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I'm not in LA (large city on the east coast) and I make more as a 2L law clerk. It seems pretty low.

I'm in portland. Before I accepted a job at a mid sized law firm, I was offered a job at a small law firm for 10 an hour while in law school, and 12 an hour after I pass the bar, with possible bonuses if I do good work. Biggest joke ever. But crazy thing, is there was like 4 recently graduated attorneys working there.

Not normal, and severely underpaid.Trust me: You won't be able to learn from someone who can’t even afford to pay you a reasonable wage for your skills. Its unreasonable to be paid that little in LA and work full time - you won't be able to afford your life. Try to look for law related jobs which are JD preferred for now to make some normal money and build experience. My recommendations are:

normal paid law clerk ($25+ /hr)
escrow officer
title company
lease manager / leasing department in real estate companies
tax preparation services
licensing and distribution (any products, but prefer for IP, like media).
legal software sales
supply chain
IRS Enrolled Agent
County Tax Controller
County Assessor
Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control
Other county / government jobs where you make decisions based on code / regulations.

Apply for / work in the above in addition to your regular applications until bar results come out - It will give you some inside knowledge for when you finally get a law gig, and will give you some stuff to talk about.

isn't that what you make at McD's in LA now

I think $20 an hr is absolute minimum. That's $40k a year with 40 hrs a week and 2 weeks vacation.

you should get a tax llm

I don't agree that you can't learn anything. Just because the person is paying you $15/hour doesn't mean that's all they can afford. They simply want to pay the lowest possible rate they can, which is a logical decision for a place with only a handful of partners and no major clients. However, it's a disrespectfully low salary with no benefits, and suggests they don't really care about their employees. It's like working retail but in a less sociable atmosphere with no free clothes.

I also think pro-rating hourly rates is a poor way to gauge a salary. You need however much you need, and commuting from job one to two eats up time, and you have no way of knowing what next week's paycheck will be. I'd say 15/hour should really be looked at how you would look at a job that paid 18k/year (around 10 an hour for 50 weeks) unless you're independently wealthy/provided for and looking to kick back.

tell them to GO FUCK THEMSELVES

lol

If you have graduated and don't have anything currently, would it not be better to take it to get some experience, even if you don't intend to remain long term. I'm not in legal hiring (or the field at all), but seems that some experience at shitty pay is better than no experience with no pay.

It's obviously a shit salary, but I think the pertinent questions are whether this firm can actually get employees who will take that pay, and whether you have any alternatives.

Attax wrote:If you have graduated and don't have anything currently, would it not be better to take it to get some experience, even if you don't intend to remain long term. I'm not in legal hiring (or the field at all), but seems that some experience at shitty pay is better than no experience with no pay.

The fact he has to spend his days at work making nothing instead of applying, networking, returning calls, etc. during those 8 hours per day instead makes the previously outlined option a no-go (not to mention you'll be far too exhausted to do it as effectively afterwards).

BrokenMouse wrote:Funny thing is they wouldnt even tell me how much first year associates would make for me to really evaluate putting up with low wage as a law clerk for the time being. I graduated law school with no debt so I have some time to be more selective.

Anyway I think the general consensus is that 15 an hour is too low. To be honest I felt disrespected and insulted. They really liked me and made that offer few hours after the interview despite having 2 weeks of interviews left for othet candidates. It really came as a surprise when they said 15 an hour.

how can you say that when they offered you fast food wages?

.

lol

$15 an hour? This is the most depressing TLS post I've ever read. Yes, that's a fast food wage in several cities now. I'm not demeaning people who work in those jobs, but after seven years of school you'd expect to be offered a higher wage.

BrokenMouse wrote:

KingofSplitters55 wrote:

Attax wrote:If you have graduated and don't have anything currently, would it not be better to take it to get some experience, even if you don't intend to remain long term. I'm not in legal hiring (or the field at all), but seems that some experience at shitty pay is better than no experience with no pay.

The fact he has to spend his days at work making nothing instead of applying, networking, returning calls, etc. during those 8 hours per day instead makes the previously outlined option a no-go (not to mention you'll be far too exhausted to do it as effectively afterwards).

I dont get ur point... better time spent searching for a real job after passing the bar or taking the shit pay job right now?

I think his point is that the opportunity of seeking for something higher is diminished because you have to invest time into your new employment. While this is true, I'd offer that it also depends on how rigorously you are actually pursuing other employment/networking. If you aren't putting more than 2-3 hours in per day, that can be done in the evenings/free time while you still get experience to put on your resume.

I do not have any law school debt either but that is still not reason enough to accept an absurdly low paying position, especially in a high COL large metro. Can I assume you have fair grades and that your school wasn’t too far down the food chain?

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JohannDeMann wrote:you should get a tax llm

lol do this

I was offered something similar in OC as well, when I graduated in 2013. A month after the bar, I interviewed with a solo PI, and was offered $20 as a post bar clerk. I took it with the mutual understanding that it was temporary due to the low pay.

The pay was embarrassing, but I was able to parlay the experience into plenty of interviews, and left within 7 months for something substantially better. I have to admit, though, the experience was pretty good: after I received my license, I was allowed to make court appearances, defend depos, attend mediation sessions, write several motions, etc. Don't think I'd have ended up where I'm at now (in-house) without that experience.

If you're going to get any useful experience out of it, I'd say do it if you have nothing else lined up. If the job is practically a glorified secretarial position, make better use of your time.

My starting hourly wage, as an accounting major, after 2 years of college, and at a small firm was $15. For someone who has graduated law school, you deserve much, much more.

Lots of people deserve more than they're getting. But that doesn't change what employers offer.

A. Nony Mouse wrote:Lots of people deserve more than they're getting. But that doesn't change what employers offer.

Agreed. I'm just giving OP some context to help make the decision. Obviously it depends on their relative situation if he/she wants to take it or not.