Re: Starting hourly pay?

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I would take the position. If you can work with somebody who
knows what he or she is talking about, that's more important
than money in my opinion. Moreover, if you're interested in
developing a small real estate practice or title company on the
side, a probate attorney is an excellent source of referrals.
You may be able to work out some type arrangement with the
attorney that you are working for.

On 3/17/06, Kristi wrote:
> Thanks to those who responded (especially Carol) w/o getting
> into a fight with LawGuru.
>
> As a follow up: I met with the attorney in question, and she
is
> offering $20 per hour for 24 hours a week for p/t employmet
with
> the potential of profit-sharing down the road. I think I would
> learn a lot in her field (estate planning/probate
> administration) - but unfortunately have no idea what the local
> rates are around here for comparison.
>
> My goal is to open a solo practice. I'm confident that I'm
> smart enough to do it, and I have some financial reserves
> (though not $50K!). Is it worthwhile to work with this solo
for
> a while to see how a practice is run, and get some client
> contact and experience (of which I have zilch), or should I
> decline the offer and continue with my plan to open up a
limited
> practice in September? For those of you who have worked with a
> small firm, or have gone straight out and formed your own
> practice, what would you advise?
>
> (BTW-I want to work p/t since I have a 3 year old at home, and
> really don't want to work f/t yet. He'll be in school soon
enough).
>
> Thanks again for any advice!!
>
> kristi
>
>
> On 3/15/06, Carol wrote:
>> On 3/14/06, Kristi wrote:
>>> My question to the more positive members of this group ---
>>> (i.e., those not going into investment banking at the first
>>> opportunity or lamenting his decision to go to law school).
>>>
>>> I may be working for a solo practioner in the
>>> bankruptcy/probate admin./estate planning field in a
>>> relatively small town (~70,000).
>>>
>>> What is a realistic hourly rate for a part-time attorney?
>>> What about part-time independent contract work? I'm not
>>> totally new (lots of research & writing experience, but no
>>> client experience and new to these fields). I'm thinking
>>> $25-$35 for the contract rate, but not sure about p/t
>>> employment rate.
>>>
>>> Thanks in Advance for any advice!
>> I guess it depends on what part of the country your small
>> city is in. The area I practice is very economically
>> depressed and consequently pay rates are much lower than
>> those in areas that are more affluent. Does the part time
>> carry any benefits? What exactly is the IC work? If you're
>> doing it as an attorney I would think that it should be
>> close to the going hourly rate of the local attorneys. The
>> solo may not be able to pay that though and so if you really
>> want the work you may have to decide to opt for less than
>> you're really worth. I think $25-$35 (is that hourly for
>> attorney work) on the one hand sounds pretty cheap, but
>> that's where many new attorneys start out in a firm aorund
>> here. So actually that's pretty reasonable.