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It really seems like you made this post to boast about yourself and potentially even to try to make big law attorneys feel bad? There’s nothing wrong with being motivated by money or prestige. Frankly half the time we hear about some groundbreaking social initiative case, there was a biglaw attorney behind that doing it as pro bono. A lot of biglaw attorneys are in it just so they can pay off massive amount of debt, so that they can support their families, and often because they grew up in poverty themselves and don’t want their families to experience that (seriously seems like 1/2 biglaw attorneys I know grew up in houses where they were food scared at least once).
So it sounds like you have a good gig for what you’re looking for in your life.
Why the dismissive tone OP?
Yes some of us need to make more than $100-150k to pay off debts and lift our families (not just ourselves) out of poverty.
Financial freedom goes above meeting immediate family needs. Double Big Law household, both under 40, combined income close to $1M. We both enjoy the complex nature of the work, but both coming from low to middle income homes, we are maximizing the opportunity to skip a generation of wealth building and give our children an astronomically better life than either of us had growing up.
It's really about working for our kids and hopefully grandkids. Generational wealth has to start somewhere. I don't look down on government attorneys by any means but the original post was really demeaning to those of us who ARE working very hard in exchange for potentially generation-changing money. I think that is a pretty good reason to stay practicing at this level.
There are government attorneys who aren’t happy working 8-5 just as there are big law attorneys who aren’t happy working crazy hours. I have friends in both government jobs and big law jobs that are unhappy. Just keep that in mind.
Hmmmm. Let’s see, having clients that choose you as a lawyer and trust you in the open market for legal services?
I am simultaneously envious and happy for you. So so envious. But happy! Conflicted. I'll go back to my lair now.
Big law gives endless choice. Do it for 2 years and you can go anywhere and have bargaining power.
You seem very emotional about everyone else’s career and salary. Happy content people don’t act that way, it’s very transparent.
Money and increased risk of addiction, divorce, and suicide.
That’s what I’ve heard…
That is great that you are happy. And, as I suspect you know, as a successful government attorney you would be highly desired by big law firms that do a great deal of work with the government. Your contacts make you highly valued. Plus, many government attorneys have been able to go into big law and then readily return to government practice - the most obvious examples are in DC.
Definitely not guaranteed that he will be highly desired at biglaw. Depends on practice, credentials, skills, connections.
Soo..are you all hiring??
Where do i apply 🤣
Well most gov jobs do not pay that much. I was making under 50k & had a medical emergency and literally could not afford student loans/medical bills. Some people have no choice but to take a job they don’t love.
What market are you in where you’re making 6 figs as a government attorney and have all those perks?!
I took the strange route of starting with the federal government and then moving to biglaw. I absolutely LOVE everything you noted about the government—plus the people in my office were so lovely. I left because I had a lot of concern that I was going to be too specialized early on in my career. My agency (and I’ve heard this from others as well) really silos people and I wanted the opportunity to learn about a lot of areas. Likewise, biglaw on your resume really helps for promotions, even in government, with a lot of the chiefs all being former biglaw.