Chicago Firm Wants Top-Tier Law Grad for $25K a Year
The good news: a Chicago law firm is actually hiring as evidenced by its Craigslist ad.
The bad news: The job requires extremely high credentials like a top 10% grad from a top tier law school.
The ugly news: The job only pays between $25,000 and $35,000.
The Chicago law firm craigslist ad is just the latest sign on the sad state of the job market for young attorneys. With more highly educated (and unemployed) law students graduating every year, there is now a glut of competition for every law job that comes along. And despite the ridiculously low pay, the Chicago law firm that posted the ad will probably get several dozen serious responses.
The Craigslist ad is short and sweet and states that the Chicago firm is looking for an "aggressive associate attorney" who "MUST" be from a top law school having graduated in the top 10%. In addition, the ad states that the candidate must be willing to work 70+ hours a week and be a self starter.
The ad then goes on to state that salary is commensurate with experience, before qualifying that statement by specifying that the salary is "in the range of $25,000 - $35,000." To top it off, a candidate also has to provide a 50-word "essay" on why he or she is best candidate.
While the ad may seem like a cosmic joke, the reality is that candidates will be fighting for one of the few jobs actually available. Earlier this year, a Boston firm posted a similar ad looking for a full-time associate for the meager salary of $10,000. That story was surprising not so much for the low salary offered, but the fact that 32 people actually responded.
By offering double or possibly triple what the Boston firm offered, the unidentified Chicago firm that posted the Craigslist ad will unfortunately receive far more inquiries than it deserves.
[Hat tip to Elie Mystal's post on Above the Law.]
Related Resources:
- Desperate Law Student Broke into School, Stole Transcript to Improve Grades (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
- How Else to Use a Law Degree: 5 Fun, Non-Lawyer Careers (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)