What are good reasons for going to law school? Schools don't want to hear that people are just in it for the money. For people without thousands of hours of volunteer work, public interest is seen as flaky. So what do law schools view as a legitimate reason for attending?

I attended a mediocre university that won't land me a good job as it stands. Since my LSAT puts me into the T14, law school seems like the best option. I don't want to look like a deer caught in headlights when my recommenders ask me why I want to go law school. So what should I say?

I want to work in a field that's tangentially related to law. Most of the people at the top have law degrees but don't use them directly. However, many people have said that telling this to law schools would be bad. So what are good reasons?

Since most reasons for going to law school are a bit questionable (money, prestige, I don't know what else to do, my parents made me, I want to save the world, Law and Order is my favorite TV show, etc.), there aren't very many solid reasons. Luckily, law schools don't require that you have a good reason in order to grant you admission.

I doubt your recommenders will ask you why you want to go to law school, even though it's a reasonable thing to wonder. But if they do ask, you could probably say "from my experience (working in law offices, talking to lawyers/law students, reading law journals, being brought to trial on a felony charge), I find the work extremely interesting and could see myself devoting my professional career to it." To me, that's the only good reason to want to go to law school, and correspondingly, anything at all.

How about actually thinking the law is interesting and wanting to learn more about it? That's why I'm going, anyway.

I actually am not sure why I want to go. Yes, I want the education, but other than I don't now. I do know that I've always wanted to go, but I can't pinpoint why.

Many law schools won't want to know why you want to go to law school - unless the school specifically asks, or if it requires a "statement of purpose" instead of a "personal statement", or you are making huge career change, I would leave it out of your personal statement.

I didn't have a recommender ask either.

However, you want to think about and try to come up with a good answer for yourself beyond "for the money" before you commit to going. Law school is long and expensive and a lot of work: there are cheaper, easier ways to get a job that pays a good salary if you aren't interested in actually being a lawyer. I'm not trying to suggest that anyone is going into it just for the money, just that it's a good I dead to carefully consider what your reasons for go actually are.

Agree with DelDad - you're about spend three possibly painful years and probably over $100,000 to enter a field that has the highest rates of depression and anxiety out there. And most people that go to law school - whether it was their intention or not - end up practicing at a firm. So spend some serious time figuring out why this path is optimal for you - then tell them what you come up with.

Take a day or two and consider why you want to go to LS. If your not totally sold on the idea but think it might open some doors for you, jot down some of the pro's and con's of attending. That way when you are asked this question you can at the least have an idea of why you subjecting yourself to 3 years of the grandest hoop jumping, ass kissing contest in modern American society.

I could tell you why I want to go, but if your not passionate about my reasons then your argument will sound flat and scripted. You need to do your own soul searching on this one.

Would anyone say that they want to go to law school because they are interested in political and policy work? For example, if you want to work as counsel for a US Senate Committee, work on policy issues in the government, or even run for office instead of becoming a lawyer and working in a law firm? Do you think that would be legit to write for a statement of purpose?

hi

The Law effects everything. Economy, Education, Military, Crime, Religion, Speech, Media...... need I continue?

Changing the Law means changing the World.... nuff said.

I tend to be a good interpreter and analyst. I'm not talking about linguistics either. The law interests me, and from what little experience I've had with it I've done well. I like learning about all of it, and for some reason I've always wanted to go to law school. Additionally, the "gray area" of the law fasciantes me as one can interpret and analyze how he sees fit and then apply the law to a given situation. I'm not a "black and white" kind of guy although I used to be. As I've said before, I can't pinpoint why I want to go, but with an interest in the field it only seems right to enter into it. Maybe this is a good enough reason. I don't know.

I do know that despite years of soul searching I've yet to find a career that satisfies me, and through all of that time a little voice in the back of my head said, "Brian, you should go to law school." I have one bachelor's degree which was comprised of 124 credit hours, and I now have in excess of 200 credit hours from going back to school trying to find things to do of suitable interest - mostly to avoid going to law school. However, the stressful and sometimes insulting nature of law school no longer intimidates me, and I now realize that by going I am not sacraficing anything. I have endured a lot both physically and mentally, and I have survived it all. I am prepared.

hi

"Most" is the correct term there, however precedent can be set in a vast array of fields in the courtroom. No matter that the precedent applies to zoning regulations, septic tank installations, or criminal interpretations. These all change the fabric of law. If you are a successful attorney, than you should have the chance to alter the world in some small way.

I probably made a mistake by saying most in my first post, but I was referring to hedge fund managers. An MBA would probably be the more logical choice, but like I said earlier, I attend, at best, a mediocre undergrad. I-Banks simply don't recruit there. I really don't want to take a menial job for the next 5 years until business schools decide that I have enough work experience, so law school is the best option. I also think I would prefer a JD to an MBA. I want something more intellectual than the networking party that is business school.

Like ArkansasFan, something always told me to go to law school. When I was little and people asked me what I wanted to do, I didn't say baseball player or movie star. I told them I was going to be a lawyer. Maybe I was just a prestige whore at ten. I find the law very interesting, but who knows if I have a breaking point where I'll just say, "Damn this is boring." Without actually trying it, I'll never know. Besides, if it doesn't work out, I doubt a law degree from a school like Columbia would prevent me from landing a job on Wall Street.

So I can learn to love the law.

Because being an attorney is one of the few jobs(that pays fairly well) where I can work 80+ hrs / wk with minimal work experience, and that's the life I want to live

hi

I want to be like Jeff Skilling except less cocky and more ethical

I think this is a fair question:

Why???

I did that, basically, as a journalist for $27K my first couple years out of college. It seems stupid now, but I thought it would help me get ahead, and maybe it did in some ways.

All the way to $38K.

Go Bears

Because Biglaw bonuses are based on billable hours / yr typically

money, power, respect?