5 answers
Conner
Student
Otsego, Minnesota
1
Question
Asked
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Is there any fields of law that would allow me to be successful whilst still maintaining a somewhat stable work-life balance?
I am a sophomore in High school, and Im interested in going into law in the future. I want to be successful, but I also don't want to be completely absent from my families life, if I choose to have one. I also value having time to myself. Is there a field in law that would allow me to do that?
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5 answers
Kati Sotaniemi
Attorney
3
Answers
Redmond, Washington
Updated
Kati’s Answer
Based on my experience, working inhouse at a company usually allows you to have better work-life balance than working for a big law firm. Big firms often have really high expectations for billable hours whereas inhouse attorneys are encouraged to work efficiently to enable business.
West Imboden
Litigation Attorney
12
Answers
Georgetown, Kentucky
Updated
West’s Answer
Certain areas of law, like family law, are notorious for taking a ton of time. Another post says there isn't much court time, but that is false. Family law lawyers are often in court, and there is a lot of "babysitting" clients.
If you want to be an attorney, but have a life, that can be accomplished. My advice would be to avoid Big Law, as they like to suck the fun out of law for new associates. They may pay for your phone and give you unlimited pto, but it's a trap. They will likely have difficult expectations, i.e. high billable hours quotas. Big Law often comes with big money, however, and is all too often an alluring choice.
Consider small to mid sized firms, or even govt. I've done both (interned for criminal prosecution, worked at a mid-size CA firm, and currently work for state govt.), and have had roughly 40 hour work weeks. Very rarely did/do I exceed 40 hours in a given work week, and I used to fly up and down CA conducting trials. The trade off here is that, while you may make a respectable income, you probably won't hit 6 figures for a good while.
Another option is in-house corporate work. This is generally considered a "cushy sweet spot" kind of job. This is probably where you will find the best balance between pay/hours worked. The catch with this is curating your work experience in a given industry to meet the qualifications that corporate employers want.
In the end, they all have their pros and cons.
Best of luck with high school, the LSAT, college, then law school, then the Bar Exam etc. It's a long road, but can be a very rewarding profession.
If you want to be an attorney, but have a life, that can be accomplished. My advice would be to avoid Big Law, as they like to suck the fun out of law for new associates. They may pay for your phone and give you unlimited pto, but it's a trap. They will likely have difficult expectations, i.e. high billable hours quotas. Big Law often comes with big money, however, and is all too often an alluring choice.
Consider small to mid sized firms, or even govt. I've done both (interned for criminal prosecution, worked at a mid-size CA firm, and currently work for state govt.), and have had roughly 40 hour work weeks. Very rarely did/do I exceed 40 hours in a given work week, and I used to fly up and down CA conducting trials. The trade off here is that, while you may make a respectable income, you probably won't hit 6 figures for a good while.
Another option is in-house corporate work. This is generally considered a "cushy sweet spot" kind of job. This is probably where you will find the best balance between pay/hours worked. The catch with this is curating your work experience in a given industry to meet the qualifications that corporate employers want.
In the end, they all have their pros and cons.
Best of luck with high school, the LSAT, college, then law school, then the Bar Exam etc. It's a long road, but can be a very rewarding profession.
I really appreciate your time and insight. Ive been wanting to go into law but was worried I'd have to waste much of my young adult life on it, and wouldn't be able to be that successful while maintaining a good work-life balance. Thank you so much for answering, this has really put my mind at ease.
Conner
William Nwaogu
Construction, CAD and BIM
265
Answers
Lagos, Nigeria
Updated
William’s Answer
Hi Conner!
Law (Dispute Resolution / Arbitration)
Copyright / Patent Law
Health Law
Business Law
Immigration Law
Family Law
These has much to do with documentation and counselling with low frequency of appearance in courts for legal defence which consumes much of the practice time.
Law (Dispute Resolution / Arbitration)
Copyright / Patent Law
Health Law
Business Law
Immigration Law
Family Law
These has much to do with documentation and counselling with low frequency of appearance in courts for legal defence which consumes much of the practice time.
Thank you! I will look into all of these fields to see which I liked best.
Conner
William Nwaogu
Construction, CAD and BIM
265
Answers
Lagos, Nigeria
Updated
William’s Answer
Conner! Good to know that you give consideration to your family.
Immigration Law or Business Law will help you.
You can study any branch of law and chose to become a law discipline writer. You earn from royalties to be made from your books and have time for your family. It will require possibly getting a Masters Degree or Juris Doctor to qualify you for research and development or as legal counsellor or consultant to organizations.
Immigration Law or Business Law will help you.
You can study any branch of law and chose to become a law discipline writer. You earn from royalties to be made from your books and have time for your family. It will require possibly getting a Masters Degree or Juris Doctor to qualify you for research and development or as legal counsellor or consultant to organizations.
Baljit Gill
Lawyer paralegal
127
Answers
Milpitas, California
Updated
Baljit’s Answer
Hi Conner,
Have you considered doing a Paralegal Certificate and then working as a paralegal. I did this for a number of years and I had a great family/ work life balance. You can choose what kind of subjects you want to take in the course and then work in that field. It's interesting to take these legal classes. There are many jobs in different areas of the law such as business, immigration, litigation, and intellectual property.
You could also work a a court clerk. This field is also less ridged than working as a lawyer sometimes.
Have you considered doing a Paralegal Certificate and then working as a paralegal. I did this for a number of years and I had a great family/ work life balance. You can choose what kind of subjects you want to take in the course and then work in that field. It's interesting to take these legal classes. There are many jobs in different areas of the law such as business, immigration, litigation, and intellectual property.
You could also work a a court clerk. This field is also less ridged than working as a lawyer sometimes.