Working For Free

Desperation breeds heavy discounting. How bad has it gotten?

Wherein small-firm columnist Brian Tannebaum makes the case against working for free.

U.S. Attorney's Offices around the country have been posting unpaid Special Assistant United States Attorney positions for some time now. We covered them last May. David Lat defended the SAUSA gigs, arguing that the nonpaying jobs might not be as bad as they seem. It's fun, exciting work, and it provides valuable experience and serious professional credibility. There is a crucial, ominous difference between then and now, though. Previous SAUSA jobs were generally aimed at entry-level or fairly junior attorneys. Now we've got a recent opening that's asking for more.…

When Tom Wallerstein started his firm, several mentors gave him the same advice: Don’t work for free. It’s easy to see the problem with working for free. Giving away what you’re trying to sell isn’t exactly in the business plan. Unfortunately, this sage advice can only really be learned the hard way, through experience. Even if your gut tells you that taking on that client is a bad idea, this can be surprisingly tempting to a new firm or solo practice....

Being a federal prosecutor, an assistant United States attorney (AUSA), is a great legal job. The work is interesting and challenging, you’re serving the public, and you’re paid decently — maybe not Biglaw bucks, but reasonably well when compared to many state government or public interest positions. And if you want to earn more money […]