Oddly, I have two summers going on at once. The girls' just left yesterday to spend time with the Biological, and they don't return to ME until early/mid August, and they don't return to SCHOOL until post-Labor Day.

But the other summer is my job, and it's, believe it or not, just about 1/2 over! i cannot believe it. I have my "mid-summer review" on Monday. I can't believe that I've already been there for that long.

After a rocky start, with no real work to do, and a feeling of uselessness, I think things are going generally well. I have lunch almost every day with associates, and am getting a general understanding of how this job works. I do not believe that I've gone to a single lunch where someone hasn't used the phrase "Exit Strategy" and I do not think I have met one associate who plans to be a partner.

I met an attorney from another big firm in town who shared with me that the big firm job can be seen as a medical residency. You learn a lot in a lot of different areas, but you then need to move on in order to apply that knowledge. Trial experience will not be had - not even deposition experience, in reality, is available to the non-partner. This person is just leaving a large firm for a position in the state government where s/he will be given such experiences, tenfold, for probably .... 1/5th their current salary.

But if you're wise, which I believe I am, you can be hoarding away the salary. Pay off loans; for me, save for children's college; and save for other purposes.

The Judge I've been working with (but am done!! yeeeehaaaa!!!) keeps telling me that the reason why you shouldn't work for a large firm is b/c if I do, I'll get used to the lifestyle. he predicts I will buy a car. That I will buy a large house. And then I won't *be able* to leave the large firm.

I rather frankly told him that while that may be a concern for some people who are in law school straight from college and do not have family obligations, I do not believe that it is true for me. I am in my mid-30's, and I have specific goals and responsibilities.

I do wonder, as the girls get older and if they're still playing sports, and have to go to neighboring towns, if I will decide to buy a car. Perhaps, instead, I will just increase my zipcar spending. As I have this summer.

This is my 1/2 way-point thinking. A few years with the nose to the grindstone at a large and reputable firm - leave on my own terms and into a field that I'm happy to enter - perhaps enter into the family law field at a higher level than I could straight from school - perhaps look at employment discrimination and civil rights litigation.

Now I need to decide whether or not I want to apply for a judicial clerkship this year (moan groan grumble).

posted by Zuska @ 10:00 AM

1 Comments:

At Monday, June 26, 2006 12:15:00 AM, Filch said…

I've been thinking of firm work as a sort of post-doc, but I guess "medical residency" is more apropos. I think it sounds kind of fun, for a while - as long as I'm not looking to make partner. And really, I can't imagine feeling that desire.

But I am enticed by the part about the money, cause... whoa. Law school.