What You Can Do To Determine Whether You Want To Become a Lawyer

Talk to the prelaw advisor.
Join the prelaw society at your college.
Enroll in one or two undergraduate courses on legal topics.
Read books on law school and the practice of law.
With permission from the professors, sit in on some law school classes.
Observe a Moot court competition.
Use your networking abilities and hard work to obtain a position providing experience in the legal profession (e.g. summer work at a law firm or interning at a county government's public defender's office).
Observe lawyers in action.
Talk to several attorneys (because there are numerous types of law and legal practice) about their profession: the nature of daily work, job satisfaction, opportunities for advancement, lifestyle issues (such as flexibility of schedule and amount of spare time), and other matters.

The decision to attend law school is your decision. Get advice from others, but decide for yourself.
The decision to attend law school should not be entered into lightly.
Ask yourself if you want to become a lawyer, because that is the primary purpose of attending law school.
Going to law school should not be viewed as a way to delay entering the job market for three years. Going A law degree is not a default path for a smart, liberal arts student, who can't think of anything else to do.
While an undergraduate, learn as much as you can about law school and the legal profession.
Earning a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree involves three years (six semesters) of unrelenting academic effort and intense dedication; part-time law school programs involve four years.
Examine your motivation for wanting to go to law school, and examine your post-law school career goals.
If you are near graduation and unsure about whether it would be a good career move to become a lawyer, go out into the working world and attempt to find out what you might want to do. Perhaps then, you can decide whether it would be a good career move to become a lawyer.
The true nature of the legal profession is unlike the image of attorneys depicted in movies and television.

Is Law School for You?

If salary may affect your decision to consider law school, check out SALARIES and click on NALP Research.
Harvard University Careers in Law correctly points out that a "law degree is not for everyone. It should not simply be a default path for a smart, liberal arts student who can't think of anything else to do. For law school to be a good career decision, you should really think through why you want to be a lawyer or at least why getting a law degree will advance other career goals in some tangible way."

The University of Santa Clara notes that "The decision to attend law school should not be entered into lightly. Earning a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree involves a minimum of three years of unrelenting academic effort and intense dedication. Law School is also very expensive, and the current job market is extremely competitive. This discouraging news is given to ''ensure that your decision to pursue a career in law is an informed one.''

Rice University Pre-law Advising says that "Some people claim that they knew they wanted to be a lawyer since they were quite young, but most struggled with this decision up until the time they applied to law school. In fact, many law students and even recent graduates are still unsure of the answer to this question."

The Director of Career Services at University of California at Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law tells us to that ''Those students who come to law school with a clear understanding about why they want to be a lawyer ... ultimately have a better chance of staying in the profession and being happy with the choice they made. Going to law school because you don't know what else to do when you graduate from college is never a good idea. Go out into the working world and find out what you might want to do, then decide whether law school is the right choice.''

Some comments from the Oberlin Pre-Law Guide: "Only you can decide whether law school is right for you, but you should make an informed decision, which means acquiring as much information as possible about law school and legal practice." You should not "be pressured to choose law school by well-meaning family members, friends or advisors." "If you want to be a lawyer, can you articulate reasons? It is not enough to say you have always wanted to be a lawyer. Law practice isn't always fascinating and intellectually stimulating. In fact, it can be boring, stressful and even unfulfilling at times. You need to know what you are getting into."

The University of Richmond Pre-Law Handbook states that "generally, the most accurate information about the legal profession can be gathered from interaction with practicing attorneys. At the very least, [someone considering becoming an attorney] should talk to several attorneys (because there are numerous types of law and legal practice) about their profession: the nature of daily work, job satisfaction, opportunities for advancement, lifestyle issues (such as flexibility of schedule and amount of spare time), and other matters" of concern.

Should You Become a Lawyer?

Generally it is the students who entered law school understanding the true realities of law practice and then explored the career options available to them afterwards that enjoy their legal career after school. The ones who go to law school with unrealistic expectations such as wanting to save, run, or buy the world, are the ones most likely to be unhappy and dissatisfied with the legal profession. These are the lawyers who, after several years of practicing law, will be asking themselves what else they can do with their law degree.

Alternatives to a Career as a Lawyer

New York University's PreLaw Handbook correctly notes that "While it is true that a law degree can lead to a variety of occupations, most law students become lawyers in the private sector, and even those who pursue 'nontraditional careers' usually begin their quest with several years of active practice. The mere fact that you have a law degree will not lead you to a top management position on Wall Street or in Hollywood, and given the expense of a legal education, you might be better served with an MBA degree or the experience of working at an entry level position in your non-legal field of interest."