solictors and lawyers,why did you choose your career....

[brimfull]

and are you happy with it?

DD considering this but would like to know

what qualities do you need?
what subjects at a level did you do?
tia

cos, dino, i'd say that considering other paths is making it work.

I was using 'cynosure' deliberately - for its connotation of "freak" as well as denotation of "brilliant point of reference" - to imply exactly your point as to non-desirability ...

Anyway. The practical point is - it doesn't have to be that way, & people who find themselves in that position have either chosen it (and I do know people who have chosen a very extraordinarily over-egged lifepath, for their own reasons) or are caught in a work environment which is failing them & they should escape from.

sorry, bk - cross-posted

You are right, though - there is a perception generally that settling for anything less than equity partnership at a City law firm is, to some extent, failure.

Bink - I think your final point is spot-on - nothing wrong with escaping from "cruel and unusual" work environments!

dino, wasn't there a thread a while ago where there was someone who was terribly sniffy about psl work? also about working as in house counsel? that's what i mean about drippy and hopeless. what about all the women who wouldn't consider challenging the status quo in a month of sundays? maybe that's just the impression i get from mnet and doesn't correspond to RL.

I think RL is just like that, BK.

well, quite anniemac. my own "moderately egged" life is challenging enough thanks!

yes, i had to look up "cynosure"

Yes, she's good, isn't she...

I'd have to know how to pronounce it to do that, though...

oooooh, McKINSEY [knowing look emoticon]

and can I, as an aside, congratulate Bink on her apposite use of the word "cynosure" in a mumsnet post. I'm pretty sure that's the first time

oh phew bossy, glad you did too.

I'm one of the group that thinks being a PSL is a slit-the-other-wrist type of existence, but that might have something to do with my aforementioned lack of any organisational ability
and my hatred of RESEARCH

(she says, sitting her with Blackstone's Civil Practice 2008 and the OUP Civil Procedure Handbook open in front of her, plowing through CPR 73 yawn snore dribble)

Message withdrawn

I think it's moved on a bit since you were in the City.

here you go Dino, this has a definition AND an audio file so you pronounce it right m-w.com/dictionary/cynosure h ah a

Interesting to see very few responses from legal aid solicitors. I qualified working in immigration/housing. Pay is less than civil servants - equivalent probably to a teacher or social worker.

However post children I work for a charity - the conditions are very very family friendly and I am home by four every day. (downside being of course the pay is NOT much). It suits me perfectly and never any feeling of what am I do doing as 'working for good' [very smug and pleased with myself smiley].

lisalisa, hats off to you, i have pretty much decided to stick to two!

you should have prefaced that with "with the greatest respect", Dino

and "i put it to you..." or is that just tv?