Just curious if anyone works in a public finance department and can shed a bit of light on what the day to day life looks like. The sorts of work, hours, overnights, etc. you experience.
Did a search and haven't found any threads that cover it, but if I missed one I do apologize.
Thanks so much!
Public Finance - Overview? Forum
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#BigLaw
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Re: Public Finance - Overview?
I do deal side public finance for a V100. Work depends largely on whether you will be deal side or tax side. Deal side attorneys facilitate completion of the transaction from conception to issuance of the debt. Tax side attorneys focus on whether the debt will be tax-exempt and the issues related to that. Your role and your responsibilities will also vary depending on the party you represent (developer, issuer, underwriter, or another related party) in each transaction.
I'm in the office from about 9 to 7, and I spend most of my time on calls and drafting/reviewing/revising offering documents (and the documents that support those). No true overnights, but I do finish work after I get home and work a few hours on the weekend regularly. This will, obviously, vary if you are close to an offering. On the other hand, this isn't exactly a novel field, and it's still niche, which can make it tough to do something else if you stay too long. Some of the people who have left have moved onto the SEC or gone in-house.
One of the problems with this area is that most of the work is on an alternative fee arrangement (usually flat fee). Although it does mean that you can get more substantive work early to help make the deal profitable, it also means that some are writing their hours off so that they can look like profitable members of the team to the partner staffing the deal. There is a critical mass in most of the deals where it won't make sense to put much time into the deal, which means that some people don't hit their hours every year.
I'm in the office from about 9 to 7, and I spend most of my time on calls and drafting/reviewing/revising offering documents (and the documents that support those). No true overnights, but I do finish work after I get home and work a few hours on the weekend regularly. This will, obviously, vary if you are close to an offering. On the other hand, this isn't exactly a novel field, and it's still niche, which can make it tough to do something else if you stay too long. Some of the people who have left have moved onto the SEC or gone in-house.
One of the problems with this area is that most of the work is on an alternative fee arrangement (usually flat fee). Although it does mean that you can get more substantive work early to help make the deal profitable, it also means that some are writing their hours off so that they can look like profitable members of the team to the partner staffing the deal. There is a critical mass in most of the deals where it won't make sense to put much time into the deal, which means that some people don't hit their hours every year.
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Anonymous User
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Re: Public Finance - Overview?
Thanks so much, this is great.
I'd be working deal side, so your perspective is especially helpful. How would you say your practice group compares to others in your firm in terms of work/life balance? Just trying figure out what is portable from V100 to a smaller firm.
Thanks again.
I'd be working deal side, so your perspective is especially helpful. How would you say your practice group compares to others in your firm in terms of work/life balance? Just trying figure out what is portable from V100 to a smaller firm.
Thanks again.
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#BigLaw
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2015 8:14 pm
Re: Public Finance - Overview?
The attorneys in my group tend to have a good balance, but I attribute that to the partners in my group more than the work.
Feel free to PM me with specifics. It's a really small group of people who do this, and it's an even smaller group of non-BigLaw firms that do this.
Feel free to PM me with specifics. It's a really small group of people who do this, and it's an even smaller group of non-BigLaw firms that do this.
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