Some Deferred Associates Take to Public Interest Lifestyle
An op-ed piece in the American Spectator talked about the fact that some deferred law firm associates who have taken public interest placements for the year have realized they may not want to return to law firm life after their placement ends. The author reports that some of his friends in these positions have found that 1) they can get by on less money than they thought, and 2) they are really enjoying the substantive work in public interest law.
“These new lawyers have found that their new jobs are more fulfilling and more interesting, and — more importantly — they’ve seen that they can live on a smaller salary.”
While this is just an opinion piece that seems to rely on the author’s conversations with close friends, not a representative survey of deferred associates, this is an interesting development as firms, public interest employers, and other law grads looking for public interest work all try to discern the evolving changes in the legal economy.