Legal jobs that won't require me to check emails all night Forum

[Good Guy Gaud]

Government. Especially regulatory government jobs.

Let me tell you something. The more I learn about government, the more I realize that's really the job you should be gunning for in law school. Not big law. And before people get into the "it's easier to get biglaw" routine; that's not really true if you open yourself up to things outside of DOJ and the SEC. Especially if you're open to state and local.

During an interview for a 2L internship with a federal government agency, not DOJ or SEC, I was told that the hiring qualifications for new attorneys for the agency were: top 10% from at least T20 and law review. I thought, shit, that isn't me!

Most agencies hire top 30% and a lot do not care about your school. If the criteria you provided were universal, I wouldn't have gotten this job.

+1. I don't work in the feds but was offered by one non-DOJ/SEC agency and was not top 10% nor at aT20

[WhiteCollarBlueShirt]

I've heard Axiom Law, but I don't know anything about Axiom Corporation and am quite skeptical--sounds like a low tier consulting job to me, but would be interested if people know more.

[worldtraveler]

I don't have to check e-mails on the weekend because I work in a country where half the time e-mail doesn't work anyway so nobody ever notices if you just don't respond for a couple days. Moving to a shitty country is definitely an option.

[TLSaul2001]

Non-profit organization if you can get into it.

I work 9-5 M-F and very rarely take work home. Don't even have work e-mail on my phone. (Mileage may vary depending on the organization obviously)

[El Pollito]

hahahahaahahahahaha

[dixiecupdrinking]

I don't have to check e-mails on the weekend because I work in a country where half the time e-mail doesn't work anyway so nobody ever notices if you just don't respond for a couple days. Moving to a shitty country is definitely an option.

Incidentally, this is also the best approach to choosing a vacation destination.

[dixiecupdrinking]

hahahahaahahahahaha

Ok so what if I take a big pay cut to get a job like this, but then they do want me to check my emails after all? Seems risky.

[Anonymous User]

Public Defender/DA. Job usually ends when you walk out the door at 5. Obviously if your'e in the middle of a trial, that changes.

[baal hadad]

Just stop answering emails at about 9 PM, then, answer about 30 angry ones at 7 AM. Easy!

[kellyfrost]

Public Defender/DA. Job usually ends when you walk out the door at 5. Obviously if your'e in the middle of a trial, that changes.

Don't PD/DA jobs require a lot of motion writing and brief writing to be done outside of normal office hours? As I understand it, they are busy with administrative tasks/clients and court during the day, when do they get all their writing done?

[Johann]

Government. Especially regulatory government jobs.

Let me tell you something. The more I learn about government, the more I realize that's really the job you should be gunning for in law school. Not big law. And before people get into the "it's easier to get biglaw" routine; that's not really true if you open yourself up to things outside of DOJ and the SEC. Especially if you're open to state and local.

This is so true.

[dailygrind]

When I started, I was told that a large part of my pay was for availability. Those words did not seem as terrible then as they do now.

Government. Especially regulatory government jobs.

Let me tell you something. The more I learn about government, the more I realize that's really the job you should be gunning for in law school. Not big law. And before people get into the "it's easier to get biglaw" routine; that's not really true if you open yourself up to things outside of DOJ and the SEC. Especially if you're open to state and local.

This is so true.

There are a handful of gov positions that are absolutely better than big law (SEC and CFTC come to mind b/c of enhanced payscales). There are also a lot that suck.

[PvblivsScipio]

Just stop answering emails at about 9 PM, then, answer about 30 angry ones at 7 AM. Easy!

This may be a dumb question but what do you do if you go to sleep early? Wake up randomly and check your phone?

[dailygrind]

Unless you're on notice that you have an active matter, I don't think anyone expects you to be actively checking emails realllly late into the night.

[baal hadad]

Unless you're on notice that you have an active matter, I don't think anyone expects you to be actively checking emails realllly late into the night.

Yeah I was mainly facetious

that said Im on eastern time (shitigator) had some clients in central and mountain time that I'd exchange emails with at midnight so that was a bummer

[A. Nony Mouse]

Public Defender/DA. Job usually ends when you walk out the door at 5. Obviously if your'e in the middle of a trial, that changes.

Don't PD/DA jobs require a lot of motion writing and brief writing to be done outside of normal office hours? As I understand it, they are busy with administrative tasks/clients and court during the day, when do they get all their writing done?

Depends. Some probably do, plenty don't, depending on office caseloads, especially as you become more senior and get more serious cases (more serious = fewer of them). There often aren't a lot of motions and briefs in the average cases you start out with anyway. (My understanding is that DUI stuff, for instance, gets routine really fast.)

[zot1]

Public Defender/DA. Job usually ends when you walk out the door at 5. Obviously if your'e in the middle of a trial, that changes.

Don't PD/DA jobs require a lot of motion writing and brief writing to be done outside of normal office hours? As I understand it, they are busy with administrative tasks/clients and court during the day, when do they get all their writing done?

Depends. Some probably do, plenty don't, depending on office caseloads, especially as you become more senior and get more serious cases (more serious = fewer of them). There often aren't a lot of motions and briefs in the average cases you start out with anyway. (My understanding is that DUI stuff, for instance, gets routine really fast.)

Briefs and motion writing: a lot of DAs argue the issues orally. When they do have briefs/motions, that's what interns/law clerks are for.

Junior DAs at OCDA get assigned to misdemeanor court. They all have several trials per week. Most leave by 5, but there were days here and there when they stayed late or took work home.

[dailygrind]

Unless you're on notice that you have an active matter, I don't think anyone expects you to be actively checking emails realllly late into the night.

Yeah I was mainly facetious

that said Im on eastern time (shitigator) had some clients in central and mountain time that I'd exchange emails with at midnight so that was a bummer

Yeah, if you have clients in a different time zone it becomes a real bummer. I saw a partner work on a Japanese deal, and the conference calls took place at regrettable times.

[Anonymous User]

Unless you're on notice that you have an active matter, I don't think anyone expects you to be actively checking emails realllly late into the night.

Yeah I was mainly facetious

that said Im on eastern time (shitigator) had some clients in central and mountain time that I'd exchange emails with at midnight so that was a bummer

Yeah, if you have clients in a different time zone it becomes a real bummer. I saw a partner work on a Japanese deal, and the conference calls took place at regrettable times.

I can't imagine having to deal with foreign country time zone issues. My clients are located in each time zone in the continental US, and I usually monitor email, phone call, or text message until the last office closes in their area. I can't imagine having to do that with foreign clients regularly.

[dixiecupdrinking]

Unless you're on notice that you have an active matter, I don't think anyone expects you to be actively checking emails realllly late into the night.

Yeah I was mainly facetious

that said Im on eastern time (shitigator) had some clients in central and mountain time that I'd exchange emails with at midnight so that was a bummer

Yeah but IME 10:30-11 emails may still definitely expect a response within a half hour or so.

[dailygrind]

Yeah but IME 10:30-11 emails may still definitely expect a response within a half hour or so.

Different strokes for different folks. Unless someone tells me ahead of time to expect work after 10, I feel fully justified in answering their 10 o clock emails when I wake up. I'm not a fucking robot, here.

[dixiecupdrinking]

Yeah but IME 10:30-11 emails may still definitely expect a response within a half hour or so.

Different strokes for different folks. Unless someone tells me ahead of time to expect work after 10, I feel fully justified in answering their 10 o clock emails when I wake up. I'm not a fucking robot, here.

Maybe this is the key to mental health that I'm missing.

[kellyfrost]

I like working and really enjoy what I do. This fact makes many people, including family, friends, and other loved ones think I'm strange. I don't mind night work, calls, email or texts. Same on weekends.
Holiday weekends suck because work goes radio silence Friday afternoon until Tuesday morning. Enjoy memorial day everyone.

[A. Nony Mouse]

The idea that holiday weekends suck is just sad.

[TLSModBot]

The idea that holiday weekends suck is just sad.

holiday weekends means more time with the kids (bc daycare/school is closed). It's good to spend time with the kids but God 3 days in a row with constant crazy toddlers is a lot. (Enjoy your actually-relaxing smug childless weekends Nony)