First of all, I want to correct your wrong statement-what is an "extra-legal place"? ! The salary of trainee lawyers is low, but it is not so low as to violate the law! As far as I know, trainee lawyers are paid, and those who are not paid are suspended from issuing certificates. This is a violation of the rules and is also the focus of our trainee lawyer assessment Committee. Once it is found that the certificate is suspended, it will not be passed!
As for the low salary, this is normal. A trainee lawyer basically knows nothing and needs a lawyer with more than five years' practice experience. According to the previous regulations, they have to pay the teacher's fee. Now they teach for free and pay you back. Do you think you are still being abused? It is not impossible for you to get a high salary. Let me give you a case. Can you finish it alone? Can you make it beautiful and satisfy customers? Is it unreasonable to ask for a high salary if you can't do anything?
As for the "extra-legal land" you said, it means that the salary is so low that it is illegal! Do you know what the minimum wage is? Only below the minimum wage is illegal, otherwise it is legal as long as it is accepted by both parties.
Secondly, you should clearly understand the essence of the trainee lawyer system. Why is there a trainee lawyer system? Have you seriously thought about this problem? Many people think that you can qualify as a lawyer by studying for a bachelor's degree or a postgraduate degree in law and then passing the law exam. Actually, that's not the case at all. Even a doctor of law, who has not been tested by practice, is a pupil in the eyes of old lawyers. The advantage of a doctor of law is that he has a better understanding and a faster hand.
Lawyers and doctors are the same. Besides a solid theoretical foundation, they must also have practical experience, and the more practical experience, the better! This is why it is said that "the older the lawyer, the better", because in the eyes of the parties, the older the lawyer, the more experienced he is. Of course, this statement is not rigorous. Actually, it depends on the accumulation of lawyers' cases. Although some lawyers are old, they join the profession late, and the number of cases handled may not be as good as that of young lawyers who joined the profession early.
Lawyers with no practical experience, no matter how excellent their school grades are, how high their law exam scores are, and how fierce they graduated from prestigious schools, are completely blind in the first few cases, because many cases in practice have not even been mentioned in books, and many cases are far from practice. It is precisely for this reason that the Lawyers Association has set up a trainee lawyer system. By default, people who have just passed the law exam will not have the ability to practice formally and must go through a serious apprenticeship.
The design of the trainee lawyer system is mainly responsible for the client, and of course it is also responsible for the lawyer industry, so as to avoid a novice who knows nothing from delaying the handling of cases, causing irreparable losses to the client and seriously damaging the image of the lawyer industry.
Objectively evaluate the ability of intern lawyers. As the examiner of the trainee lawyer assessment committee, I have to interview 15 to 19 trainee lawyers every period. It can be said that an absolute part of trainee lawyers lack professional ability, answer questions inaccurately, and some even make mistakes. Despite the nervousness during the interview, practicing as an independent lawyer is still not satisfactory. Of course, most trainee lawyers are self-aware, knowing that they can't practice independently immediately after getting the certificate. They need to be paralegals and continue to be familiar with the lawyer business under the guidance of experienced lawyers.
I hope that all trainee lawyers will recognize their own shortcomings, don't blindly think that passing the law exam will be great, and you can immediately ask for a high salary and high income. In fact, for lawyers, passing the law exam is only the first step of the long March. Passing the law exam only means that you have entered the first threshold of the legal profession, and there are countless tests and difficulties waiting for you. Among the young lawyers who have been practicing for three years, 20% have changed careers because of low income and low expectations, which is why many people imagine the lawyer industry to be too beautiful! I think, as long as I pass the French exam, I can easily "win Bai Fumei and go to the peak of my life"!
Conclusion My advice to trainee lawyers is not to pay attention to salary, but to the law firm itself. Is the firm reliable? Is the tutor reliable? Can you learn the real skills? Can you make yourself get great exercise and progress? For me, if I have a good lawyer to guide me carefully during my internship, I really don't have to pay.