Choice, choice, choice... Help a friend out?

[tintin_18]

I've been at my current job for almost four years now, doing mostly paralegal work - research, writing, etc. Since I got my license to practice law almost a year ago, I've been itching to get a new job and so I sent out my resume to 3 firms. One creeped me out during the interview (think John Grisham's "The Firm" without them even trying to be

Comments

edited because I can't type

[rowanceleste]

I'd go with Q if it's a reputable firm, you got a good gut feeling about it and you'd have it in writing about the percentage of profits you'd get with the company. Also, is it possible to have a frank discussion with Firm Q and tell them that you 'like what you've heard', but you need to ensure that you're making a 'fiscally responsible decision' by accepting a job that pays less than your current job, on the basis that you'd actually be increasing your salary through profit sharing in the future. Good luck!

Re: edited because I can't type

[tintin_18]

Their system works something like the head lawyer (who's probably been with them for 6-8 years) will get the biggest share of the pie, the associates next, then the underlings (me) will get the smallest share, if any. As I gain experience and get involved in more and more projects the more I'll get. The good thing is that you may hit it big in the future BUT there are no guarantees the first 2-3 years... I did a little math and it'll probably take me around 3 years to make up for what I'll be giving up by turning down the bigger offer. I don't have a lot of cash saved up and taking a pay cut now will hurt, although I don't have major financial commitments yet so this is the time to take the hit.

Decision-making is for grown-ups... I keep changing my mind every 5 seconds. Maybe I should just do a coin-toss. Heh.

Thank you very much for the input. That will really help =)