Been a while since I did a masturbatory school post

[vicarz]

Yes, I'm already checking for grades even though I know they aren't posted - hell exams are still going on. I won't know for 4-6 weeks, possibly longer.

I'm in the odd state where I don't have much to do at work. Not so odd - I don't care. I've been slugging away so hard to so long, and getting no recognition - oh and a continuing flow of degrading comments and treatment by my bosses boss (politics) so I can hardly feel guilty. I'm not one of those super driven folks, despite appearances. I don't work because of some burning need to achieve, and I don't freak out if I'm not producing something of importance. Those are good feelings, but I'm happy just to be. Right now I'm collecting "keys" in Diablo (on-line gaming, older that WoW and probably geekier).

I'm looking at the bar, the 2 month prep course, and hearing various reports from people who say it was hell on earth. One consistency I've found with the bar-is-hell-on-earth people is they didn't work while going to law school. I suppose compared to the leisurely pace most students live during school makes the bar prep seem monstrous. Me, I'm used to the pace - bar prep might be a vacation compared to working full time in employee relations and litigation and going to class at night, studying on the weekends. On the other hand, even the girl who kicked my ass in law school while working more did most of the bar prep course without working. Some of her friends (mostly from the top 10% of the class) worked through the entire thing.

I've computed my time off in all categories (A/L, comp, travel comp, time off awards) and I have about 28 days vacation NOT INCLUDING the 240 hours use or lose annual I still have in the bank. Dood. I could take a straight 6 weeks off for bar prep and still have 240 u/l in the bank at the end of the year. This means I have NO EXCUSE not to take the time off for any bar prep pressures. Hell, I may take time off for gym workouts - otherwise the 5 nights a week at 4 hours a day will kill my non-weekend workout time completely.

My friend is now in a big firm, and oh...the big firms moved their starting salaries from 145 to 160 for first years (most first years don't usually get the bonus). She is on course for billing 2800 hours. You bill what...75% of the hours worked, if that? Do they all cheat, coz 2080 hours is a 40 hour work week with no vacation, sick, or holidays. By comparison, I make about 2/3 that with a planned 2080 year, which includes 160 hours vacation, 104 hours sick, and 10 paid holidays - all in that 2080 hours. This pleases me. Walk through the math with me, if you will:

Rich lawyers don't make more than I do, they just work more!
Rich lawyer:
2800 hours billed a year / .75 = 3700 hours worked or in the office, give or take, or about 70 hours work a week.
$160,000 salary / 3700 hours worked = $43 hourly. Throw in bonus and bens and say $50 hourly for fun.

Gov lackey
Me, I also make about $43 hourly - only billed for 2080 hours anum, of which I don't work 160 vacation, 80 holiday (plus 104 sick hours which accumulate forever if I don't use them - not included in this analysis) = 1840 hours actually worked (unless I get more time off awards or snow days) for an average of 35 hours a week.

Rich? Same hourly rate overall, I just work half the hours.
Reality check - I had to work 12.5 years in the gummint to get this pay and leave, though the leave increases in 2.5 years. In the private sector you move up much quicker, so I'm really comparing a starting rich-lawyer salary to my journeyman level salary.

Comments

[blindtillnow.livejournal.com]

GO CORPORATE.

$135,000 / (2080 - 80 for vacation) = $67.50 per hour worked.

-S

[blindtillnow.livejournal.com]

and yes. apparently i _am_ gauche for posting my salary in your LJ. feel free to lock the entry or something...

-S

[vicar.livejournal.com]

I don't mind if you don't - I don't put mine up directly, but it's really easy to figure out from my writings. Interesting note though. 35% is a fair jump for the loss of vacation time. My employment law experience is very corporate friendly. If only I had contract!

[anarcha.livejournal.com]

Heck, mine's public knowledge. Just go to infirmation.com

I very roughly estimate I get paid aprox $100 per hour worked (not hour billed)

[vicar.livejournal.com]

Your previous post gave you about 10 hours a day 5 days a week, plus avg 2 hours a day after work at home in the evening, plus avg 6 hours on the weekend. That's 50 + 20 + 6 or avg 76 hours per week.

[anarcha.livejournal.com]

Remember, that's a "normal" week. My weeks vary constantly, and widely. And saying I work that many hours a week for 50 weeks a year doesn't take account of federal holidays (on which I generally work less hours unless I'm under a crunch).

Overall, looking at my average hours over the past two years, and adding non-billable work stuff, I'd say I work 2800-3000 hours per year.

My income should be between $280k and 300k, depending on bonus. Hence the $100 per hour.

[vicar.livejournal.com]

I was skipping that step :)
See, that's the part I ignore in my analysis. Still, while I would consider more hours than I work today - I'm not so interested in the 70 hours a week set. I've got my kids to worry about, lil devils that they are already.