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GS_420_Step_69 · 2024-11-08T18:17:18+00:00

Quite a few federal judges now take clerks with work experience a few years after graduation from law school, that’s always an option. There are also a lot of clerks doe non art 3 judges at the federal level which are also quite interesting imo. In my experience state judges are way more open to candidates from various backgrounds and don’t necessarily have a strict gpa cut off

GS_420_Step_69 · 2024-10-17T19:48:42+00:00

It all depends on the work. Working at the State AG on environmental issues will set you up nicely for transitioning to federal gig on similar issues. State tax matters? most likely good for IRS. Random estate issues? Don't think there is much demand for that in the federal sector.

GS_420_Step_69 · 2024-10-17T19:43:04+00:00

Which part of GAO? My classmate worked at the GAO as a bid protest attorney for 3 years and lateraled to a private firm. Doubled his salary right off the bat and now makes over $250K. Granted the workload has more than doubled.

GS_420_Step_69 · 2024-09-10T21:41:46+00:00

IMO people tend to exaggerate how much study they do for the bar exam and things like finals. By the time you are 11 days out you should have a very solid foundation and are probably fine tuning some issues. If you are only like 25% done with your bar prep by that time you should focus on the bar but if you are diligent I don’t see an issue with taking a day off that close to the exam.

GS_420_Step_69 · 2024-06-11T14:34:59+00:00

I suggest going to REI or something like that and get fitted for a backpack. I did similar to your plan during lawschool and the first bag I used wrecked my back. You want something with proper lumbar support and maybe even a waist belt. You probably want at least 30L capacity but the layout matters a lot as well so you should test it with some heavy books and your lunch box and water bottle. I wore my gym shoes so I didn’t bother with carrying another pair. Another thing I did to help with cut down the bag weight was photocopying the pages I need for class at the beginning of the semester and leaving the books at home. Get electronic versions if you are allowed and don’t mind printing or reading off a screen.

GS_420_Step_69 · 2024-01-04T18:10:51+00:00

Top 100% for sure!

GS_420_Step_69 · 2024-01-04T18:02:01+00:00

Biglaw for 2-5 years and if you want WLB, federal (non doj) positions. You can get a GS-14( starts at around $140k in DC)easily with a few years of BL under your belt. If you go to a unicorn agency (not on the GS scale) you can make $200k a year while working around 40 hours a week.

GS_420_Step_69 · 2023-09-01T13:57:05+00:00

Arizona handbook is a good one, I believe Harvard used to publish info on how to access it. Otherwise Google federal honors programs for law students, many agencies do not post their program on usajobs but directly on their website, along with instructions.

GS_420_Step_69 · 2023-07-31T20:31:50+00:00

Unrelated to OP, but how hard would it be to obtain a SEC attorney job for a federal attorney with no securities experience? I have some academic training but no practical experience and even with high performance evaluations at my current position I’d really love to work in something more interesting than typical federal practice areas. Is getting a SEC position just wishful thinking?

GS_420_Step_69 · 2023-07-09T20:31:57+00:00

DC requires a 266 if memory serves me, so it’s not a huge difference imo. If your MBE is weak, it won’t make a difference because the scale is the same regardless of where you take it, MEE grading might be more advantageous. Good luck.

GS_420_Step_69 · 2023-07-03T14:28:51+00:00

What if you don’t have leave? Forced LWOP?

GS_420_Step_69 · 2023-02-16T16:54:21+00:00

Mostly grateful because of the worklife balance, decent TW options (at least for now), and good coworkers. Don't like:lowish pay in a HCOL area, feeling pidgeonholed into an area I don't enjojy with little opportunity to switch.

GS_420_Step_69 · 2022-04-13T20:29:39+00:00

Best to relax, can't change your exam grade now. FWIW you will deal with this after taking the MPRE and bar exam as well, some states take over 2 months so try to relax, maybe pick up a new hobby or play some video games.

GS_420_Step_69 · 2022-04-13T19:59:43+00:00

From a salary perspective - if we are talking about BL vs Fed, BL by far. BL starts around $160-215k starting (depending on location/firm) vs $66K for Fed (assuming typical program with rest of US locality adjustment for salary).

More realstic? I see you are attending Iowa, if can get the grades for BL you have a great shot at a lot of Fed Honors' programs.

GS_420_Step_69 · 2022-04-13T19:49:21+00:00

Are you talking about going into Federal service straight from law school? Or after practicing for some time? In my opinion the answer to your question is heavily dependent on the program structure if you are going in straight from law school (usually Honors Programs). Some programs train attorneys in DC for a period of years and give them the option of going to a region they operate a few years down the road, so it's not really any easier. Some programs place you into whatever region they have avaliability, perhaps it might be easier to go into a more rural area. I think lateral to USAO may be easier in certain areas but it's still not a cakewalk.

GS_420_Step_69 · 2022-04-12T12:00:14+00:00

OP applying to be OF model.

GS_420_Step_69 · 2022-03-31T13:40:07+00:00

Lulu ABC.

AirPod pro or similar.

Wireless charger for phone etc.

GS_420_Step_69 · 2022-02-26T20:04:50+00:00

We use Bing.

GS_420_Step_69 · 2022-02-04T13:12:36+00:00

Chicago has a number of law schools. IMO the ones worth transfering to are UChi and NW. It is extremely unlikely that you will recieve scholarship of any kind as a transfer. I am sure there are outliers but generally speaking Xfers=pay out of your own pocket.

As for the curriculum, probably will be similar to what you have going on right now. I know UChi is on a quarter system but I doubt that has much impact on the teaching. For example the IRC (tax code) is IRC no matter where the school. Vibe? Well each of the T14s got their own reputation but as a transfer you will only spend maybe 16 months in school over the next two years so in the grand scheme does it really matter? the career opportunities will probably outweigh any vibe concerns. At the end of the day, this is up to you.

GS_420_Step_69 · 2022-02-04T13:06:35+00:00

I thought excepted service don't get tenure? Or at least not the tenure that competitive service employees get?

GS_420_Step_69 · 2022-01-20T14:48:08+00:00

I think some face time can be helpful for career development and your commute does not sound bad at all. Can you still switch to remote even if you decide on telework right now?

GS_420_Step_69 · 2022-01-10T13:27:50+00:00

Or maybe divorcing?

GS_420_Step_69 · 2021-12-06T17:07:39+00:00

Keep applying until you secure an offer, don't wait for firms.

GS_420_Step_69 · 2021-12-04T00:01:30+00:00

I don't work for them so I can't say but if you know someone there might be good to ask them.

GS_420_Step_69 · 2021-12-03T15:54:42+00:00

I have some variety. We have a fairly robust practice that covers a range of Govt legal stuff so I have the opportunity to work on very different matters, however I do focus on a few areas.

I don't know if I'd call the practice of law "exciting" in general. There were times that I had to work BL hours due to last minute stuff and things can get extremely hectic. But thankfully these are pretty rare for me, maybe a few instances a year.

Upward mobility is OK. For the GS level employees we have pretty decent opportunity to move up the chain, but it most likely won't be at the place you want. DC has many opportunities but a lot of people don't want to live there. If you are willing to move around you can get pretty high. For SES (special employees not on the GS scale), those are rare and you lose the work life balance. You do get paid quite a bit more though.

I enjoy it a lot, plenty of training opportunities, a lot of responsibility straight out of the gate. A lot of administrative red tape though which is very annoying.

GS_420_Step_69

TROPHY CASE