I've been at my new job for about 4 months now. It feels good to finally have health insurance! The shitlaw I worked for before did not offer such benefit. :-(I still have some credit card debt but slowly paying it off. I had to incur some big expense for my move from NY-- new apartment, new car (lease), new furniture. I should be debt free by December or sooner. Then again, my family might be coming over for a visit, which would mean additional expense...we'll see how it goes.
My colleagues are overall a nice bunch. But it's a small and young office so I am not sure how much I would get in terms of mentorship and guidance. The law firm HQ is somewhere on the west coast with about three or so other offices in other states. The "billing/billable" culture is unsaid, but well-enforced. Since I just started, I might be slightly under the required 3x my salary minimum. I think I should hustle to get overflow work of my colleagues which I can bill. Anyway, I am thinking that once I get my license (yes, getting admission in NY is a sloooow process!), perhaps I can get additional client accounts which should add to my monthly billing. The division of work at the office is odd or may be I am not just used to sharing work. People have their own corporate accounts, which means they handle all work from those companies. Since I am a newbie, I don't have big accounts. I only have three small corporate accounts at the moment; and I think clients are wary that I am not a full-fledged lawyer. I also don't talk "legalese" to clients since as a Law Clerk, I am not supposed to. I don't handle client consultations on my own, and even for those small corporate accounts that I have, teleconferences have to be coursed through an attorney. I, myself am strict about this and tell my supervising attorney that I would not want to even get close to unauthorized practice of law. So unless client questions are factual, I don't give any information. Even emails which border on giving legal advice, I send to my supervising attorney for approval.
Since I am still in shitlaw, I still get shitlaw pay. I probably am the lowest paid legal staff in the office! The other day while being asked by a colleague if I can handle some corporate filing, he also asked about my billing rate. It occurred to me after the fact that now he probably has reached some conclusion as to my worth in the office. I know that even if we started at the firm at about the same time, he (licensed in 2009) is billing about $220-$250 per hour. As a Law Clerk, I bill slightly below $200. I don't know what the average rates are, but I must tell you that moving out of NY, I am stunned by how cheap we charge for our services. Here's an example:
NYC solo/small shop: an H-1B petition costs $1750-$2500.
Outside NYC (but commutable): an H-1B petition costs $700-$900.
Then again, where I'm at now, it's a volume practice. It's just a lot of paper pushing and file organizing. Almost everything is already in template format, I can't be sure how much original thought I've put out there since I joined.
Anyway, back to billing rates. Per my knowledge, here are our rates:
Law Clerk: slightly less than $200
Supervising Lawyer (licensed 2009): $240
Lawyer (licensed 2006): $225
Lawyer (licensed 2009): $225-250
Lawyer (licensed 2010): $225
I don't know if my billing rate would increase once I get my license. Even if it did, I probably won't get a salary increase. The position I interviewed for did not require a JD, moreso a license. They did not even know I took the bar. The day after my start date, I decided to let them know I passed the bar since I needed an employment certificate. At any rate, the firm was kind enough to pay my attorney registration fee.
I don't know where I am taking my legal career, but I am happy to have a job and have friendly colleagues.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Monday, December 5, 2011
Employed!
I am sooo tired, I am about to crash. Anyway, the happy news! I am back in the US and finally employed. All the immigration brouhaha has been dealt with smoothly. Thank God!
My flight landed safely late afternoon yesterday in JFK, and I was out of the apartment early today for my first day of work, jet lagged and all. I probably won't be able to blog again until things get settled. I might have to move before the end of the month. My apartment is in transition-- there are boxes everywhere. Additionally, I have to finish completing all the documents required by the NY Character & Fitness committee for my admission as an attorney. It'll be crazy busy for a while, but I am so glad to have actually rejoined the world of the employed.
My flight landed safely late afternoon yesterday in JFK, and I was out of the apartment early today for my first day of work, jet lagged and all. I probably won't be able to blog again until things get settled. I might have to move before the end of the month. My apartment is in transition-- there are boxes everywhere. Additionally, I have to finish completing all the documents required by the NY Character & Fitness committee for my admission as an attorney. It'll be crazy busy for a while, but I am so glad to have actually rejoined the world of the employed.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
New York Bar Exam!
Passed the NY bar! I couldn't believe it when I saw the email! I messed up two essays and my MBE was so-so. I upped my score from 613/665 to the minimum passing of 665 or possibly a smidge higher? (Passers only receive scaled MBE scores, so I have no idea how far away I am, if at all from the 665 minimum passing score.)
Anyhow, now I must prepare my documents for admission.
Oh, by the way, still no word on the new working permit. :-(
Anyhow, now I must prepare my documents for admission.
Oh, by the way, still no word on the new working permit. :-(
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Still unemployed!
So it has been three weeks since I've been home. No news. I am still unemployed!
When I got home my sister gave me $100+ cash. She also deposited about $600 in my local bank account. She said the money is my allowance until I get back on my feet. I've spent about $20 for miscellaneous expenses, like renewing my driver's license here. The rest of the time, I am a leech. I have dined out multiple times, watched a movie, bought local snacks/items I have missed and paid a total of ZERO dollars. I am starting to feel bad about it. I mean, I feel good to have been blessed with a wonderful, supportive, understanding family; but for crying out loud, I am an attorney! I can't even pay for anything and I have about $5,000 debt! (That's not counting the money my parents gave me while I was unemployed in the U.S.) Anyway...
I am going to the beach for the weekend. After the weekend, I am going to start hustling for a job. It doesn't matter that I have a job offer which I have already accepted. (I received it the day before I left the U.S.) Until I actually start working, I am not going to stop my job search. I feel useless and fat! I have probably gained 10 lbs the past 3 weeks that I've been home!
I will retire this blog once I am employed (outside of the U.S.) If I would be employed in the U.S., then this blog would officially be back in business. :-)
When I got home my sister gave me $100+ cash. She also deposited about $600 in my local bank account. She said the money is my allowance until I get back on my feet. I've spent about $20 for miscellaneous expenses, like renewing my driver's license here. The rest of the time, I am a leech. I have dined out multiple times, watched a movie, bought local snacks/items I have missed and paid a total of ZERO dollars. I am starting to feel bad about it. I mean, I feel good to have been blessed with a wonderful, supportive, understanding family; but for crying out loud, I am an attorney! I can't even pay for anything and I have about $5,000 debt! (That's not counting the money my parents gave me while I was unemployed in the U.S.) Anyway...
I am going to the beach for the weekend. After the weekend, I am going to start hustling for a job. It doesn't matter that I have a job offer which I have already accepted. (I received it the day before I left the U.S.) Until I actually start working, I am not going to stop my job search. I feel useless and fat! I have probably gained 10 lbs the past 3 weeks that I've been home!
I will retire this blog once I am employed (outside of the U.S.) If I would be employed in the U.S., then this blog would officially be back in business. :-)
Friday, September 23, 2011
Royally f*cked!
I just found out that my work visa petition was denied. I have to leave the U.S. immediately. I am leaving this weekend. I have a ton of packing to do.
USCIS screwed up. Apparently, a Law Clerk position is not a specialty occupation. A Law Clerk = a paralegal, a position that does not require at least a Bachelor's degree. I was hired as a Law Clerk since I have not yet passed the bar. I was a previous Law Clerk on an H-1B. Now that a comparable firm has hired me, in a similar capacity, suddenly, my position is not a "specialty occupation." I always knew that USCIS could be arbitrary. But its arbitrariness has not screwed me before. Until now.
I shall be ending this blog as there is no more reason for me to keep it. I will have no adventures nor misadventures in the US, since I will not be in the US. I have to pack up almost 5 years of my life in two days. I do not know what kind of career I would be coming home to since I have been away for long. Going through a job search again will definitely be a pain. But at least once I find a suitable job, I could start immediately and would not require any work authorization in my country.
I am an honorable person and I do not intend to violate any laws. I know immigration is a hot topic right now. But by golly, so this is how it feels like to not have any lawful status. At this very moment, I am an illegal alien. I haven't even been in the US my entire life and still it hurts to suddenly have my life in disarray and to say goodbye forever. I can't even imagine how those people who came here very young go through their lives knowing that they do not have lawful status. I wanted to be a person who can help those people--to fulfill their dreams and the dreams of their families. It totally sucks that I could not even help myself. I am a well-educated, qualified person with integrity, and Uncle Sam shut me out.
Lord, grant me the strength to weather this storm. Bless me with the gift of acceptance and discernment that everything happens for a reason. I know life is going to be okay. Right now though, it is not. I need the strength to overcome and to start again.
To all foreign JDs in the U.S., and to everyone else looking for a job or searching for your place in the world, I wish us all the best of luck. Be strong and carry on!
USCIS screwed up. Apparently, a Law Clerk position is not a specialty occupation. A Law Clerk = a paralegal, a position that does not require at least a Bachelor's degree. I was hired as a Law Clerk since I have not yet passed the bar. I was a previous Law Clerk on an H-1B. Now that a comparable firm has hired me, in a similar capacity, suddenly, my position is not a "specialty occupation." I always knew that USCIS could be arbitrary. But its arbitrariness has not screwed me before. Until now.
I shall be ending this blog as there is no more reason for me to keep it. I will have no adventures nor misadventures in the US, since I will not be in the US. I have to pack up almost 5 years of my life in two days. I do not know what kind of career I would be coming home to since I have been away for long. Going through a job search again will definitely be a pain. But at least once I find a suitable job, I could start immediately and would not require any work authorization in my country.
I am an honorable person and I do not intend to violate any laws. I know immigration is a hot topic right now. But by golly, so this is how it feels like to not have any lawful status. At this very moment, I am an illegal alien. I haven't even been in the US my entire life and still it hurts to suddenly have my life in disarray and to say goodbye forever. I can't even imagine how those people who came here very young go through their lives knowing that they do not have lawful status. I wanted to be a person who can help those people--to fulfill their dreams and the dreams of their families. It totally sucks that I could not even help myself. I am a well-educated, qualified person with integrity, and Uncle Sam shut me out.
Lord, grant me the strength to weather this storm. Bless me with the gift of acceptance and discernment that everything happens for a reason. I know life is going to be okay. Right now though, it is not. I need the strength to overcome and to start again.
To all foreign JDs in the U.S., and to everyone else looking for a job or searching for your place in the world, I wish us all the best of luck. Be strong and carry on!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Updates or lack thereof!
No news on the work visa since the RFE. I am desperately hoping it gets approved soon! Since I can't stop life from happening while waiting to start work, here are some updates:
1. I went to Atlantic city last weekend. I got a good deal on one of the boardwalk hotels. I lost the free voucher that came with the Greyhound ticket. I didn't win anything playing slots. Well, $20 doesn't really get too far. LOL. But I don't go there to gamble. I just like walking on the boardwalk, browsing at the nearby Outlet stores, eating Rita's custard, staring at the ocean waves, and generally whiling the time away from NYC. I had a great time with friends! They went straight to work on Monday morning. I of course got to stay behind until Monday afternoon because I have no work to go to.
2. I lost my old business card in Atlantic city or most probably in the bus back to NYC. I had one tucked into my Ipod case and it fell...somewhere. So if anyone finds it, please don't call or email me. I don't work there anymore!
3. My old boss emailed me yesterday. He asked how I am doing and where I am now. He also asked something about my taxes. For a while, I contemplated if I should just say I am still in NY and leave it at that. But I know better, that when my boss asks "where are you now" he means, what are you up to? Did you move to California?
4. I told my old boss the Los Angeles job didn't pan out. He knows about it since the LA firm contacted him for a reference. Although the LA firm offered me a job, they wanted to place me somewhere else on the east coast and low balled me on salary. No, thank you. Anyway, I told my boss I accepted a job in a NY firm.
5. My old boss emailed again. He wanted to know where I am working now. I emailed back to give him the firm name, but said I have yet to start as I need my new work visa. Didn't hear back from him after that.
6. When I resigned from my old job, my boss only wanted to give me time off. It even slipped that if I resigned, then he would have to do another work petition to hire me back. Perhaps he planned on hiring me back. He even invited me to dinner earlier this year and asked if I missed work. I did not give any indication that I wanted my old job back. May be if I did, I would already be employed by now. It's not that he was a bad boss. I just needed growth. (Since I am being brutally honest here, increased salary and benefits would also have been nice.)
7. I talked to my mom the other day to tell her that my work visa petition had some issues. She asked if I still have money. I mumbled something and said, "yeah, I am okay."
8. Honestly, I don't even know how I am going to pay next month's rent! I did tell my sister that I am nearing bankruptcy and I would need to be bailed out soon. I made her promise not to tell our parents. I already owe them soooo much! My sister said she won't tell, and she'd send me money, I need only ask. I can't make myself ask though.
9. May be I should sell some of my stuff after all. I had my TV and guitar for sale a while back, in case I ended up going home, at least I would have already disposed of my things. But then I received a job offer, so I removed my 'for sale' ad.
10. I've had my cable TV disconnected since June. Although I am not a big TV watcher, I do miss having some white noise sometimes. Besides, I love Jeopardy, and now I don't even get to watch that. I'd miss not having cable even more this Fall, what with all the new shows and Grey's Anatomy. May be I could get an indoor antenna?! Then again, I need to sell the TV to raise some cash for rent. Oh this sucks!
11. Only my immediate family knows that I quit my job and that I've been unemployed for over half a year now. Well, them and two of my closest friends. This means that the rest of my family (aunts, uncles, cousins) and other friends think I am still employed and busy. I have limited any contact with them since they might ask how work is going. I hate lying. I squirm. If I told them I quit, there'd be more questions. I am not ready to explain now or ever. I also feel that some of them (at least my extended family here in the US) will judge me for quitting my job in a tough economy and for not finding a new job immediately. Oh the irony!
1. I went to Atlantic city last weekend. I got a good deal on one of the boardwalk hotels. I lost the free voucher that came with the Greyhound ticket. I didn't win anything playing slots. Well, $20 doesn't really get too far. LOL. But I don't go there to gamble. I just like walking on the boardwalk, browsing at the nearby Outlet stores, eating Rita's custard, staring at the ocean waves, and generally whiling the time away from NYC. I had a great time with friends! They went straight to work on Monday morning. I of course got to stay behind until Monday afternoon because I have no work to go to.
2. I lost my old business card in Atlantic city or most probably in the bus back to NYC. I had one tucked into my Ipod case and it fell...somewhere. So if anyone finds it, please don't call or email me. I don't work there anymore!
3. My old boss emailed me yesterday. He asked how I am doing and where I am now. He also asked something about my taxes. For a while, I contemplated if I should just say I am still in NY and leave it at that. But I know better, that when my boss asks "where are you now" he means, what are you up to? Did you move to California?
4. I told my old boss the Los Angeles job didn't pan out. He knows about it since the LA firm contacted him for a reference. Although the LA firm offered me a job, they wanted to place me somewhere else on the east coast and low balled me on salary. No, thank you. Anyway, I told my boss I accepted a job in a NY firm.
5. My old boss emailed again. He wanted to know where I am working now. I emailed back to give him the firm name, but said I have yet to start as I need my new work visa. Didn't hear back from him after that.
6. When I resigned from my old job, my boss only wanted to give me time off. It even slipped that if I resigned, then he would have to do another work petition to hire me back. Perhaps he planned on hiring me back. He even invited me to dinner earlier this year and asked if I missed work. I did not give any indication that I wanted my old job back. May be if I did, I would already be employed by now. It's not that he was a bad boss. I just needed growth. (Since I am being brutally honest here, increased salary and benefits would also have been nice.)
7. I talked to my mom the other day to tell her that my work visa petition had some issues. She asked if I still have money. I mumbled something and said, "yeah, I am okay."
8. Honestly, I don't even know how I am going to pay next month's rent! I did tell my sister that I am nearing bankruptcy and I would need to be bailed out soon. I made her promise not to tell our parents. I already owe them soooo much! My sister said she won't tell, and she'd send me money, I need only ask. I can't make myself ask though.
9. May be I should sell some of my stuff after all. I had my TV and guitar for sale a while back, in case I ended up going home, at least I would have already disposed of my things. But then I received a job offer, so I removed my 'for sale' ad.
10. I've had my cable TV disconnected since June. Although I am not a big TV watcher, I do miss having some white noise sometimes. Besides, I love Jeopardy, and now I don't even get to watch that. I'd miss not having cable even more this Fall, what with all the new shows and Grey's Anatomy. May be I could get an indoor antenna?! Then again, I need to sell the TV to raise some cash for rent. Oh this sucks!
11. Only my immediate family knows that I quit my job and that I've been unemployed for over half a year now. Well, them and two of my closest friends. This means that the rest of my family (aunts, uncles, cousins) and other friends think I am still employed and busy. I have limited any contact with them since they might ask how work is going. I hate lying. I squirm. If I told them I quit, there'd be more questions. I am not ready to explain now or ever. I also feel that some of them (at least my extended family here in the US) will judge me for quitting my job in a tough economy and for not finding a new job immediately. Oh the irony!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Losing it
I've probably lost it, but that would mean I am beyond redemption, so in the interest of staying positive, I'd say I am still in the process. It's quarter to 5 a.m. and I am still up. My friend said it must have been the bubble tea we had after dinner (too much caffeine?) I just ate the leftover Chinese from dinner at a Shanghaianese restaurant in Chinatown earlier (technically, yesterday.) I am eating leftover Chinese at 4:30 in the morning! My circadian rhythm is screwed! I must have gone to the deep end of this unemployment situation. I can't even say with certainty that I am going to start working at the firm that offered me the job. There was an issue with my work visa petition. Sheesh. I know the process, I know how it goes...it could have been a well-crafted petition, heck I drafted my own support letter! But who knows with reviewing officers. I've handled similar cases...one gets approved no problem and the other gets denied. Seriously! I am ranting, yes. But it is freakin' 5a.m. and I am still up! Urgh! Then again, I was really sleepy around 1 a.m., but I was having a Castle marathon. Like everything else I screw up in my life, I have brought this insomnia unto myself.
Oh, for something cheerful...I bought a portable speaker the other day with the credit card reward points I recently redeemed. The speaker streams audio not only from my ipod, but also my laptop via bluetooth. Really cool! It even has a sensor for opening the ipod and CD bays with just a wave of my hand. Oh Panasonic SC-HC55, you're awesome! Too bad I can't mount you on my wall (at least not yet.) I don't want to drill holes on the wall and then have to fix it if I need to pack up and leave because my H-1B petition gets denied! Grr.
Oh, for something cheerful...I bought a portable speaker the other day with the credit card reward points I recently redeemed. The speaker streams audio not only from my ipod, but also my laptop via bluetooth. Really cool! It even has a sensor for opening the ipod and CD bays with just a wave of my hand. Oh Panasonic SC-HC55, you're awesome! Too bad I can't mount you on my wall (at least not yet.) I don't want to drill holes on the wall and then have to fix it if I need to pack up and leave because my H-1B petition gets denied! Grr.
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