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A few other lawyer buddies who do work on the Island agree that the salaries are terrible here. Entry level small firms pay around $35-50K/year whereas in Manhattan they may inch up to $ 40-65K/yr.
Wow seriously? I always thought entry level lawyers started at like 70k + typically. Crazy.
With that, do people think it has to be this way for LI? That it's either bedroom community or nothing.
On one hand I would say no, but then I look at how nothing really changes in a positive (growth) way and think that the Island will turn into a lousy bedroom community. (Lousy in the form of commute that is).
Twingles - State Farm is still here - they have a big claims office in Jericho,
I wonder what's there. If I remember correctly that office was assigned risk. They moved the PIP people to Ballston Spa about 9-10 years ago and were looking to move the BI to Rochester.
There's no claims offices around here - most people work out of the regional offices now....closest one to me is Charlottesville, VA.
Wow seriously? I always thought entry level lawyers started at like 70k + typically. Crazy.
Thats the biggest misconception right now about lawyers and jobs/salaries. Its been a downward trend for a while now - there are numerous articles in the NY Times and Wall St Journal about how law firms are outsourcing most of the work to Asia, leaving work traditionally done by American lawyers in the dust. My first lawyer job paid $42K and that was doing PIP defense for a no-name auto ins company in the financial district back in 2001. (and.. no, I did not graduate last in my class from a lower ranked law school like CUNY Queens, Touro or NYLS..) One of my friends' cousins just graduated from Hofstra Law and told me they received 2 offers out of 500 resumes sent - and they were small personal injury shops paying $35K, and another one that only wanted him to appear as a per diem (court appearances only). Yes, its bad out there for lawyers and its only going to get worse as law schools continue charging exorbitant tuition leaving many recent law grads jobless and up to $100-250K+ in non-dischargeable student loan debt. It is so bad that this guy was driven to suicide over it:
I am a volunteer alumni career contact for my undergrad and always tell students not to bother with a JD unless they get into a (1) top 5 law school, and (2) secure a big law firm job or federal clerkship immediately after graduation. Theres no guarantee of anything in law - as the 2008 crash resulted in massive layoffs at large firms like Skadden, Willkie Farr, Proskauer - and many of those 1st/2nd year associates with NO legal experience were told to take a hike. I believe higher education is the next bubble to burst. The only lawyers really "raking it in" (and by raking it in, I mean $160K+ salary) are solos with decades of experience, attorneys slaving for Skadden-type firms, or itinerant doc review attorneys working 80-100 hr/week shifts. Everyone else competes for the remaining scraps.
They can try to sue their alma maters. What an irony would that be. If they win, the schools have to shell out big bucks. If they lose, people will think the schools churn out lousy lawyers!
They can try to sue their alma maters. What an irony would that be. If they win, the schools have to shell out big bucks. If they lose, people will think the schools churn out lousy lawyers!
Its already been done. One of the suits was dismissed on Summary Judgment by a judge in Supreme Court, NY County.
It would be nice if Long Island could attract some companies to go out east to Suffolk county. It always seems like everything is in Nassau, Queens, or Manhattan. Sometimes it REALLY seems like there are no large businesses out there, save for maybe Computer Associates and Motorola. However, both have been downsizing the last few years because of the financial crisis.
I believe the largest employer in Suffolk county is Stony Brook hospital/university, which is a SUNY organization and is therefore government subsidized, so it's not really private enterprise. That says a lot about the political and financial climate of the area.
I know far too many people who live in Suffolk and always complain about schlepping it to the city everyday on the LIRR or sitting in gridlock traffic on the LIE to get to their jobs in Nassau or Queens.
If you want to attract large businesses to Suffolk/LI, you need to have the following:
- Commercial deepwater harbor
- Electricity costs that are 25% to 50% lower than current rates (to be competitive with TX)
- Designated industrial zones that have reliable infrastructure befitting the 21st century
- An expanded international airport
- Acceptable retail that caters to the island's CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS - less King Cullens and bodegas and more Superamas, Aurreras and 99 Ranch
Unless you have the above, it's useless contemplating about attracting big and medium sized businesses to LI. Taxes, red tape, politics etc. can always be played around with.
I agree that there should be more jobs on LI. I think part of the problem is the massive tax incentives NYC offers to companies to stay. Also the fact that NYC has far less crime than it did 20 years ago, which used to repel both commuters and residents. But who knows what will happen after the next mayor is elected?
Also, on an optimistic note, don't forget that the high-tech Cornell campus on Roosevelt Island will open in a few years and could attract talent and companies to the region. There's plenty of under utilized office space on Long Island that could become attractive.
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(and.. no, I did not graduate last in my class from a lower ranked law school like CUNY Queens, Touro or NYLS..) One of my friends' cousins just graduated from Hofstra Law and told me they received 2 offers out of 500 resumes sent - and they were small personal injury shops paying $35K, and another one that only wanted him to appear as a per diem (court appearances only).
Yes, its bad out there for lawyers and its only going to get worse as law schools continue charging exorbitant tuition leaving many recent law grads jobless and up to $100-250K+ in non-dischargeable student loan debt. It is so bad that this guy was driven to suicide over it:
