rad lulz wrote:If you've had a successful career and just need the slip of paper, that's one thing. Most law applicants don't have that luxury. For those people, you can't just "be entrepreneurial" and say start your own solo practice when law school doesn't teach you how to do anything.
Many people go to law school after acquiring significant experience in another field. Real experience in an industry, extensive contacts within and industry, etc. are real advantages to a newly graduated J.D. It has nothing to do with starting a practice, but it has to do with an entrepreneurial mindset. Working in silicon valley startup environments was something I thrived at. Now I'm in central Florida. What law schools are in central Florida? Well, not top 100 schools, that's for sure. But for my purposes, a J.D. is what I seek. There are many people who work at significant careers prior to getting a law degree. There are also a great many people who seek their J.D. with no intention of actually taking the bar exam or working as a lawyer. My own great-uncle was a real estate developer. Got his J.D. and never had any intention of sitting for the bar exam. His legal education was invaluable to his business pursuits, however.
Everyone has their own needs. No need to ridicule any particular school. Everything has its purpose, and a bright student can get a good education at any competent school. But there are indeed an awful lot of people in serious financial trouble because of massive debt incurred just to get a J.D. Sure, if your near the top of your class from a handful of schools there's no real need to worry. How many people does that apply to?
