2 answers
Yusef
Student
Yorba Linda, California
1
Question
Asked
361 views
How difficult does the time crunch for a govt-assigned lawyer tend to be for cases?
I´m currently working on a high school career exploration project, and I want to pursue law, so I need some additional information on the day-to-day of a lawyer.
Login to comment
2 answers
DENNIS BREEN
Lawyer
148
Answers
Cary, North Carolina
Updated
DENNIS’s Answer
Hi Yusef:
Amber's answer hits the nail on the head - it depends on your role! I know many attorneys who worked for New York City and the New York Transit Authority. Often they are swamped with paper work because many agencies are under manned and when they are on trial it was tough! However, it was much the same for us private attorneys.
Much depends on the field you choose. Tax attorneys like Amber are swamped at tax time and at the end of financial quarters. Sports attorneys swamped before seasons start. So it varies. Probate can be slower but during COVID (because of the number of deaths) they were swamped.
I tried cases in New York for 40 years. I was able to have a balanced life. It's what you do with your time that matters!
Amber's answer hits the nail on the head - it depends on your role! I know many attorneys who worked for New York City and the New York Transit Authority. Often they are swamped with paper work because many agencies are under manned and when they are on trial it was tough! However, it was much the same for us private attorneys.
Much depends on the field you choose. Tax attorneys like Amber are swamped at tax time and at the end of financial quarters. Sports attorneys swamped before seasons start. So it varies. Probate can be slower but during COVID (because of the number of deaths) they were swamped.
I tried cases in New York for 40 years. I was able to have a balanced life. It's what you do with your time that matters!
Amber Lee
Tax Associate
40
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Amber’s Answer
Hi Yusef,
If you're asking specifically about attorneys who work for the government, I would say it really depends on the role and the agency. Even within the same agency, some attorneys could have differing caseload based on the department they're working in. Generally, if we're talking about criminal law attorneys (e.g., government prosecutors or public defenders), their caseloads tend to be quite high and time may not be a luxury they have.
Having had some experience as a law student interning at a small probate court, I would say the staff attorneys there seemed to have a pretty solid work-life balance. Sure, they were assigned many cases to work on, but things seemed pretty manageable for the most part. The same probably cannot be said about an attorney working for a federal judge with a large docket -- the stakes are higher and "time crunch" may be a frequent occurrence.
If you're asking specifically about attorneys who work for the government, I would say it really depends on the role and the agency. Even within the same agency, some attorneys could have differing caseload based on the department they're working in. Generally, if we're talking about criminal law attorneys (e.g., government prosecutors or public defenders), their caseloads tend to be quite high and time may not be a luxury they have.
Having had some experience as a law student interning at a small probate court, I would say the staff attorneys there seemed to have a pretty solid work-life balance. Sure, they were assigned many cases to work on, but things seemed pretty manageable for the most part. The same probably cannot be said about an attorney working for a federal judge with a large docket -- the stakes are higher and "time crunch" may be a frequent occurrence.