Articles From the Team

Do I need more money?

Money is always an interesting topic of conversation, no matter where you are or who you’re talking to. In some circles it’ll be a passing thought, in others it’ll be treated with the greatest of importance, and then some will see it as a hindrance or struggle. No matter where you would place yourself in any of these circles, you can always make an argument for wanting or needing more money. It’s a lifestyle choice, and there is no denying that the amount of money you have or the amount you are willing to spend will afford you a certain type of lifestyle. That being said, given that it is indeed a lifestyle choice, one might consider that money is only as important as we deem it to be.

For thousands of years we’ve used money as a means of barter and purchase; we’ve used to it rally loyalty and service and we’ve made it a symbol of status and success. Given all of this it’s easy to see why money can be considered to be the root of all evil. I like to look at it slightly differently though; money is actually a universal language and no matter what dialect you’re speaking, money and currency is understood by all. It has broken down barriers of language and enabled us to establish a global society (in effect).

This all comes at a price of course; we work to live and the common consideration is that the harder you work, the more money you will earn. One has to question though, how much of your life are you willing to dedicate to your work to make money that allows you to enjoy your life, if you actually cannot enjoy your life because of how hard you have to work?

As a specialist legal recruiter the most common conversations I have with candidates and clients focus on money. How much is the firm willing to offer? Will the candidate accept this? Is it a reasonable amount? Are there any conditional benefits, i.e. bonuses? This goes on and on. My priority is to make sure that, when an offer is made, everyone involved is happy with the outcome. To determine this I would ask how are you living and how do you want to live? How will money govern this? Do you need more? Do you need less? Are your expectations realistic?

There is no denying that the legal profession does pay well, but the demands are high. Lawyers are rewarded for their expertise, for their time, and for their sacrifice. This could also be true for many other professions of course…

There are no common answers to any of the questions above because they will inevitably vary from person to person. That being said, if you’re a lawyer in the UK and you feel that you do need answers to these questions, please do get in touch.

For more information please contact Gishan Abeyratne at BCL Legal.