Don't want to practice. Dropout? 3.7 @T25, Super Splitter. Forum

[FluidMosaic]

So I'm a 1L in a T25. 16k a year in tuition. K-JD I did pretty well my first semester, got a 3.7. I have biglaw/in house summer interviews scheduled. If my grades hold, I'll most likely be competitive for biglaw 2L Summer. However, I don't want to practice law. I got crushed in legal writing, while putting forth close to my best effort, and I can't see myself doing that the rest of my life. I kind of wish I was in a f500 rotational finance program or something like that.

The problem is I'm kind of screwed if I drop out. I have 2.4 from a directional state school and little to no relevant work experience. I doubt I can leverage my law school gpa to get a job this May if I do drop out.

I go to a school that has a much better undergrad program than mine, (Think ND/Emory/WUSTL/USC/Vandy/UW). Thankfully I have full access to undergrad/MBA career services and OCR.

I figure I have three options:

#1:Stay in law school all three years: Focus on getting a non-law job. Skip OCI. Try for real estate/Consulting/RX/Compliance/Commercial banking or the like. Maybe get a pay jump since I can check off graduate degree.

#2: Drop out in May, try and leverage my law school gpa to get a rotational program. Use undergrad career services. Figure I'm way too late for this since most f500 recruiting is done.

#3: Stay in law school for 2L first semester. Target 1L in house positions to get a f500 name on Resume. Take all MBA/businesss focused classes 2L 1st semester. Go through December 2015 Fall recruiting with all the Seniors and abuse undergrad career services.

I just don't know what to do. I doubt my grades aren't good enough where I can go v5-v10 transactional and lateral out of law. My grades also aren't good enough where I can transfer to a school where non-legal firms target their OCI. However I also think I'm kind of screwed dropping out since well I have that 2.4.

Any Input would be helpful.

[toothbrush]

So I'm a 1L in a T25. 16k a year in tuition. K-JD I did pretty well my first semester, got a 3.7. I have biglaw/in house summer interviews scheduled. If my grades hold, I'll most likely be competitive for biglaw 2L Summer. However, I don't want to practice law. I got crushed in legal writing, while putting forth close to my best effort, and I can't see myself doing that the rest of my life. I kind of wish I was in a f500 rotational finance program or something like that.

Please put forward other reasons for dropping out besides the bolded. it's a total non-seq. 1) there is plenty of non-lit law; 2) legal writing =/= litigation

I doubt my grades aren't good enough where I can go v5-v10 transactional and lateral out of law.

also, there are plenty of other firms that you can target that have good transactional practices where you can lateral out of law over time. you also have no idea whether you will like transactional (or lit) work in practice. I don't think given your debt load + grades + scholly it's worth it to drop out.

[FluidMosaic]

So I'm a 1L in a T25. 16k a year in tuition. K-JD I did pretty well my first semester, got a 3.7. I have biglaw/in house summer interviews scheduled. If my grades hold, I'll most likely be competitive for biglaw 2L Summer. However, I don't want to practice law. I got crushed in legal writing, while putting forth close to my best effort, and I can't see myself doing that the rest of my life. I kind of wish I was in a f500 rotational finance program or something like that.

Please put forward other reasons for dropping out besides the bolded. it's a total non-seq. 1) there is plenty of non-lit law; 2) legal writing =/= litigation

I didn't come to law school for the right reasons. I felt trapped as I was graduating since all my job offers had poor advancement opportunities. Law school was the only professional school that would look at me(besides maybe MAcc).

I don't like the whole 1 chance for promotion and you're out model. From the lawyers I have talked to, you are a glorified copy editor as an associate and you get non-transferable skills(beyond going to in house). I want to do something business related in the long run so I think working in smaller firm won't set me up for much.

I figure I am wasting my twenties in a school I never should have gone to for limited opps.

[fats provolone]

i think you should trust your instincts and cut your losses. don't feel bad about it -- everyone goes down the wrong roads sometimes

[Tiago Splitter]

Law is one of the few ways to do anything business-y when you graduate college with a 2.4. You're already through one semester with a 3.7 so I'd give it a little more time. You're right that a small firm doesn't make sense for you but see if you can keep your grades up and give OCI a shot. If you can land a firm job you'll earn a two year vacation where you can really recharge and see what happens. If that doesn't work out feel free to drop out. You'll have all the same options 9 months from now.

[fats provolone]

yea actually there's really no reason not to give oci a shot

[FluidMosaic]

I guess thats the problem. I'm not seeing law as a super viable career path in the future. 2L OCI is great and everything but I don't go to a good enough school where non-legal employers come. I can't really dual recruit for JD/MBA/Undergrad internships since the JD season is like August-October while MBA/Undergrad is like November-February.

I'd assume reneging is frowned upon.

If I go through 2L OCI and get an offer, I figure I'm pigeonholed for the next five years or more in law. I figure I'm also not really developing skills to lateral since I'll be working 60+ hours a week. All the threads on here are very anti-law lateral. While I assume thats partially to dissuade pre-law students from coming to law school to work for MBB/Ibanking, I'd believe there is some truth in them.

I have no qualms about dropping back a year or so in the post-grad class year for rotational programs.

[FluidMosaic]

Also for non-legal future opportunities, should I be targeting places other than in-house/big law this Summer? I figure its really late for almost anything non-legal.

I'm not really sure what Summer experience would set me up for non-jd recruiting. I'd assume some kind of marketing/accounting/finance position?