Milder Winters & Legal Work Oportunities?

[ericsvibe]

My family and I moved from FL to MT last year, so it can be done. My kids have all adapted well. As far as jobs go, I work for the federal government. There are tons of federal jobs in MT, and due to an aging workforce jobs pop up all the time. Your husband needs to create an account on USAJOBS.GOV and start looking.

MT has a different feel than OR, WA, ID. The towns here vary greatly based on the industry that supports it. I work closely with people all over the north west and I wouldn't trade MT for any other place.

[kmarleee]

Originally Posted by ericsvibe

My family and I moved from FL to MT last year, so it can be done. My kids have all adapted well. As far as jobs go, I work for the federal government. There are tons of federal jobs in MT, and due to an aging workforce jobs pop up all the time. Your husband needs to create an account on USAJOBS.GOV and start looking.

MT has a different feel than OR, WA, ID. The towns here vary greatly based on the industry that supports it. I work closely with people all over the north west and I wouldn't trade MT for any other place.

Thanks for your insight! That's great to hear about the federal jobs available. My fiance was hoping to find something federal in order to be eligible for the student loan forgiveness program.

How is MT different from those other states? (I generally know MT is, but some detail from someone who lives there would be helpful).

[kmarleee]

Originally Posted by historyfan

As prev posted, Montana has an abundance of lawyers...to the point that many do paralegal work in law firms instead of the firm having paralegals on staff.

That said oil & gas industry-- law & accounting expertise is always in demand. Bond counsel is another.

The Billings Gazette said that the state governmental sector based mainly in the capital Helena has undergone personnel reduction due to last legislative session action. One mentioned was easement and right of way attorneys.

All government state & local positions are compensated at a lower rate than neighboring states of Idaho or Washington. However, I know junior attorneys that have happily taken county attorney/deputy attorney & city attorney positions which pay much lower than private sector just to have a job in law.

Air quality as others have said--it is an issue in deep valleys air locked like Missoula. Decades ago Missoula was horrible for the industry produced crap in the air & everyone references that..."it's not like it was".

In winter it might be an issue for sensitive people in other towns where heavy use of household woodburning stoves occurs. That would likely be in towns near a National Forest where cheap firewood is abundant. Overall as a state Montana has very good air quality with heavy pollen counts are more apt to bother the allergy prone.

***I would secure the job prior to moving a family to Montana. It is my understanding from former Floridians that Montana COL & property is higher/more expensive that all but the swankiest parts of Florida.

The winter severity is affected by several factors.
Elevation is one. If you live below 3000 feet you will deal with less snow.
Wind--specifically North wind--if you are protected from winter arctic cold North wind (like a mountain range blocks it) winter is much milder feeling. 4 miles from my house at the neighbor place winter is miserable with North wind while same say at my place maybe a breeze, maybe nothing.
Sunny days--if you live where it is not typically overcast (away from large water features) the bright sunshine makes winter seem less gray & dreary.
Growing season/days that freeze--if in area with longer growing season, winter is just shorter. In southeastern part at 3000 feet we will have from 120-145 day growing season---our place in Southwestern part at 6500 feet has 35-65 day growing season. Big difference.

Once you get a job prospect or two, check back here for information about that specific area. Montana covers a big area & climate conditions can vary dramatically town to town---however it all very very rural in actuality & attitude.

Thank you! This is very informative. Agreed about the jobs and COL. From my research at this point (for pretty much ALL the PNW areas we're interested in), employment will certainly be a challenge, but Montana seems to be the most viable so far in terms of job availability.

Would the law school be a possible option for employment (in Missoula)? Are there any other law schools in the state? I know my fiance said he might be interested in teaching law as well.

[historyfan]

The only School of Law in Montana is located in Missoula & is part of the University of Montana. School of Law - School of Law - University Of Montana

[MikeyMike11]

Hey just wanted to let you know, that Bozeman's weather is not at all temperate like you asked for. Sure right now it's beautiful, but I've had mature trees die from, the cold here. Lots of snow, and very dry in the winter due to the temps. May irritate your lungs.

But I believe you could find legal work here. It seems like we have a lot of lawyers here which are conservationists, which block timber sales, and such. They tend to be well hated by most people though, and work for non-profits, or are just solo. Patent attorneys here make big $$$$, and we have a lot of that going on with the university. That tends to be a very niche specialty though, he wouldn't just jump right into. Good luck!

I live in Bozeman and love it!

[kmarleee]

Originally Posted by MikeyMike11

Hey just wanted to let you know, that Bozeman's weather is not at all temperate like you asked for. Sure right now it's beautiful, but I've had mature trees die from, the cold here. Lots of snow, and very dry in the winter due to the temps. May irritate your lungs.

But I believe you could find legal work here. It seems like we have a lot of lawyers here which are conservationists, which block timber sales, and such. They tend to be well hated by most people though, and work for non-profits, or are just solo. Patent attorneys here make big $$$$, and we have a lot of that going on with the university. That tends to be a very niche specialty though, he wouldn't just jump right into. Good luck!

I live in Bozeman and love it!

Thanks for your insight, MikeMike!