Adventures in Living

November 19, 2007 6:31 AM

If the world were your oyster, where would you go?

I just learned that I failed the New York bar exam. That's actually better news than you might think, because now my partner and I feel free to head just about anywhere. Since I'll have to take a bar exam anywhere we end up, it's no more insane or taxing than staying on the East coast. In fact, if we land somewhere with a reasonable cost of living (unlike the East coast!), we'd end up better off than if we just stayed put!

We're young, I've got decent earning potential as an attorney anywhere I pass the bar, he's planning to go back to school to study something fun and creative, and we really just want to go on an adventure for the rest of our 20s. He's from Philadelphia, I'm from the Houston area.

Where should we have that adventure?

posted by greekphilosophy to society & culture (24 comments total)

Your question is really more like "if the US were your oyster, where would you go?" since your JD won't be a big help outside of the US.

That said, I'm in law school now, originally from the midwest, and I'm headed to Denver upon graduation. Beautiful city, friendly people, and more outdoor activities than you can shake a stick at. Seems like a fairly personal choice though, since everyone's priorities are different.
posted by craven_morhead at 6:57 AM on November 19, 2007

Attorneys in Chicago make nearly as much as in NYC, they work less and the cost of housing is considerably less. The bar exam is also easier. Winters suck though.
posted by caddis at 6:58 AM on November 19, 2007

Boston might also be a good choice, as there is a well-developed legal market paying salaries comparable to NYC, and there are a zillion schools for your partner. Planning a city move where you have to pass the bar and he will go to school can be tricky, so the practicalities of going to a big town like Boston (or Philly, which I think is a great place to live) should probably be factored into the equation.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 7:05 AM on November 19, 2007

Oh, and I forgot to mention that Massachusetts is sometimes called "Pass-achusetts" (geddit?) because the bar is relatively easy, I'm told.

Sorry about the not passing the NY Bar--that's a pain--but good on you for taking it in stride. Shine on, you crazy diamond!
posted by Admiral Haddock at 7:07 AM on November 19, 2007

Boston is a great city, but law jobs are not that easy to come by for freshly minted lawyers. I don't know why, but I am guessing it is because there are so many law schools and a lot of the students come to love Boston during their time there making it a buyers market for the firms.

If I were just starting out I might also consider someplace like this.
posted by caddis at 7:32 AM on November 19, 2007

California.
posted by ewkpates at 7:46 AM on November 19, 2007

There are so many factors to consider here, a real answer will be difficult. What kind of climate do you prefer? Do you want actual seasons, or a standard constant a la California? What size town do you want? What sort of "quality of life" amenities (museums, music clubs, theater, etc) are non-negotiable? How far are you willing to commute? I realize that framing this big choice as "a great adventure" adds a lot of fun, but there are a lot of important considerations that, if left out of the process, will come back to bite you in the rear.
posted by waraw at 7:48 AM on November 19, 2007

If reasonable cost of living is an important part of your equation, then *don't* go to California.
posted by Squee at 7:54 AM on November 19, 2007

California.

California has the lowest pass rate for any bar in the country, although arguably part of that is due to the high number of unaccredited law schools in that state.
posted by amro at 7:55 AM on November 19, 2007

high number of unaccredited law schools in that state

Or, I think more accurately, the fact that the CA Bar allows grads of unaccredited schools to take the exam.
posted by amro at 7:57 AM on November 19, 2007

Don't overthink on this one!

I am to blame, I assume, since I included some qualifications that probably led people to believe that I wanted a real recommendation for myself instead of just a list of fantastic options in general.

The truth is that I'm up for anything. It just so happens that I am a law school graduate, and so it is only more *likely* that I will do something along those lines.

I've done East Coast Cosmopolitan. I've done Young Sprawling City. And I've done Laid Back Island Living. I'm really just looking to add a new experience to my repertoire.
posted by greekphilosophy at 8:18 AM on November 19, 2007

I've done East Coast Cosmopolitan. I've done Young Sprawling City. And I've done Laid Back Island Living. I'm really just looking to add a new experience to my repertoire.

If you're looking for something different than this, the Pacific Northwest (Seattle or Portland) or the Mountain West (basically Denver as craven_morhead mentioned). I know nothing about the job scene for fresh lawyers, but in terms of almost everything else, they're amazing place to live. Beautiful areas, lots to do, relatively easy to travel to other interesting places and pleasantly cosmopolitan (not compared to NYC, of course).
posted by Nelsormensch at 9:24 AM on November 19, 2007

California? + Reasonable cost of living = does not compute
posted by HeyAllie at 9:35 AM on November 19, 2007

I've done East Coast Cosmopolitan. I've done Young Sprawling City. And I've done Laid Back Island Living. I'm really just looking to add a new experience to my repertoire.

Sounds like it's time for Rocky Mountain Resort Town Snow Bum.
posted by nicwolff at 9:41 AM on November 19, 2007

Norway, Svalbard, anywhere to see the northern lights really well and enjoy some dark, cold weather (done LA too many times already). Hey, just answering the main question :) If I could do it 1st class to get there, then Australia too.
posted by wackybrit at 9:49 AM on November 19, 2007

Kalmikia, it's europe's only buddhist republic.
posted by parmanparman at 9:54 AM on November 19, 2007

If the world were your oyster, where would you go?

Paris, France.
posted by timeistight at 9:55 AM on November 19, 2007

I'm probably with you timeistight. I'd love to be in Paris, and someday I will be.

I'm also very interested in seeing the Northern Lights wackybrit! A flight attendant friend was telling me about seeing them from the cockpit this weekend and how amazing it was.
posted by greekphilosophy at 10:33 AM on November 19, 2007

World? London or Tokyo.
US? I wouldn't leave NY.
posted by cmgonzalez at 10:41 AM on November 19, 2007

If it were me, I'd look at:
Both Portlands
Seattle
Chicago
Milwaukee
Pittsburgh
Hawaii (Why not? Though I understand the cost of living is other than reasonable)
and maybe Boise, Bend, Fort Collins, Missoula, Coeur d'Alene, Portsmouth, San Luis Obispo, and a few other medium sized cities.
posted by willpie at 11:01 AM on November 19, 2007

New Orleans

It needs people to live there and care for it's property and help build it back to a real city with a diverse economy.

New Mexico or Arizona-- Desert living.
posted by Mozzie at 12:02 PM on November 19, 2007

Boston/Cambridge has a 5 hour drive to Philly, tons of colleges if your partner wants to go to school, a good number of legal gigs available, LBGT friendly community with domestic partnerships recognized by the state, decent public transit so you won't need a car, and an ocean. Wonderful place to explore when you're in your 20's and you can afford the rent.
posted by enfa at 12:50 PM on November 19, 2007

If I didn't have to want to have to worry about money? I'd learn Spanish and head to Puerto Rico. No idea what it's like to live there, but if per capita income is one-third that of Mississippi, I can't imagine it being NYC-crazy-expensive on a day to day basis, and perhaps the warmer climate would make life as a lawyer more tolerable.

Also: no federal income tax, right next to the rest of the Caribbean and Latin America, and a lovely climate (except for the hurricanes, but that's pretty unavoidable anywhere on the whole east coast, really).

Here's the Colegio de Abogados de Puerto Rico (the PR Bar, as it were), in Spanish only, but surely an e-mail their way would be answered in English. Here's the University of Puerto Rico's law school.
posted by mdonley at 1:12 PM on November 19, 2007

If the world were my oyster, I'd probably start in Germany (since I already speak German), and then move around a lot. I'd start with Germany, but then move on to France, and then maybe the UK or Italy. After that, it might be time for something different, so maybe I'd move to the Middle East somewhere, or maybe China. After doing some combination of those two, it would be time for Africa or South America. It's clear in this that I've given more thought to some destinations than others, which is why I have them in a specific order.

But if I was you, the world in fact would not be my oyster, because my degree would not apply in any of those countries. In that case, I would probably move to either Boston, Portland, or Seattle.
posted by !Jim at 5:40 PM on November 20, 2007