Attorney forced to deliver pizzas to pay the bills (link):

[Blindmelon]

What the hell was he doing going to Syracuse if he wanted to work in Kentucky????

Right there is the problem.

Prob. couldn't get into UK. Syracuse isn't exactly tough to get into.

Public defenders have grade cutoffs? I just assumed that was the job you got stuck with if you finished at the bottom of the class.

Collectively speaking, the "bottom of the class" among all law grads gets no lawyer job at all. And that is a huge percentage of grads.

ITE and even before, PD jobs aren't easy to get. Given its probably not as competitive as a lot of firm hiring, but in populated states, they get lots of applications. In bigger/more interesting cities its also extremely competitive (NOLA, Boston, etc.).

[BigA]

Public defenders have grade cutoffs? I just assumed that was the job you got stuck with if you finished at the bottom of the class.

Collectively speaking, the "bottom of the class" among all law grads gets no lawyer job at all. And that is a huge percentage of grads.

I imagine this "bottom" would be much larger at a T3 like Syracuse. What percentage would it be, say at a Top 30 as opposed to a T3?

[honestabe84]

Was IBR not around in 2007? If he works as a public defender, he would have qualified and his monthly payments would have only been around $400 or so. That's manageable on a 40-50k salary.

[ggocat]

Was IBR not around in 2007?

No.

[quickquestionthanks]

Perhaps he started IBR after it was introduced. Anyone know if this is possible?

If he was making $37,522 per year and 15% of that is $5,628.30 / 12 months = $469.03

He's paying $477. So looks like homeboy got a 1.7% raise after his first year.

[ggocat]

Perhaps he started IBR after it was introduced. Anyone know if this is possible?

If he was making $37,522 per year and 15% of that is $5,628.30 / 12 months = $469.03

He's paying $477. So looks like homeboy got a 1.7% raise after his first year.

Not sure about starting IBR after graduating. According to my financial aid office, federal loans were much less prominent prior to IBR. More people had private loans (not covered by IBR). Most loans now, though, are federal.

[truthypants]

sweet jesus--don't managers at dominos make more than his combined law/pizza delivery salary?

[BetterCallSaul]

I like the sound of this guy. He's got a job he loves and he's making it work. This is not a story about someone who couldn't get biglaw and now delivers pizza.
Sucks he took out 130k in loans, but he's doing what it takes to pay them down.
Also, it's Kentucky--37k is not as poor as it sounds...

[Anonymous User]

whatever, im bottom of the class and i have a law job.

[honestabe84]

I like the sound of this guy. He's got a job he loves and he's making it work. This is not a story about someone who couldn't get biglaw and now delivers pizza.
Sucks he took out 130k in loans, but he's doing what it takes to pay them down.
Also, it's Kentucky--37k is not as poor as it sounds...

Exactly. TLS has a tendency to look at anyone who is not making at least 6 figures as a failure.

In other words-
High paying that you hate = Success
Low paying job that you love = Failure

[Anonymous User]

I think law firms ultimately will hire those they think are capable. Since law firms do not have a lot to go with, they rely on grades which are really a terrible measure of one's capabilities as a lawyer. I was at the bottom of my class but what I did was focus on getting as much job experience as possible. I got a law firm job those with top grades and journal would snatch in a heartbeat. There's always a way around if you're actually competent.

[bigben]

Public defenders have grade cutoffs? I just assumed that was the job you got stuck with if you finished at the bottom of the class.

Collectively speaking, the "bottom of the class" among all law grads gets no lawyer job at all. And that is a huge percentage of grads.

I imagine this "bottom" would be much larger at a T3 like Syracuse. What percentage would it be, say at a Top 30 as opposed to a T3?

Hard to say exactly, but you're correct that the opportunities vary. Opportunities may very roughly track USNWR but definitely don't follow them slavishly. The top 14 may be in a class of their own but there is no reason to assume that #40 is going to be significantly better than #80. You just have to look at the individual situation. The rough rule of thumb is either go to a T14 or go somewhere as cheaply as possible to school where you have ties to the region.

[bigben]

whatever, im bottom of the class and i have a law job.

Yeah, grades are not the be all end all of employment -- especially when you get outside of biglaw. When I said "bottom of the class gets no law job" I didn't mean bottom strictly according to grades, I just meant bottom of the class in terms of employment outcomes.