Best Public Interest Law Schools Forum

[adt231]

good bump

Does anyone know whether public interest jobs generally have the same brutal hours as biglaw positions? I'm not too keen on completely abandoning my life outside of work, so it would be an added bonus to work fewer hours each week than I would expect to in the private sector. Anyone have any insight?

The PI attorneys (PD's and Legal Aid) I know don't normally put in 60 hour weeks. If you have a trial coming up then yeah... but generally I think the stress of PI comes from working with people who have mental health issues and not the hours... often times they are homeless, government bureaucrats, have substance abuse problems, or are criminals . That can wear a person down.

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DOJ?

don't know about them, but since they work for the Feds my guess is they work 35 hours a week and get 150 days off a year

Thanks for this, Borhas. This is helpful.

And lol at the 150 days off. I want one of those jobs!

[adt231]

What about NGO workers? Anyone know if these people are working crazy hours like their biglaw counterparts?

My guess is that this varies as well depending upon where one is working and whether or not one has a trial/big case at the time. Can any one confirm this or does anyone have any anecdotes?

[charliebrownwn]

Does anyone know whether public interest jobs generally have the same brutal hours as biglaw positions? I'm not too keen on completely abandoning my life outside of work, so it would be an added bonus to work fewer hours each week than I would expect to in the private sector. Anyone have any insight?

check out these threads.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 3&t=138320
http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 3&t=149043

TLDR: Varies. 45-55 hrs/week might be normal, with better vacation opportunities than biglaw but similar potential for heavy periods.

[adt231]

Thanks, charliebrownwn!

[Sandro]

but similar potential for heavy periods.

GROSS!!!

[mom2law]

Feb 2011 National Jurist article/update

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cypress ... inter/#/26

[adt231]

Feb 2011 National Jurist article/update

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cypress ... inter/#/26

thanks for the update but do people actually put any credence into these rankings?

Cost of attendance is suppose to matter how in ranking how good a school is for PI? They seem pretty arbitrary to me...

edit: because I'm a dunce who often produces many typos