This statement is only accurate if you like having the system set up to encourage the mediocre and the liberal to seek the bench. As a conservative, I believe the market forces are most definitely impacting our bench in an unfortunate manner. Since you clearly disagree, I must assume you are either a liberal who is happy with the current system or you do not comprehend my point.

Capiche?

Sounds like you may be coveting a judgeship.

If you make it to partner, you’ll have a better understanding of what is involved in business ownership. There is a big difference between lifetime retirement composed of 50% of your average salary from the past three years, and the honor of being able to contribute $15,500.00, plus match, into your company sponsored 401(k). Your firm must do a great spin job because most would consider funding your own 401(k) as being “left to your own devices for retirement.”

I have one question for you, where does the money come from to pay for your firm’s light bill if it doesn’t come out of the firm’s revenue?

I agree, there are many liberal plaintiffs lawyers very eager to be judges. The problem I was discussing is the lack of incentive for conservative and/or brilliant attorneys to pursue the bench. Take a look at our judges and see how many were at big defense firms (which hire 95% of the top law school students each year).

As for your statement about partner salaries, I work in a big firm and your summary is incorrect. Large firms are huge businesses, many of which have 500 or more employees. Even junior partners at a place like NMRS take home 200k-300k (which is 2 to 3 times the assoc. justice salary as I stated before). They are not paying the firm’s light bill out of this money and they are not left to their own devices for retirement and insurance. The firms have a 401(k) and cafeteria plans that are fully available to the partners.

I don’t know what “system” you think a partner has to go through, but all it really takes to make partner is to last 7 years (a pretty standard figure at law firms) as an associate without getting asked to leave. It is not some extreme meritocracy were only the best make it through. It is basically expected at my firm that you make partner as long as you are doing your work and don’t do something incredibly stupid. The weeding out is largely done at the initial hiring stage, as the big firms only hire those that did well in law school.

2. If we have all this extra money for pay raises, then why don’t we have the money to hire full time attorneys to do indigent work? As it stands, private attorneys are drafted to do this work for little or no compensation.

3. I think the poster who referenced the retirement pay calculated on the last three years’ salary hit the motivation for this plan on the head.

4. These is no shortage of people fighting for these coveted judgeships, so obviously the pay scale is not that out of line with economic reality.

5. The poster who thinks that partners at large law firms make 3 times the amount of an associate supreme court justice is forgetting that those partners are few and far between, and those partners have to fund their own retirements, pay self employment taxes, pay their own insurance and take the risk that business produces enough money to pay the bills and result in a profit. Plus they had to work their way through the system to make it to that point.

6. This proposal is DOA.

One can get to Columbia from any part in the state in under 4 hours. The legislators opted to run for public office. Why should the taxpayers have to fund a second residence for them? Travel the interstate and they will blow you off the road to and from Columbia. Most of these “lazy rat bastards” (to quote Harry) are doctors, lawyers, insurance agents, etc. They are from the upper strata of society in this state. They are not exactly working the job in the GA to make ends meet.

They don’t need a raise. Don’t give it to them. They are quick to cute the budgets of state agencies and schools. I don’t think they have ever been asked to sacrifice.

Why aren’t we outraged? Just last week, after allegedly having a comittee investigate the issue, it was announced that the legislature would not change the way judges are appointed in South Carolina. All but one other state elect their judges and things seem to work fine, but our state, being so much wiser, declined to follow their examples. And, as usual, not willing to risk upsetting Toal, the SC Bar issued an official statement supporting that decision.

Now, I agree that our legislators deserve a raise. Most of them have to drive to and from different parts of the state and often maintain apartments or pay for lodging in Columbia when they are in session. But to suggest that those like judges in cushy govenment jobs making several times what the average South Carolinian earns, in addition to health insurance and other benefits, is outrageous.

Of course, no one will seriously challenge this. In a few days the SC Bar will probably even release an official statement in support of the raises, saying that judges work too hard for the little pay they get and they deserve every penny this recommendation suggests, if not more, blah blah blah. Pathetic.