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Old 02-13-2009, 10:15 AM
 
Location: Ireland (Europe)
12 posts, read 19,256 times
Reputation: 10

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Hi all,

My partner and I are considering moving to California from Ireland in Europe. I am an American and my girlfriend is Irish.

I have recently qualified with a Law Degree from an Irish University and am contemplating sitting the California Bar Exams this coming September with the view to moving to California permanently to work as an Attorney.

As you are all aware, the whole world is in a recession and I am looking for advice and/or suggestions about moving and living in California.

Although I am American, I have lived in Ireland most my life but I do visit the States 2 or 3 times a year as we have a family home in Florida.

I am just looking for some advice from some people who are living and working in California at present (if possible, it would be great to hear from other Attorney's to see what the job market is like at the minute) to see what life is like over there at the moment.

What is living in California like and what areas of CA should I be looking at moving to?

All advice would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks in advance.
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Old 02-13-2009, 10:32 AM
 
1,323 posts, read 4,686,839 times
Reputation: 1082
California currently has a huge budget deficit. The state is almost broke. As a result, politicians are proposing an increase in state income tax, vehicle registration fees, gasoline tax, and sales tax. The already high cost of living here is going to become even worse. You can expect the cost of living in San Francisco or Los Angeles to be very high. Sacramento will probably be less expensive.
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Old 02-13-2009, 10:55 AM
 
8,680 posts, read 17,220,689 times
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Even with all of our taxes, taxes are probably significantly lower in California than you pay in Ireland.

California is a pretty huge state, it is the size of the entire UK, so it is hard to generalize. We have some of the biggest cities in the country, and vast reaches of mountain and desert that are still effectively uninhabited. We have the hottest deserts in the country, and the most fertile agricultural valley. Much of the state is sunny and Mediterranean in climate, but its northern part more closely resembles Ireland or England in climate.
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Old 02-13-2009, 11:05 AM
 
Location: Ireland (Europe)
12 posts, read 19,256 times
Reputation: 10
Where would be a good area to live apart from the big cities like San Fran, San Diego etc.?
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Old 02-13-2009, 11:15 AM
 
1,323 posts, read 4,686,839 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gulliver1 View Post
Where would be a good area to live apart from the big cities like San Fran, San Diego etc.?
I would think that since you goal is to work as an attorney, you would find more opportunities in California's cities. Sacramento is our state capitol and has a population of less than 500,000 people, but the cost of living in Sacramento will be less than other cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, or San Diego. There are many law firms in Sacramento, so there are opportunities to be found. Other smaller cities to consider might be Redding, Chico, Stockton, or Modesto.
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Old 02-13-2009, 11:24 AM
 
Location: Ireland (Europe)
12 posts, read 19,256 times
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Thanks JG, much appreciated.
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Old 02-13-2009, 11:29 AM
 
8,680 posts, read 17,220,689 times
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Sacramento has a whole lot of attorneys. As the seat of government, there is a lot of call for legal services. Nearby law schools include McGeorge School of Law, a satellite campus of University of the Pacific, and UC Davis law school...I think there are a couple of others too.
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Old 02-13-2009, 11:31 AM
 
Location: Ireland (Europe)
12 posts, read 19,256 times
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Thanks guys.

Any more advice would be great. I don't mind living outside a city watsoever. I have lived in Dublin most of my life which is a large city and would not mind some ''country living''.
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Old 02-13-2009, 12:18 PM
 
8,680 posts, read 17,220,689 times
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Sacramento counts as a city in my book; about 400,000 people and 2.5 million in the nearby region. It's comparatively small compared to the San Francisco Bay area (800,000 in SF, 9 million in the region) or the Los Angeles megaplex (4 million, 20 million in the region.) Generally, the smaller the place, the less work you'll find as an attorney, unless you have a very specialized niche to work in, and generally there won't be any law schools.
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Old 02-13-2009, 12:49 PM
 
1,323 posts, read 4,686,839 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gulliver1 View Post
Thanks guys.

Any more advice would be great. I don't mind living outside a city watsoever. I have lived in Dublin most of my life which is a large city and would not mind some ''country living''.
There are places outside of the Sacramento city limits, but still within the metropolitan area that you could consider such as Folsom, Roseville, Granite Bay, Citrus Heights, and Rocklin. You could also consider areas further out such as El Dorado Hills, Placerville, Lincoln, or Auburn. You would probably need an automobile if you decide to move to this area as our public transportation system is not very good. You can find helpful information on each city at city-data.com.
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