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Get out while you still can
Washington Monthly, May, 2007 by Charles Peters
"Do it now! If you stay much longer, you won't be able to give up the money."
That advice, given to a young lawyer considering leaving a large law firm to go into public service, was fondly recalled at the funeral of the adviser, the late Senator Thomas Eagleton, by Senator Claire McCaskill, the grateful beneficiary. It is the same advice I've given over and over again to young lawyers who were tempted to stay at the firms because of the prospect of a bright financial future. But therein lies the snare. As Tom pointed out, the longer they stay, the harder it is to leave. Their rising incomes and generously paid colleagues introduce them to a world of fine cars, fine wine, and gourmet food, of large houses in the better neighborhoods, of expensive private schools and universities, and all the other accessories of the good life that rarely come at bargain prices. Even if the desire for public service continues, they soon come to feel they can't afford it. Or, when they finally feel rich enough, it's too late in life to get the jobs they want.
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Charles Peters is the founding editor of the Washington Monthly and the president of Understanding Government, a nonprofit dedicated to better government through better reporting.
Charles Peters is the founding editor of the Washington Monthly and the president of Understanding Government, a nonprofit dedicated to better government through better reporting.
COPYRIGHT 2007 Washington Monthly Company
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
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