Anyone work in the legal field? (Boston: attorneys, job market, salary)

[Cart24]

Hi, I am thinking of moving from Orlando to Boston. I work in the legal field, I am a legal assistant. Does anyone work in that field and can tell me how it is there? Pay, benefits, etc?

The pay here is ok, but the benefits, they only give you minimal. (18 days for the whole year, and that includes sick days, personal days, vacation, etc.)

If someone could help me I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

[NY'er lost in MA]

Hello- my wife works as a legal assistant in downtown Boston at one of the largest firms- Bingham McCutchen. They are actually one of the largest in the country. The salaries there are above the norm. All the the large frms in Boston pay very well. Most legal assistants there get paid more than the paralegals. Some of the legal assistants that have been there 20+ years are making close to six figures.

My wife has been there 5 years and gets 3 weeks vacation and plenty of sick days and personal days. Benefits are good- not the best, but very good. I think you'll find that any of the bigger cities will be the same: Chicago, NYC, LA etc...

Good luck.

[Cart24]

Thanks so much for your reply. Sounds a lot better than here!! I'm looking forward to coming back to the big city life as I used to live in Toronto. The law firms in big cities appeal to me a lot more. In your wife's experience how does she find the job market in Boston for legal assistants? Would it be easy to find employment there in that field? Thanks for your reply!

[NY'er lost in MA]

From what she says, it is fairly easy to jump around once you're in a good firm with a reputation. She went from a medium sized firm to a very large one. One of her friends left a large firm and went to another with a significant salary increase. Coming from out of town- not sure how that might work...

You might consider using a recruiter to get a feel for what is available before you decide on making a move.

[Cart24]

Thanks for your help! I will definitely check a recruiter. One more thing, do you know if most legal assistant positions are salary or hourly? (ex. punching in with time clocks, PTO) Thanks!

[NY'er lost in MA]

I think my wife technically has an hourly wage, but from my undertsanding, she is salaried. No punching in- I doubt any of the firms in Boston do that. But she does get paid OT if requested by one of her attorneys. That can really add up fast!

[Cart24]

Thanks for all your help. I appreciate it!