I am totally getting cold feet about this whole thing Forum

[PeanutsNJam]

OP, there are 500 HLS grads every year. 200 YLS. 200 SLS. That's 900 people being churned out of HYS every. single. year. (wait I forgot transfers- add another 50 to that number)

How many "impact lit" (appellate lit boutique I'm assuming) lawyers are hired each year? You could probably count the number of lawyers per circuit on your hands. These firms that do what you want to do are like 30 people, and only hire people who have clerked for the CoA in that circuit and have significant litigation experience (AUSA, big lit firms like W&C/Wachtell/MTO, etc.).

Does OP honestly think he can go to HLS, just book a feeder prof's class because he's a genius and easily get a CoA clerkship, from which he can vault to SCOTUS? Like is that how he thinks this works?

If that's the only outcome you'd be satisfied with, and lowly biglaw like Skadden is not good enough for you, certainly don't go.

[Stardust84]

OP, you are delusional if you think there's anything romantic or incredibly fulfilling about the work we do.

This is so entirely subjective to the individual. Not only can individual experience and perspective vary in any given type of practice area, there is a big difference between corporate transactional work and criminal defense for example. Calling someone delusional on the basis of your opinion of the work you do even if its shared by many people, is pretty wrong headed.

[Danger Zone]

OP, you are delusional if you think there's anything romantic or incredibly fulfilling about the work we do.

This is so entirely subjective to the individual. Not only can individual experience and perspective vary in any given type of practice area, there is a big difference between corporate transactional work and criminal defense for example. Calling someone delusional on the basis of your opinion of the work you do even if its shared by many people, is pretty wrong headed.

0L; dr

[Tempo]

OP, you are delusional if you think there's anything romantic or incredibly fulfilling about the work we do.

Do you mean being a lawyer? Because I know plenty of lawyers who feel fulfilled by their work.

[Danger Zone]

0L; dr

[A. Nony Mouse]

Eh, my work is fulfilling. Full of moral ambiguities, of course, so there's that.

[Danger Zone]

True but you have a fairly extraordinary job. I'm jealous.

[WhiteCollarBlueShirt]

OP clearly wants to go get another expensive, prestigious degree and just have any lingering concerns dispelled... so join us in debt and regret... joinnnnnnn us ¬(º-°)¬

Anyways in human history, there have been worse bad choices than going to HLS. But I'll put money down on decides to try a summer SA position at CSM, S+C or DPW

[fliptrip]

The only HLS grad that I'm aware of who has even close to ruined his life by going to HLS is Elie Mystal, who I guess didn't really want to be a lawyer when he went, hated life at Debevoise, left, went deadbeat on his loans, and now disturbs a great many people on Above the Law. So, that's your worst case scenario, Elie Mystal, LOL.

Again, OP, as the Oracle in the Matrix said, you've already made your choice...you've just come here to understand it.

[smaug]

The only HLS grad that I'm aware of who has even close to ruined his life by going to HLS is Elie Mystal, who I guess didn't really want to be a lawyer when he went, hated life at Debevoise, left, went deadbeat on his loans, and now disturbs a great many people on Above the Law. So, that's your worst case scenario, Elie Mystal, LOL.

Again, OP, as the Oracle in the Matrix said, you've already made your choice...you've just come here to understand it.

lol if you think this is true

[fliptrip]

The only HLS grad that I'm aware of who has even close to ruined his life by going to HLS is Elie Mystal, who I guess didn't really want to be a lawyer when he went, hated life at Debevoise, left, went deadbeat on his loans, and now disturbs a great many people on Above the Law. So, that's your worst case scenario, Elie Mystal, LOL.

Again, OP, as the Oracle in the Matrix said, you've already made your choice...you've just come here to understand it.

lol if you think this is true

I was kidding about Elie being the worst case scenario. Not kidding about OP having already made his mind up.

[Tempo]

0L; dr

Yeah, I didn't say I think it's fulfilling, nice try though. I said I know plenty of lawyers who find their work fulfilling.

[Tls2016]

The only HLS grad that I'm aware of who has even close to ruined his life by going to HLS is Elie Mystal, who I guess didn't really want to be a lawyer when he went, hated life at Debevoise, left, went deadbeat on his loans, and now disturbs a great many people on Above the Law. So, that's your worst case scenario, Elie Mystal, LOL.

Again, OP, as the Oracle in the Matrix said, you've already made your choice...you've just come here to understand it.

lol if you think this is true

I was kidding about Elie being the worst case scenario. Not kidding about OP having already made his mind up.

Edit: I want to believe OP is seriously considering not going to Harvard at sticker. I also hope OP is seriously considering that if he does he will end up in biglaw

[jbagelboy]

I am well aware of the limitations of the career. I am also aware that I'm not going to be in a John grisham novel. However, a more modest career goal of clerkship -> doj/academia/phd -> public policy/run for office/research/impact litigation/whatever is not that unlikely.

It's incredibly unlikely. It's literally the least modest. As smaug suggested you are delusional if you think this is actually a reasonable expectation for a law student or 0L.

Don't go.

[jbagelboy]

The only HLS grad that I'm aware of who has even close to ruined his life by going to HLS is Elie Mystal, who I guess didn't really want to be a lawyer when he went, hated life at Debevoise, left, went deadbeat on his loans, and now disturbs a great many people on Above the Law. So, that's your worst case scenario, Elie Mystal, LOL.

Again, OP, as the Oracle in the Matrix said, you've already made your choice...you've just come here to understand it.

lol if you think this is true

[Danger Zone]

0L; dr

Yeah, I didn't say I think it's fulfilling, nice try though. I said I know plenty of lawyers who find their work fulfilling.

I give others the impression that I enjoy my work. No one wants to be a debbie downer in real life. So the third person narrative was exactly the part of your post I was challenging. It's impossible to know how others truly feel on a day to day basis.

[Danny Mothers]

OP, can we trade? You can have my T6 degree, debt, and prestigious biglaw and I will take your librarian job in FedGov. Would make this trade all day every day. My work is boring and everyone above me, from mid level to partner, seems to do equally boring stuff. Friends in clerkships, fellowships, whatever else seem to do equally boring stuff. This is a paper pushing career at all levels.

[Tempo]

0L; dr

Yeah, I didn't say I think it's fulfilling, nice try though. I said I know plenty of lawyers who find their work fulfilling.

I give others the impression that I enjoy my work. No one wants to be a debbie downer in real life. So the third person narrative was exactly the part of your post I was challenging. It's impossible to know how others truly feel on a day to day basis.

If that's true, then it would be impossible for you to know how others truly feel about the work they do as well. So, you can speak for yourself when you say you don't find your work fulfilling, but if you're going to argue that we can't ever know others' true feelings, then the scope of what you can attest to ends there.