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Please compare benefits. I switched from a firm to a nonprofit, which came with a 35k pay cut. But once I looked at the benefits (way lower employee contribution for insurance, 401k matching and extra retirement contributions) it was barely a pay cut at all, but my quality of life was way better.
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This is really on point advice. Consider entire compensation, including benefits, when comparing.
I would remind you (and everyone on this thread) that not all ID work is created equal. PL and L&E ID work are very different in practice and reputation than the slip and fall type ID work that most people think of first when they see the term “ID”.
I wasn’t aware. Thanks!
The posts I’ve seen about ID make it seem awful with minimal opportunity for long-term career or salary growth. I’d stick with government and try to get a job at a different firm instead of in a niche field for lawyers that isn’t well-respected across the profession.
This was me in March 2020. I didn’t go to ID but the firm had me in a small white collar and general commercial lit practice.
Not sure of your experience level, but for me the worst part about it was not billables per se but the following, in order:
1) I went from a high-volume calendar as a supervising prosecutor trying violent crimes and high profile cases to not being allowed on the record in virtual court
2) above, but my role was reduced to scheduling meet-and-confers and emails from partners asking me to email others the exact thing that they wrote in the email to me
3) discovering that vacation didn’t exist, both in practice (worked on my one vacation I took) and policy (have to make up the hours instead)
I’m now back in govt
This was my story but I left to make 100k more than I was making and I still question it now whether it was a right move.
Do NOT get tricked into becoming trapped in insurance defense. Not worth it under any circumstances.
ID is a major grind, also $120k for 1800 seems underpaid as well. I did ID for a little bit and worked probably 10 hour days to bill 8 hours, and was insanely stressed the whole time (had too many cases, couldn’t work up cases as much as I wanted, etc).
I would maybe consider switching if it was to biglaw (with much more $ and a better firm reputation so that if I wanted to go back to government I’d have the good firm reputation backing me).
I would like to know what your current salary is and what other benefits/perks each position offers, but assuming you’d be working a lot more at the ID job, I wouldn’t take it unless you really needed the money. If anything, I’d look to secure a federal government gig that very well could pay close to (or more) than some ID jobs
A fiend of mine was in a similar boat.
80k gov job! Decided to go ID to be able to work from home ! Salary 115k. When I speak with her she sounds like she likes the substantive work, loves the group she is in, likes being able to work from home and be around her kids, saves on commute!
Benefits suck as she has to pay out of pocket 2k for the family plan (it’s a decent plan but costs too much);
Has unlimited PTO but she has to make up all the hours;
Billing overall sucks especially for ppl who never done it before..
And constantly has the work mode on, if she is off she always complaints how much she has yet to
Bill.lol
Run Forest run. Stay out of ID Work at all costs.
The firm is Wilson Elser if that helps
I still work here… the pay is biased….severely biased. It is based off of how much HR likes you and not experienced. As a non-asian I have seen a lot of asian discrimination (Indian included). Also their medical is suck my medicaid is far better which says a lot. They also overwork their associates!
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If you don’t absolutely need the money…don’t. Do. It.
I know the money sounds appealing, but the cost to what you will be giving up will be a lot more. That firm is a bit of a factory and rates are low. You can find a better practice area with better long term potential and it will prob pay you more if you want to go to a firm. ID is tough and I would never suggest moving to it for someone who has been practicing for a bit and doesn’t need the experience.
Are you going to be doing the same type of work that you were doing before? Or is this a totally different area of law?
The same work I’m doing right now
Hard to really make a recommendation at this point, and it of course depends on whether you like/are happy at your government job and if you are actually interested in ID. One thing I wanted to note, though, is that the government benefits (assuming Fed) are really worth a lot - For example: I save multiple thousands a year on health insurance, disability insurance, and life insurance, the TSP match gives you another 5% of your Income; and you can try and figure out the value of your pension by seeing what an annuity with a cola would cost with the same terms. Also, there’s a lot to be said for no billing and government job security, especially in the current economic client.