Don't want to be a lawyer, applying to law school... Forum

[JMU]

JMU, you should check out this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Law-School-U ... B009D13IA6

Spend the $5, download it and read it. It will tell you everything you need to know to make your decision.

You are very clearly ignorant of a lot of basic information out there about law school (no offense!) and this book is a good summary. You can read it in an afternoon and it will be the most judicious investment of $5 you can make.

Haha no offense taken, thanks! And thanks to everyone offering advice, I appreciate it.

I think I kind of represented my ambitions wrong here. I AM interested in law, and law school does appeal to me. I'm less ignorant on it than I think I have displayed (family members are lawyers, I've researched it a good deal, etc.) but still some very good points have been brought up. I'm definitely still considering it, but I do realize possibly going 6 figures in debt for a job I may not want that may pay my 70K a year could possibly not be my best option.

[cahwc12]

Well grab that book, read it, and then check back in with any followup questions you have. That book basically is a pretty accurate summary of the brain-trust of conventional TLS wisdom.

[TooOld4This]

I think a lot of people on this board went to good undergrad schools where top students had a lot of opportunities. That wasn't the case for me and I've been surprised how many doors have been opened because I attend a top 10 law school degree.

I'm geniunely curious, what kind of doors?

Well, tbf, most are at firms because that's what I've been pursuing but I've also had someone that is considering running for governor of the state in 2014 tell me to contact him if I was interested in helping him campaign and a real estate developer basically offer me a position if I got tired of working at a firm (I have construction experience). These aren't huge by any means -- hell, what politician wouldn't want free labor -- but I doubt that the developer would have been interested if my only credential was some shitty undergrad only known for drinking and attractive women. That's all I got; maybe its not causal.

So,going to law school is opening up legal jobs you wouldn't have qualified for with just an UG degree? Someone is also willing to let you work for free?

I don't think you've shown any doors being opened. Even the construction job would likely have been offered if you landed any sort of post-UG work that showed you weren't a complete idiot. And that one was also based on prelaw experience.

OP, jumping from law to another field is actually very difficult if you don't lay the ground work before you start law school. As a JD you price yourself out of entry-level for public policy work and it is hard to get non-entry level if you don't have significant work experience in the field before becoming a lawyer. Connections are another way to get placed, but those are often random. If you don't get lucky and have them fall into your lap, good luck having the time and energy to cultivate thm when a firm owns you 24/7/365 as a junior associate. Family members who are attorneys only give you a limited glimpse into life as a lawyer, since they "came of age" in a different era.

Go to law school only if you see a long career as a lawyer in your future. Any other plan makes law school a huge waste of time and money.

[dingbat]

I think a lot of people on this board went to good undergrad schools where top students had a lot of opportunities. That wasn't the case for me and I've been surprised how many doors have been opened because I attend a top 10 law school degree.

I'm geniunely curious, what kind of doors?

Well, tbf, most are at firms because that's what I've been pursuing but I've also had someone that is considering running for governor of the state in 2014 tell me to contact him if I was interested in helping him campaign and a real estate developer basically offer me a position if I got tired of working at a firm (I have construction experience). These aren't huge by any means -- hell, what politician wouldn't want free labor -- but I doubt that the developer would have been interested if my only credential was some shitty undergrad only known for drinking and attractive women. That's all I got; maybe its not causal.

So,going to law school is opening up legal jobs you wouldn't have qualified for with just an UG degree? Someone is also willing to let you work for free?

I don't think you've shown any doors being opened. Even the construction job would likely have been offered if you landed any sort of post-UG work that showed you weren't a complete idiot. And that one was also based on prelaw experience.

OP, jumping from law to another field is actually very difficult if you don't lay the ground work before you start law school. As a JD you price yourself out of entry-level for public policy work and it is hard to get non-entry level if you don't have significant work experience in the field before becoming a lawyer. Connections are another way to get placed, but those are often random. If you don't get lucky and have them fall into your lap, good luck having the time and energy to cultivate thm when a firm owns you 24/7/365 as a junior associate. Family members who are attorneys only give you a limited glimpse into life as a lawyer, since they "came of age" in a different era.

Go to law school only if you see a long career as a lawyer in your future. Any other plan makes law school a huge waste of time and money.

But, special snowflake

[ood]

I got a BA undegrad. I would hate being a lawyer but my BA is useless. I'm going to work as a community organizer after UG then apply to law school. Work as a lawyer for a little bit. Then I will go into politics. I'll be a state legislater and then move up to the Fed. gov.

I got your back OP!

[Hattori Hanzo]

I did the same thing and know other who have as well. As long as the school you end up going to opens the doors you're interested in, why not? It isn't the easiest or most pleasant way to get to certain things, e.g. an MBA is a much nicer route to the business world, but absent more attractive alternatives, it can get the job done. Also, if you know from the beginning that you don't want to practice, there's much less stress involved because you care less about grades and can take all fluff electives.

[suralin]

I got a BA undegrad. I would hate being a lawyer but my BA is useless. I'm going to work as a community organizer after UG then apply to law school. Work as a lawyer for a little bit. Then I will go into politics. I'll be a state legislater and then move up to the Fed. gov.

I got your back OP!

Sigh.

[guinness1547]

I got a BA undegrad. I would hate being a lawyer but my BA is useless. I'm going to work as a community organizer after UG then apply to law school. Work as a lawyer for a little bit. Then I will go into politics. I'll be a state legislater and then move up to the Fed. gov.

I got your back OP!

Barack, is that you?

[hume85]

I got a BA undegrad. I would hate being a lawyer but my BA is useless. I'm going to work as a community organizer after UG then apply to law school. Work as a lawyer for a little bit. Then I will go into politics. I'll be a state legislater and then move up to the Fed. gov.

I got your back OP!

Barack, is that you?

His GPA is too high.