Probate Law- The Good, the Bad, the Ugly Forum

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obamalaw

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Probate Law- The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

Post by obamalaw » Sun Sep 11, 2022 10:39 pm

I am currently a law student interested in probate work.

I think my dream would be to work at a smaller firm and do probate, guardianship, and elder law. I would like to help set up and represent small corporations, too. I find this aspect of being a lawyer for more rewarding and less cutthroat.

However, I have heard probate attorneys do not make as much as other practice areas. I will have student loans and my law school grades are just average.

Could the probate lawyers of TLS give me the good, the bad, and the ugly of this practice and my dream?

talons2250

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Re: Probate Law- The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

Post by talons2250 » Sun Sep 11, 2022 10:44 pm

obamalaw wrote:
Sun Sep 11, 2022 10:39 pm
I am currently a law student interested in probate work.

I think my dream would be to work at a smaller firm and do probate, guardianship, and elder law. I would like to help set up and represent small corporations, too. I find this aspect of being a lawyer for more rewarding and less cutthroat.

However, I have heard probate attorneys do not make as much as other practice areas. I will have student loans and my law school grades are just average.

Could the probate lawyers of TLS give me the good, the bad, and the ugly of this practice and my dream?
What year are you in law school? And what caliber school are you at? HYS? T14? Top 25? Top 50? How did you develop an interest in this area?

obamalaw

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Re: Probate Law- The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

Post by obamalaw » Sun Sep 11, 2022 10:48 pm

talons2250 wrote:
Sun Sep 11, 2022 10:44 pm
obamalaw wrote:
Sun Sep 11, 2022 10:39 pm
I am currently a law student interested in probate work.

I think my dream would be to work at a smaller firm and do probate, guardianship, and elder law. I would like to help set up and represent small corporations, too. I find this aspect of being a lawyer for more rewarding and less cutthroat.

However, I have heard probate attorneys do not make as much as other practice areas. I will have student loans and my law school grades are just average.

Could the probate lawyers of TLS give me the good, the bad, and the ugly of this practice and my dream?
What year are you in law school? And what caliber school are you at? HYS? T14? Top 25? Top 50? How did you develop an interest in this area?
I am a spring start 1L, so in my second semester and a small regional school. In college, I worked as a runner for a four lawyer firm that did probate and real estate. I thought it was interested and it was a really good office.

talons2250

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Re: Probate Law- The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

Post by talons2250 » Sun Sep 11, 2022 10:55 pm

obamalaw wrote:
Sun Sep 11, 2022 10:48 pm
talons2250 wrote:
Sun Sep 11, 2022 10:44 pm
obamalaw wrote:
Sun Sep 11, 2022 10:39 pm
I am currently a law student interested in probate work.

I think my dream would be to work at a smaller firm and do probate, guardianship, and elder law. I would like to help set up and represent small corporations, too. I find this aspect of being a lawyer for more rewarding and less cutthroat.

However, I have heard probate attorneys do not make as much as other practice areas. I will have student loans and my law school grades are just average.

Could the probate lawyers of TLS give me the good, the bad, and the ugly of this practice and my dream?
What year are you in law school? And what caliber school are you at? HYS? T14? Top 25? Top 50? How did you develop an interest in this area?
I am a spring start 1L, so in my second semester and a small regional school. In college, I worked as a runner for a four lawyer firm that did probate and real estate. I thought it was interested and it was a really good office.
Disclaimer that I am not a probate attorney. But here's my advice.

Leverage your connections at the probate and real estate firm you previously worked at to try to get a 2L summer job there. And mass mail at other probate firms in your regional area. As far as loans go, you can have your monthly payment reduced if your income is so low that you can't make your minimum payment (although I doubt your income as a probate attorney would be *that* low). You will just have to factor in the monthly student loan payments into your budget. Think of it like rent, food, etc. It sucks but is a reality for millions and you will manage.

In the meantime, there's no harm in trying for biglaw, so you might as well shoot for that as well by mass-mailing and try to get into a real estate group somewhere. That's a biglaw practice area that is at least somewhat connected to probate. If you haven't already, connect with the career services people at your school.

obamalaw

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Posts: 30
Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2021 2:08 pm

Re: Probate Law- The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

Post by obamalaw » Sun Sep 11, 2022 10:59 pm

talons2250 wrote:
Sun Sep 11, 2022 10:55 pm
obamalaw wrote:
Sun Sep 11, 2022 10:48 pm
talons2250 wrote:
Sun Sep 11, 2022 10:44 pm
obamalaw wrote:
Sun Sep 11, 2022 10:39 pm
I am currently a law student interested in probate work.

I think my dream would be to work at a smaller firm and do probate, guardianship, and elder law. I would like to help set up and represent small corporations, too. I find this aspect of being a lawyer for more rewarding and less cutthroat.

However, I have heard probate attorneys do not make as much as other practice areas. I will have student loans and my law school grades are just average.

Could the probate lawyers of TLS give me the good, the bad, and the ugly of this practice and my dream?
What year are you in law school? And what caliber school are you at? HYS? T14? Top 25? Top 50? How did you develop an interest in this area?
I am a spring start 1L, so in my second semester and a small regional school. In college, I worked as a runner for a four lawyer firm that did probate and real estate. I thought it was interested and it was a really good office.
Disclaimer that I am not a probate attorney. But here's my advice.

Leverage your connections at the probate and real estate firm you previously worked at to try to get a 2L summer job there. And mass mail at other probate firms in your regional area. As far as loans go, you can have your monthly payment reduced if your income is so low that you can't make your minimum payment (although I doubt your income as a probate attorney would be *that* low). You will just have to factor in the monthly student loan payments into your budget. Think of it like rent, food, etc. It sucks but is a reality for millions and you will manage.

In the meantime, there's no harm in trying for biglaw, so you might as well shoot for that as well by mass-mailing and try to get into a real estate group somewhere. That's a biglaw practice area that is at least somewhat connected to probate. If you haven't already, connect with the career services people at your school.
You are absolutely right. The problem is my hometown/college town is 3.5-4 hours away from the large city where my law school is located. I would have to stay with my parents, which I would not mind, but I would be paying rent regardless of my physical location.

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Prudent_Jurist

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Re: Probate Law- The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

Post by Prudent_Jurist » Mon Sep 12, 2022 8:25 am

I work at a large regional firm. Part of my practice involves probate litigation. Most of that work comes from our estate planners, which it sounds like you’re interested in becoming.

Estate planning is totally a viable path and by no means relegates you to lower pay. Though you likely won’t be making as much as BigLaw corporate associates, you can do quite well. One partner at my firm does estate plans for medium net worth individuals and charges a set rate for a basic estate planning package. He churns through them and nets a really good salary.

Other partners focus on high net worth individuals. A common misconception is that an estate plan is a one-and-done deal. That’s untrue. Laws constantly change that require revisions to estate plans, including taxes, how assets are protected, and much more. So, the practice is hardly static.

In other words, you can do well as a probate lawyer. It’s a rewarding practice area, too, because you get to really help people plan for the future. Guardianship and conservatorship proceedings are similarly rewarding though often come with some tragic stories.

obamalaw

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Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2021 2:08 pm

Re: Probate Law- The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

Post by obamalaw » Mon Sep 12, 2022 10:40 am

Prudent_Jurist wrote:
Mon Sep 12, 2022 8:25 am
I work at a large regional firm. Part of my practice involves probate litigation. Most of that work comes from our estate planners, which it sounds like you’re interested in becoming.

Estate planning is totally a viable path and by no means relegates you to lower pay. Though you likely won’t be making as much as BigLaw corporate associates, you can do quite well. One partner at my firm does estate plans for medium net worth individuals and charges a set rate for a basic estate planning package. He churns through them and nets a really good salary.

Other partners focus on high net worth individuals. A common misconception is that an estate plan is a one-and-done deal. That’s untrue. Laws constantly change that require revisions to estate plans, including taxes, how assets are protected, and much more. So, the practice is hardly static.

In other words, you can do well as a probate lawyer. It’s a rewarding practice area, too, because you get to really help people plan for the future. Guardianship and conservatorship proceedings are similarly rewarding though often come with some tragic stories.
Thank you! My problem is I want to do a little bit of everything- probate, estate planning, tax, bankruptcy, and small corporations. I think working at a smaller firm will lead to being more "well rounded" as opposed to working at a big firm and doing nothing but doc review.

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