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I'm wondering what exists beyond big law, shit law and PI. TLS gives me the impression nothing else exists...??
I would like a decent salary but can't see myself being happy with being a slave to my firm. Is there a more friendly type of firm which won't work you to death ? As a 1l I'm doubting what lifestyle I'm getting myself into. I'm at a t14 so I'm confident I should have choices when I graduate - hopefully.

Anonymous User wrote:I'm wondering what exists beyond big law, shit law and PI. TLS gives me the impression nothing else exists...??
I would like a decent salary but can't see myself being happy with being a slave to my firm. Is there a more friendly type of firm which won't work you to death ? As a 1l I'm doubting what lifestyle I'm getting myself into. I'm at a t14 so I'm confident I should have choices when I graduate - hopefully.

When people refer to shit law, they are referring to any and all law jobs that don't pay well, and don't get your debt reduced (like PI). In this sense, it's big law, shit law, or PI. This is due to bimodal salary distribution, among other things.

But that doesn't mean there aren't lower-stress legal jobs out there. Its just that most law graduates are too indebted to consider those if they have other options. Plus its very hard to tell whether a job is low hours or not, whereas its easy to tell how much a firm typically pays.

As far as jobs that pay well and have low stress/low hours... No. Not at graduation at least. Not until you've put in some hard years and can jump into in house or something similar.

Seeing as you are at a T14 and want a low stress lifestyle, PI is the way to go. You can take advantage of IBR to lower your debt, and can choose from an array of jobs that are less stressful (and often more interesting) than big law. Be warned though, not all PI jobs are necessarily low stress. You still have to pick carefully if that's your goal.

You might consider a government job. Sometimes government jobs are lumped in with PI, but I think it's a different culture, and if you're interested in finance and business, you can still find ways to do that without the law firm lifestyle. I understand the SEC is a good place to work, for example - not big law salaried but well compensated, you get federal loan repayment help anyway, and the culture is far more balanced than you might find in a large firm.

In addition to that, some people fly solo or set up a shop with a partner. I'd imagine it's a challenge to do that fresh out of law school when you don't have clients yet and are still learning the ropes, but if you're otherwise well-connected, it might be something to consider.