Action Jackson wrote:kassir wrote:Action Jackson wrote:OP, law school and the legal profession is not nearly as mentally stimulating as people think. If you haven't worked in the legal field I strongly advise you to get work experience in the field before you commit to it. Can you take a break from your current job without ruining your ability to go back to it? If so, take a year off and go in entry level at a law firm. See what they do every day, and then decide if it's for you. Also educate yourself about the job prospects coming out of law school. In all but the most extreme case you're going to take a major pay cut (and take on a bunch of debt).
Action Jackson- thanks, the pay cut is a concern, but I'm also seeking some sort of "life balance". What law does offer me is the ability to work anywhere, even on my own if I so desire. If I decided to settle down, I'd much rather make 50k a year practicing law than 50k a year in my current job. Money is not EVERYTHING, but it makes life easier (and a hell of a lot more fun). Maybe I need to take another look, but I was under the impression that if you do well at a good school, associate pay of six figures is not hard to come by. Sure you'd be putting in the hours, but at least for me, keeping busy is easier than being bored out of your mind.
You're saying a couple contradictory things here (you'd be happy with $50k, but you'd rather have a 6 figure salary), but more importantly you have pretty much every fact wrong.
1. The law is actually very boring. As mentioned.
2. You can't just work anywhere. You must pass the bar in the state you want to work in, and every state has different laws you have to learn.
3. Those 6 figure jobs are no longer "not hard to come by," and doing well enough in law school to get those jobs is itself not as easy as you might think. Moreover, those jobs are at firms where quality of life is going to be VERY low (60+ hour weeks are the norm, work weekends, must be available 24/7 to respond to messages) and severely limit where you can work (the firm tells you where you're working, you can't just get up and move to Utah if you feel like it).
In short, you have no idea what you're talking about and you need to educate yourself about this career. It's not like what you see on TV.
Wow. Yes, I do realize that passing the bar is a pre-req. I'm not an idiot. Due to the lack of access to American TV, I'm not sure what shows you think I'm watching, but I assure you my concept of the law is not glamorous. I envision life as a first year associate at a large firm to be mostly running errands, filing, collating and doing endless hours of research.
Perhaps I should have been more clear regarding the salary vs. lifestyle balance. Currently I move around frequently (last three contracts were Hawaii, Germany and Dubai) and make lots of money. Often I have to work 60-84 hr weeks- so that's pretty normal for me. Sometimes I'm lucky and only have to do 40-48s. Benefits suck, and job security is not something you think about in my line of work- there is none- you know the length of the contract when you take the job. IF I worked locally (read: have a normal life), with a reasonably stable job and benefits, I could make roughly 50k a year. I would be confined to certain areas of the country, I could not "just get up and move to Utah" in that scenario, either. However, if I were so inclined as a lawyer, I could move to Utah, take the bar, get a job or even hang out my own shingle. Yes, I realize taking the bar is a big deal, but I also know tons of people are successful at it (roughly 80% in both my home state and Utah), and have absolutely no reason to believe I would fail.
I'm not fresh out of school, I have a very realistic expectation of what I'm capable of. I'm naturally inclined in the areas of research and data compilation, so your concept of boring probably differs from mine. I'm attracted to the law because it touches everything. Only the people who know the rules can really play the game right.
I appreciate your attention to my question. I knew the answer, just needed some impartial validation.
Short story: USAF vet, UG GPA: 3.8, civilian work experience with multiple (42) nationalities. I am about to turn 32, and have kicked around the idea of going to law school for several years...even took the LSAT in 2008. I feel pretty certain I'd be good at it, and law offers me flexibility and options my current job will never have (particularly the potential for mental stimulation). I don't particularly like my job, but I am pretty good at it. The problem is, I make 100-130k/year doing it. Granted, this earning potential is limited to working abroad/Hawaii/Alaska, and to take a similar position stateside would cut my salary range in half. 
I'm not getting any younger, and I welcome all viewpoints on this subject. Fire away.
