<p>After practicing for 30 years, I think that stacy and sallyawp’s comments are very astute. Law is one of the fields where being a great lawyer or working the hardest doesn’t guarantee commensurate financial rewards. I once worked with a guy who had incredible understanding of legal issues and case law, and who was willing to work 20 hours a day whenever needed. Unfortunately, he was viewed as a robot who couldn’t schmooze with the clients or bring work into the firm. He was the perennial associate…and easily replaceable when his salary got too high. Even in the corporate world, it’s sometimes about politics and personality instead of hard work. Hey, this shouldn’t be surprising…this is a reality for most careers. Replace lawyer with accountant or engineer, and you’ll get the same answers.</p>
<p>Of course, being a bad lawyer and not doing the work will cause you to crash and burn anywhere.</p>