[molson]

I'm in a bit of a legal career bubble, so I don't think I can be any more helpful than the people who already chimed in. But I know a lot about what's it's like to be a state prosecutor and what those agencies are looking for in the hiring process if he gets that far into it. For me, the transition was that into non-prosecutor criminal law roles with a state agency (appeals, federal habeas, legislative support, police training), which was the perfect job for me, so I haven't spent really any time on career networking, advancement, etc. Big law is a fascinating and bewildering world to me. I'm pretty sure I'd hate it. I hear a lot of things about people trying to escape it once they pay off their loans. I know we get big law lawyers applying for our job openings all the time - and we're generally not interested because the impression is that they just want to work less and don't care about public service.

The pay in government is limited of course, but it's much better relative to the cost of living in poorer parts of the country than richer. Just as an idea, when I was first starting out 15 years ago, the starting prosecutor salary was the same in Manhattan as it was in Idaho. And in Massachusetts, it was much much less. I remember reading an article that janitors in Boston courthouses made more than the prosecutors. I wouldn't be surprised - it was $35k in 2006 for starting prosecutors there. Saying that your salary went a bit further in Idaho than Manhattan is an understatement. And that kind of dynamic is still true today, even as my career progressed. Idaho doesn't offer a lot of law firms that can compete with with the overall salary/importance of work/work-life balance/job security package you can obtain in government. I'd guess Tennessee may be similar, and that Miami less so.