Traditionally, lawyers are supposed to be rich, smart, successful, dashing and living a lavish life.
It is only after you graduate law school do you realise that not only do you have to start at the bottom of the ladder but you are also paid less than what a driver or an office boy makes in first tier cities.
Law students spend lacs on their legal education and some even take loans. They are completely disappointed to find jobs that do not help them maintain a basic lifestyle without borrowing money from their parents.
This is because senior lawyers hire junior lawyers for a pittance. The senior’s perspective is that they have to take responsibility for training an unskilled person to do work that requires high level of skills, and hence, they can’t afford to pay too much to such a novice
But isn’t education supposed to make you independent and make you employable right after you graduate.
So how do lawyers learn legal work that will make them employable, or allow them to serve paying clients?
In reality, after graduation, the lawyers are completely on their own with respect to this.
Graduate lawyers suffer from a tremendous lack of knowledge as well as skills with respect to client-related work. They have little idea about how to perform real legal work for clients.
When you hear that it takes 5 years or 10 years to establish oneself in the legal practice and to begin to earn a sum good enough to survive with decent living standards you accept your fate and work.
How can you change that?
If you want to work on high profile cases, get on-field experience of legal complexities, and earn a high salary right after graduation then you must consider working in law firms.
Law firms are known to have the resources to offer more comprehensive and substantial compensation packages including health care plans, wellness plans, reimbursements, and stock options.
Let us see how much do law firm attorneys in different countries get paid:
| Annual packages of lawyers in law firms of different countries | ||||
| Countries | Associate | Principal Associate | Partner | Source |
| India | ₹5-15 lacs | ₹10- 25 lacs | ₹30-100 lacs | multiple |
| Nigeria | N 3-12 lacs | N 6-36 lacs | N 12lacs – 1.2 crore | Bscholarly |
| South Africa | R 54k-6.5 lacs | R 2.7 – 13 lacs | R 10lacs- 1.5 crore | Golegal.co.za |
| USA | US$ 54k- 149k | US$ 1.5 – 2.5 lacs | US$ 1.7 – 3.1 lacs | Salary.com |
| UK | £ 30k-55k | £ – 66k 1.5lacs | £ 1-2.6lacs | prospects.ac.uk |
Lawyers working in top law firms have a very good lifestyle. They are often paid higher salaries and get to experience the best of what life has to offer during their time as an attorney, whether that means high-flying work trips or relaxing on vacation with family.
However, one of the top concerns of law students and young graduates is finding a job or an internship in a law firm.
Many believe that you can get a job or an internship in a law firm only if you have contacts with one of the partners. Some believe that law firms prefer lawyers only from a few law schools.
LawSikho is bringing a 3-day bootcamp to bust all the myths and guide students to pave a successful path to grab a law firm job.
Date: 24-26 July
Time: 6-9 pm Indian Standard Time (IST)
During this bootcamp you will learn what skills do you need in order to land a job at the law firm of your dreams? Should you apply through LinkedIn or directly via email? How can you identify your area of interest and differentiate yourself from other applicants with similar backgrounds.
It is free, online and you can attend from any part of the world.
If you have already registered then add this event to your calendar now:
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Don’t forget to invite your friends, classmates and colleagues to this bootcamp by sharing this link: https://bit.ly/3reQGL1
If you are a lawyer or a law student wanting to build a recession-proof career, then join our WhatsApp and Telegram group where we regularly update relevant information for you:
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Telegram : https://t.me/joinchat/RaIzBjp60beydCXA
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