Salary question for Lawyers ( family law or Intellectual Property Specialization)?
Hi everyone,
I am a professional IT manager who is looking into changing career so I don’t end up like so many great IT managers that just because they are old and a younger person with less salary can do the job, they are almost out of job or have a job but got salary cut. Trust me I have seen a lot of these cases around me so I was thinking to go back to school to practice law and make good money no matter how old I get, I’d still have a good job and a good salary. now … can someone tell me which one I would make more money? Family Law ( I live in L.A by the way) or Intellectual Property?
I heard the school I choose to go to matters for the Intellectual Property practice. I can’t leave L.A so what are my options?
I really need to know what is the minimum salary when I start my law career too cause I am walking away from a very good salary in IT mgmt so I need to make sure I think through this big change before doing anything. Much appreciated!
November 24th, 2009 at 9:55 am
As a former Director of IT who used to make 6 figure salary in the 1990’s before I just HAD to go to law school, my advice to is stop before you make the biggest financial error in your life. Please ignore the media myth that all lawyers make big money, it is a lie. The reality is that the average attorney salary is in the low 40,000.
Yes some lawyers make more — those who go right from the top tier college, to the top tier law school (Harvard, Yale), get top grades, are on law review, and are well connected (maybe mommy or daddy is in politics or has their own law firm). The rest of us, the 98%, scramble for a few 18 hour a day, 7 day a week, low pay, burn out jobs.
Do some research. Law firms are laying off right now. Many of the big firms have already announced that there will be zero hiring of new grads in 2010 and 2011. Those who graduated this year, with their $100,000 student loans, are having problems getting any job, let alone one in a law firm. The profession is full and has been since the early 1990s when I graduated. The only openings are when people burn out, or go to another profession. Plus every law school is sending out more and more people every year.
You will not make good money, even if you can get a job. Because of the glut of lawyers out there and few jobs the employers are able to pay what they want. For example it is no unusual for an employer to “take on” a legal association for zero salary - yes that is no pay — just to see how they work out. Illegal you say, well that is no problem to a group of lawyers.
Discrimination, as an IT person for years I never once encountered any age or sex discrimination. As a lawyer, especially an older female, it is rampant. It sucks to go to work and have to put up with the sexual comments, getting a lower salary than the male attorneys, and even hearing comments from the judges. It is a fight. I had one job where I was put at the reception desk to answer phones plus handle 28 active cases, while the men all got offices and were routinely assigned only 5 cases.
Finally if you want to get into intellectual property you will need to take additional courses beyond what law school provides. You will then need to sit for an additional bar exam. Intellectual property lawyers can make more money. Family law is great if you like seeing people use their kids as pawns. Family law has the highest amount of clients who report their attorneys. That is the client complains and the attorney may lose their licsence to practice law. Family law attorneys are also some of the lowest paid because the family is breaking up and no one has money.
Let me suggest that you go for an MBA in IT. Yes, I do understand about how IT is being destroyed by out sourcing, many of my clients are victims. But law is not the answer. Law is not a place to look for any financial security. I have been in this business since 1993, have my own firm, have a good reputation, usually busy, I have yet to get back to that IT salary. CatLaw