Living Large at a Small Size


Law School	Frugality	Personal Finance	Productivity	Career

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I got my monthly issue of the ABA Journal yesterday. There’s an interesting article how many top students from our country’s most prestigious law schools are turning down the lucrative offers of big time law firms and instead opting to work at small firms.

The people interviewed had a common reason: more autonomy and more interesting work. While you may make tons of money working at a big firm, you’ll probably be spending your time doing document reviews for senior attorneys for the next five years. Doesn’t sound very exciting. However, the opportunities to get into court and work with clients one on one are more available at smaller firms. The trade off, of course, is the cut in salary.

So, in the end, the decision comes down to what you value. If you don’t mind doing boring work for lots of money, then by all means go for the big firm job. However, if you want to be more involved in your work, take the pay cut and work for a smaller firm.

What do you all think?

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Brett McKay | 09 Jan 07 | Job Search

4 Comments

Wendell on 09.01.2007 at 07:21 (Reply)

I’m currently of the opinion that I will work at a big firm initially. The bigger paycheck will help me pay off the debt quicker. I can always jump ship to a smaller firm if I’m unhappy, but I don’t think you can jump the other way. So I’ll start big, payoff some loans, and then maybe go small if I’m unhappy with my firm.
The Frugal Law Student on 10.01.2007 at 05:55 (Reply)

Wendell-

That’s how I feel. Let’s hope I can get a big firm job here in town.
Wendell on 10.01.2007 at 07:18 (Reply)

Here is an article you might be interested in:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070109/us_nm/energy_transport_savings_dc
The Frugal Law Student on 10.01.2007 at 19:54 (Reply)

Thanks for the link Wendell!

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The Frugal Law Student is for anyone trying to mitigate their crippling debt. Me? I'm trying to mitigate the tens of thousands of dollars I've taken on in student loans. Join me on my quest to avoid taking on more debt, paying off some of the debt I have, and trying to survive law school while doing it. Read more about The Frugal Law Student, check out some of the best articles, or become a subscriber via RSS feed or via email

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