Law school or not? This is a question... Forum

[Cradle6]

Out of curiosity, what is a good reason to go to law school?

[jbagelboy]

Out of curiosity, what is a good reason to go to law school?

its affordable for you, the school has an excellent record of placing graduates into good jobs in the market you want to work in, you love to read, write and research, and you have no other decent prospects

[patogordo]

Out of curiosity, what is a good reason to go to law school?

ISIS is holding your parents hostage and will only release them if you go to law school


assuming you like your parents

[pancakes3]

Out of curiosity, what is a good reason to go to law school?

ISIS is holding your parents hostage and will only release them if you go to law school


assuming you like your parents

And even then it's barely sufficient, not necessary.

[Colonel_funkadunk]

Out of curiosity, what is a good reason to go to law school?

ISIS is holding your parents hostage and will only release them if you go to law school


assuming you like your parents

And even then it's barely sufficient, not necessary.

[Skool]

I have been suing others in a lawsuit this year, and I researched, studied myself, and drafted lawsuit myself. It was praised by opposing counsel, by informally criticizing me of asking a professional attorney to draft my lawsuit while representing myself in court, which was actually a compliment for me. The case is pending in court.

Not a good reason to go to law school

Idk, going pro se, doing a good job at it, and liking it seems like a pretty good reason to go to law school to be a litigator.

Of course, OP needs to realize the tremendous obstacles to developing the expertise he needs to file and draft and litigate on a regular basis for clients. Those costs are steep and not necessarily worth the benefit.

Out of curiosity, what is a good reason to go to law school?

its affordable for you, the school has an excellent record of placing graduates into good jobs in the market you want to work in, you love to read, write and research, and you have no other decent prospects

[/quote] isn't this a step too far? I get trying to dissuade 0Ls from making a massive economic mistake by going to law school, but it sounds like your saying law students shouldn't go unless they're desperate. That seems like a strange contention which, while keeping a lot of people out of financial disaster, would also keep some good candidates out of the profession too.

We might have a happier profession if people in it we're less desperate, not more.

[McAvoy]

I have been suing others in a lawsuit this year, and I researched, studied myself, and drafted lawsuit myself. It was praised by opposing counsel, by informally criticizing me of asking a professional attorney to draft my lawsuit while representing myself in court, which was actually a compliment for me. The case is pending in court.

Not a good reason to go to law school

Idk, going pro se, doing a good job at it, and liking it seems like a pretty good reason to go to law school to be a litigator.

Of course, OP needs to realize the tremendous obstacles to developing the expertise he needs to file and draft and litigate on a regular basis for clients. Those costs are steep and not necessarily worth the benefit.

Righto

[Skool]

One other thing to realize about TLS advice in your thread, OP.

People aren't going to take lawyer lust seriously. Historically, it's based on bad information, misperceptions, and misconceptions about what it means to practice. Much of this information was created by Hollywood, much of it by law schools themselves. People on these boards are pretty quick to discount lawyer lust and for good reason.

Still the desire to be a lawyer is an important component in wanting to go to law school and you shouldn't completely disregard it. You should consider it (to the extent it's grounded in reality), but don't let it overwhelm common sense.

[timbs4339]

OP: If you're making 120-130k this would be a massively dumb idea. You're already making more than the median salary for ALL LAWYERS. Not recent grads, not people 3 years out, but all lawyers.

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/legal/lawyers.htm

You seem to be someone who just wants a respectable, high paying white collar job. You're not going to get that out of law school immediately unless you work in biglaw, which largely requires you to go to a T13 school. If you work in biglaw, you will be working 60-80 hour weeks for a few years, then (maybe) you can go over to a company and work as an assistant GC with stock options, then (maybe) you can rise high enough to be general counsel and make millions. That's a lot of maybes. Better to just keep on going with your current job.

If not, then you'll be looking at 40-60K, maybe no benefits, and a ton of debt. Bad move. Very bad move.

[Scotusnerd]

Out of curiosity, what is a good reason to go to law school?

Perhaps a more "real life" example would explain what you will have to look forward to:

You turned your phone off because you were in court waiting for your latest felony DUI case with Client 1 to be called. It was continued because at the last minute your client decides you're a horrible lawyer and wants a new one. Again. The judge demanded you two work it out. Again. You turn your phone back on and get blasted with angry messages from Client 2, because her ex-spouse was 45 minutes late dropping off their little brat and you didn't pick up the phone immediately when she called. She's already left two angry messages and cussed out your paralegal (who is new) and is threatening to file a complaint with the office of disciplinary counsel. Paralegal is scared, you're annoyed, and you have to call this woman back and calmly explain to her that 45 minutes late is not kidnapping. Which is sure to go well.

Welcome to Monday. If you feel like this is something you wouldn't mind doing, then maybe you should be a lawyer. If, like the rest of the world, you think this is a f***ing stupid way to spend a Monday, then maybe you should consider doing other things.

[AReasonableMan]

If money and time are big concerns to you then law school would be a mistake.

1.) MONEY

If you currently earn 120-130k in IT then even assuming the hours were equal, law would be a mistake. You would be losing this income for a few years - that is 360k right there.

Even if you got big law, you're looking at a 40k increase per year before taxes. This would likely go down to a 25k increase a year. This is substantial but consider that if you paid sticker you would essentially be paying an additional 300k to pay off your debt in decade.

That's a 660k difference until the 25k increase in big law becomes a net positive.

You might also want to consider that time becomes a big commodity when you're billing 2000+ hours with kids. You are not as likely to budget, because it just isn't worth the time.

2.) TIME

No such thing as 40 hours a week. Even as a summer associate when you have it easy, with the social events you're putting in about 60 hours a week. In practice this easily becomes 80 hours a week. Yes, the social events are normally fun and it's much easier to become part of the gang when you get to know your coworkers. However, when you have kids the calculus of all this is likely to change.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

1.) JOB PLACEMENT - Unless you go to one of the best schools, it's probable you will be making 40-60k out of law school.

2.) AGE DISCRIMINATION - Won't happen everywhere, but in your 40s, this should be a concern. The basic fact is that most of the time, it won't just be you and a partner. You'll likely have a mid-level or senior associate on a project with you who calls the shots, and may be really nice, but is still your quasi-boss. It may be awkward for a 26 year old to boss around a 46 year old.

3.) REALITY - How many working years do you have left? With lost opportunity and cost we're looking at 660k. Education has been interpreted as property by the courts, but it's not fee simple property. You can't transfer it to your children. It's only valuable to the extent that you use it.

Law can be good in many circumstances, but yours don't appear to be them. It may seem exciting on TV but a few things to consider: (1) that's not reality, and (2) Jack McCoy on Law & Order makes only a little more than half of what you're making currently.

[AReasonableMan]

Out of curiosity, what is a good reason to go to law school?

1.) You like identifying issues that companies have, and using your intellect, creativity, and education to solve those issues.

2.) You don't mind spending more time at work than outside of work.

3.) You are better at legal type thinking than other types of thinking (not arguing, but being able to listen to problems and map out rational solutions).

4.) You attend a school where the odds of success in reaching your goals are greater than the odds of failure.

5.) You are objectively quick witted and intelligent.

6.) You are not overly sensitive, and play well with others.

7.) You are assertive, but able to recognize when it's smart to be subservient, and are able to subservient when needed.

8.) If money is a primary motive -> you have no realistic means at six-figure employment other than law, and fit 1-7.

[Moneytrees]

Out of curiosity, what is a good reason to go to law school?

Perhaps a more "real life" example would explain what you will have to look forward to:

You turned your phone off because you were in court waiting for your latest felony DUI case with Client 1 to be called. It was continued because at the last minute your client decides you're a horrible lawyer and wants a new one. Again. The judge demanded you two work it out. Again. You turn your phone back on and get blasted with angry messages from Client 2, because her ex-spouse was 45 minutes late dropping off their little brat and you didn't pick up the phone immediately when she called. She's already left two angry messages and cussed out your paralegal (who is new) and is threatening to file a complaint with the office of disciplinary counsel. Paralegal is scared, you're annoyed, and you have to call this woman back and calmly explain to her that 45 minutes late is not kidnapping. Which is sure to go well.

Welcome to Monday. If you feel like this is something you wouldn't mind doing, then maybe you should be a lawyer. If, like the rest of the world, you think this is a f***ing stupid way to spend a Monday, then maybe you should consider doing other things.

Lol dude. No disrespect, but that doesn't sound like a bad Monday. Literally every job has its challenges, and very few people genuinely love all the aspects of the work that they do. Welcome to the real world. Being an attorney has its drawbacks and going to law school is something that should not be taken lightly, but let's not make it seem like attorneys are faced with these awful challenges that no other professional has to deal with.

[Moneytrees]

That being said, I don't think OP should go to law school.

[goldenflash19]

Don't do it. (Wish there was someway I could trade you spots though!).

[rdawkins28]

OP, I was in a similar situation to yours (eerily similar). PM me if you still looking for feedback.

[Scotusnerd]

Lol dude. No disrespect, but that doesn't sound like a bad Monday. Literally every job has its challenges, and very few people genuinely love all the aspects of the work that they do. Welcome to the real world. Being an attorney has its drawbacks and going to law school is something that should not be taken lightly, but let's not make it seem like attorneys are faced with these awful challenges that no other professional has to deal with.

No disrespect taken. I don't know your background or whether you've had a career before, but what makes law hard isn't necessarily the long hours etc. Everyone works too hard in the real world. But every attorney I've asked has been unanimous in what really makes their job hard: responsibility.

I can't really explain it better than that unless you've had experience. In my summers as a law clerk I have found myself crying along with victim's families as attorneys in my office met with them. I even gave out a few hugs (which I don't do normally). I also watched an attorney get cussed out by a family who knew that the man who killed their son could go free ten years later.

And the children break your heart.

[Moneytrees]

I worked in consumer law so I know exactly what you mean. It's not that I disagree with anything you said, because being an attorney is definitely tough and stressful. But every job has its challenges.