Commentary: Associates Don't Have To Be Greedy

For eight years before joining a law firm, I was a student living on loans, ramen noodles and the promise of a high-paying job in the future. It was the only “adult” life I had ever known, and it was comfortable – because I had little money, I had few choices for how to spend it, so I spent my time seeing matinee movies and trying to get a picture on my non-cable-ready television. That all changed when I joined a law firm.

Unlike most other professions, which start out at a modest salary and increase from there, being a lawyer at a large corporate law firm means starting out with a six-figure salary. And although it is not an unpleasant change to suddenly make six figures, it is a shock nonetheless. More importantly, although they may not feel that way on those 18-hour days, new associates are pretty lucky. Some people work four jobs for one-quarter of the pay new associates receive on their first day. So how do you join a large law firm without losing perspective?