(Almost) new lawyer looking to relocate to the west... (Albuquerque: find a job, law school)

[lilnickles85]

Hi! I am going to be graduating law school next year and am looking to relocate out west from upstate NY with my boyfriend for health/money/lifestyle reasons. I was originally ooking into Colorado, but I received a scary posting stating that the Colorado bar does not looking kindly on outsiders trying to get in and get jobs.

How is New Mexico for a new lawyer trying to start out? What are good cities to consider? What is the lifestyle like? Thanks!

[Zoidberg]

Can't speak to the bar, but I can say that NM lawyers are, on average, not well paid.

DA's offices around the state routinely advertise positions, but the pay is insultingly low and your fellow DA's, well, you get what you pay for. To put everything in perspective, if you make food and no one wants it, leave it around one and an attorney will eat it.

There's more to life than the paycheck, though, and the quality of life in much of NM is quite good for many people.

[Vinegaroon]

Originally Posted by lilnickles85

Hi! I am going to be graduating law school next year and am looking to relocate out west from upstate NY with my boyfriend for health/money/lifestyle reasons. I was originally ooking into Colorado, but I received a scary posting stating that the Colorado bar does not looking kindly on outsiders trying to get in and get jobs.

How is New Mexico for a new lawyer trying to start out? What are good cities to consider? What is the lifestyle like? Thanks!

I think for anyone moving to any other state where that person has no contacts, it is going to be more difficult in general to find a job.

Cities to consider would be Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Santa Fe. Right now we have a hiring freeze, so there will not be many openings with the government, and that is traditionally where a lot of people start.

Visit the State Bar of New Mexico’s web site at www.nmbar.org and check out the classified ads. That might help you decide.

In my opinion, you may be putting too much stock in that "scary post" you received regarding the Colorado State Bar's attitude towards outsiders. I think you could easily find a job in Denver. If you look at the big firms in Denver, they hire many people from out of state.