto itself. So, with that all said, in the end I agree with your bottom-line advice to your reader. There are trade-offs throughout the profession and regardless of what area of law you practice or where you practice it, you have to have a passion for what you are doing or it’s a wasted effort.

By: Lisa Solomon

Lisa Solomon — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:51:46 +0000

You’ve really synthesized a lot of important ideas in this post, Jordan. Most importantly, you’ve tied together the objective question of which legal positions have measurably shorter hours and less stress than others with the subjective question of what you really love to do.

While I am quite a cheerleader for my own particular legal niche (working as a contract attorney for other lawyers, with a focus on providing legal research and writing services), I would never recommend it to anyone who doesn’t have a passion for the work. No passion = no long-term motivation to succeed.

By: Nick Holmes

Nick Holmes — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:46:01 +0000

Jordan – You refer to the business management time which adds to the burden of the small/solo practitioner, but that environment – particularly solo – is one where you are (or can be) completely in control of your time and job satisfaction.

I read law but decided I didn’t have sufficient passion for it to practice. I had a passion for publishing, so I went into law publishing. But that was poorly paid and I was frustrated by the red tape and lack of vision in a large law publishing co, so after 10 years I went solo. There have been hard times and I don’t have a Maserati in the drive – but then I don’t hanker after Maseratis or for that matter any of the trappings of a more-than-comfortable lifestyle.

I work from a small office close to home and can be as flexible as I like. If I’m too flexible or too generous to myself personal time-wise, my business will suffer … a bit, but I am in control and I like it that way. I know of many solo lawyers who seem to have achieved similar work/life balance.

So, to answer your enquirer, I’d say also consider a similar longer term plan if that chimes with them. Take the pain for 5 years or so, and gear up to the point where you can bravely step out on your own.