A friend of mine forwarded me a link to the recent NYT article “Wanted: Lawyers With a Skill Set in Finance� because I have (or once had) a skill set in finance, including private equity work. I’ve never regretted leaving practice for academia because there is no better job in the world than being a law professor. But the article did give me some pause. In particular, there is currently a shortage of private equity attorneys, and the pay scale for open positions “ranges from $150,000 for junior associates to ‘very comfortable seven figures’ for some partners and general counsels.� I wish I could describe my salary as a “very comfortable seven figures.� Heck, I would even be fine with a somewhat uncomfortable seven figures.