AyetoZee Work Series 4: Loving the Law

I took a week or two off, but I’m back with my work series. This week’s post is from someone who works in the legal field.

AyetoZee: How long have you been working at your current place of employment and/or for yourself?

Legal: I have been working at my current place of employment since August 2020. I was at my previous place of employment from October 2017 to July 2020. I am not presently working for myself but I am considering private work in addition to my current employment.

AyetoZee: If you work for someone else, how did you get the job? Was it through personal relationships, cold applying, etc?

Legal: I was recruited from my previous employer. I have been building my professional brand in this space for a few years and when this opportunity came about I was contacted. I did not interview, I had an "after hours" discussion about my salary/benefits expectations and a few months later I was provided with a draft contract to review.

AyetoZee: At your job/in your industry, what percentage of people do you think are qualified for their positions?

Legal: There are maybe about 5-6 other persons who have sufficient qualifications / experience to do the specialized consulting I am doing and they are more senior attorneys. Otherwise, my profession is one where people learn by practice so once you have base qualifications, you can be considered qualified.

AyetoZee: What was the starting salary for your job? Based on the expectations for your work, do you think that salary is fair?

Legal: My salary for my current job was negotiated and based on it being a consultancy, it's unique to me so it would not be standard. However, generally speaking, in their first year of practice, attorneys can start at about B$24,000.00 to $33,000.00. Some of the larger firms pay more and start attorneys at $35,000.00 to $40,000.00 in their first year. After the first year (pupillage) salaries tend to increase by $3,000.00 - $5,000.00. If on profit sharing, attorneys can make up to $10,000.00 - $50,000.00 extra on top of base salary depending on firm and profit sharing scheme. When I was in private practice, my hourly rate was $350.00 while more senior attorneys charge up to $650.00 - $800.00 per hour depending on the amount of years called or whether they are Queen's Counsel.

Pupillage pay is really unfair because pupil attorneys work extremely hard, but the argument is that they do not yet have experience. Junior Associates work 12-15 hour days and weekends so the pay is not always fair at all.

AyetoZee: If you have received additional qualifications during your tenure in your current position, do they qualify you for raises? Or is there a set schedule for raises at your job?

Legal: When I started my career as an attorney I already had my BA, LLB, LEC and LLM in addition to professional qualifications under my specialism - arbitration. I was not compensated for that. Attorneys don't really get paid for additional qualifications as everything is based on experience. However, attorneys in the Office of the Attorney General are paid $750.00 additional per annum for a Masters degree. Some firms claim to have an internal pay scale but it really depends on who the supervising partner is and how much money they bring in for the firm as everyone has quotas and the associate would be under the partner's billing quota.

AyetoZee: Do you think your manager/supervisor encourages individual promotion or is it a place where you’re expected to stay in your position?

Legal: It depends on the supervisor. In a firm environment, it's hard to get a promotion because the Associate does the brunt of the work and the partner only signs off on it and they always want to keep their workers because it makes the Partner look good. But some supervisors advocate for their subordinates in the same firm. It depends on whether your partner wants to see you do well.

AyetoZee: Is training available at your job? Do they pay for is or is it something you’re solely responsible for?

Legal: At my current job it's decided on a case by case basis. At my former job, we had to complete marketing hours which could include training. We also had a business development budget ($800.00 - $1,000.00) to attend conferences and training in addition to firm credit cards to support costs associated with training.

AyetoZee: How long do you see yourself staying at your current place of employment? How long do you seeing yourself staying in your current field of employment?

Legal: I signed a two year contract and have no intention to renew it. I plan to return to firm life but on a larger scale in a different jurisdiction.

AyetoZee: Do you see your job and/or field as your dream place to be?

Legal: Yes.

AyetoZee: Is there Human Resources at your company? How do you feel about them? Do you feel comfortable going to them about anything you experience on the job?

Legal: Yes there is an officer for HR. I think that they are not the best and slightly unprofessional. I would not go to the HR officer, I would go to my direct supervisor.

AyetoZee: What factors do you think most commonly cause people to leave your job and/or field?

Legal: For me, I left the firm I was with because the environment was extremely toxic and I was overworked and unhappy. I think people leave when they cannot balance their personal life with their professional obligations.

AyetoZee: What is the benefits package like at your job?

Legal: I have a decent base salary. I am also paid gas mileage, cell phone, laptop and gratuity at end of contract which is percentage of base salary.

AyetoZee: What benefits or work related things do you think can make your work environment better?

Legal: It is pretty decent so far, especially for it being Government. I would say more flexibility in the application of rules.

AyetoZee: Is salary information widely available through your job/industry or is secrecy encouraged?

Legal: Not really. People at your level in the same firm will make more than you. People do not generally discuss salary openly.

AyetoZee: Do you feel like senior management abuses their power at work?

Legal: At my current job, no. At my former job, yes.

AyetoZee: In a perfect world, what changes would you implement to your work life?

Legal: I would keep this current system where we WFH (work from home) and come into office when we want.

AyetoZee: How long is the maximum do you think that people should stay at a job in 2021?

Legal: 2-3 years unless up for promotion or management.

AyetoZee: What does your dream job look like?

Legal: Working in one of my dream jobs. Other is a leading boutique firm for litigation and international arbitration.

Even though I don’t dream of labor, I really enjoyed this entry, because it made me smile to see a post from someone who both dreams of labor and is being fairly compensated. It’s not often you see those things align, so this was a good read and something I was really enthused to share.

Like I say with each entry, if you’re willing to participate, please reach out to me.