3L, Hate Law, Now What? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Ok, so you don't want to be a lawyer because they spend too much time in the office. You just realized this, apparently. You instead want a different job that requires less time in the office and less time working overall so that you can "enjoy life." Oh yeah, and you want to...help people and stuff too. You're also in debt and just wasted two years of your life. In other words, what you're looking for is a job where you aren't in an office, don't work a ton of hours, help people in a rewarding "benefit to society" kind of way, and make enough money to pay off your debts. It sounds to me like you should consider a career in the unicorn racing business.

Real life kind of sucks. I don't know what you thought you were getting into, but I don't see a non-law job being the solution to your problems, dawg. Sorry

Cop jobs can be good jobs. I know a few folks who do it and like it. Rewarding, the pay can be good, etc. The hours, on the other hand, suck (especially for rookies) and the pay will never be great. I'm guessing you wouldn't like that job after a while either. To be honest, it just doesn't sound like you want to work.

OP here.

I don't know where I gave off the impression that I didn't want to work or was trying to find some sort of unicorn-racing dream job. I'm looking for something I can do long term that I won't completely hate. What I think you're saying that I'm looking for is not at all where I'm coming from on this. I've been applying for every random job that I could find under the sun, all over the country, that I'm even remotely qualified for. This is not me being picky. This is me needing and wanting a paycheck first and foremost, and looking for a better long-term option doesn't impair that.

On that note, work I'd prefer to do is a different thing from work that I'd be willing to do, and I don't know why it seems that I need to spell this out. I would think it would be self evident. The point is not for me to suddenly find some random dream job, and I'd obviously be willing to work as a lawyer if that's what's available to me. But: (1) legal jobs are not abundant these days, (2) legal jobs that pay above the salary that one could make with a random BA are less abundant than legal jobs generally, (3) I'd be happier in a non-legal job (bored around lawyers & law students, dislike discussion of legal issues, etc.), and (4) there are some entry-level jobs out there that I qualify for that - barring a significantly unlikely 3L spring midlaw or biglaw hire - would pay significantly more than I'm probably going to be able to make as an entry level lawyer. I don't think that looking for other ideas is a nutty thing to do under these circumstances. Also, just for reference:

I'm flexible on the type of job I end up with in the short term, but given the market you obviously kind of have to be. Of course, I don't want to be in law for more than a couple years if at all possible.

and

Just lookin for ideas. I got a few, been pursuing a bunch of non-legal possibilities in addition to the few legal jobs that seem attainable at the moment. If it wasn't clear, I'm not categorically opposed to any kind of work assuming I can make enough to pay the loans off without being miserable or moving into my parents' basement or something. But I would rather not be a lawyer for very long if I can find opportunities elsewhere. And I don't think that posting a message asking for people's ideas on an internet forum with a ton of other law students on it is too crazy of a thing to do.

So anyway, The entire intent of the thread was to get some ideas for non legal work, nothing more or less than that. I appreciate that some people have made useful contributions, and I'm very sorry if my statements regarding my feelings towards the profession were offensive or gave you the wrong impression about why I posed the question in the first place. *My bad.* But I seriously don't think this is the right career for me at all, and I see no good reason to pretend it is.

One last thing: My "problems" aren't actual "problems" as you term them, and I "enjoy life" just fine. I also don't know why I wouldn't get to "enjoy life" after graduation as you also seem to imply. As much as I might regret going to law school, my situation is frankly not that bad - or really, even a bad situation at all. I get that the intent was to give me shit, which is going to happen on any internet forum, but let's not oversell the point.

[sebastian0622]

I don't know man, you're really hemming and hawing about what you want here. You say you don't want to practice law and then say you could do it. You don't want to be in an office, but you could do it. You could get a decent job with just a B.A. but you could also practice law. You're saying so many different things that you're just not really saying anything at all at this point, and I think that's why several posters (me included) have questioned your perspective, maturity, and willingness to work. Obviously none of us know you, but your posts are raising those questions. We're not just pulling these characterizations out of thin air.

The only interpretation that squares with all of the divergent rantings and ramblings you've posted is that you really don't know what you want to do and you seem to have a general unwillingness (or at least a resistance) to doing the things that are part of being an adult in the professional workforce, like working long hours, working in an office, and doing work that isn't always socially rewarding. I'll stand by my comments that if you want a job that is all of those things, still pays you good money, and is available to a new grad, then unicorn racing is the field for you!

But seriously, I think you have to decide what you want and what you're willing to do. This thread has grown in scope and ambition to a degree that makes it hard for anyone to give you advice, because you're basically saying that there are a lot of factors in determining what you want to do, but that you're willing to do anything if necessary and if the money is good. But those things go for pretty much everyone, so I'm just not sure what you're expecting people to say?

[reasonable_man]

Just curious. What should a 3L who just figured out that they really hate law do?

Travel back in time and kick the shit out of yourself for being too fucking dumb to research a 200K decision before jumping in feet first....

[A'nold]

Lol at unicorn racing.

OP: the problem is that you are vehemently resisting any suggestion at working in the legal field but then not telling us why that is, other than you "find lawyers and legal arguments boring." It just seems that if you are so averse to anything relating to the legal field you are basically averse to any kind of office job or any kind of job that could be boring, yet you still want to make enough to pay off loans. This seems like a very immature position to take, eliminating any kind of job that remotely relates to your law degree, and it seems like you have never really had a real job. It just sounds like the kind of complaining you'd hear from a 14 year old and not a third year law student. I'm not saying you are intending to sound like this but to most of us this is how it is coming across.

[EMZE]

I'm going to reiterate the idea that you should pursue a job with the military via JAG. It is probably your best chance to do something that won't hurt your career or resume and will in fact help it, you will be given probably more of an opportuntiy to not sit behind a desk all day, you will be able to make amazing connections, get a wide breadth of experience spanning every aspect of law, from litigation in court martials, contracts with civilian agencies both U.S. and international, and then adlaw. As a JAG you will also have the ear of high ranking military commanders that have had their own JAG representatives for the last decade and will have amazing points of contact for you if you decide to transition out. And, if you are physically fit and mentally tough, if you go through some of the high speed schools like ranger school, you can get a job working in the special operations community and deal with some really intricate stuff, in addition to getting a top secret security clearance.

If you decide you want to teach one day, while those opportunities may be much more diffucult to get depending on what school you are currently attending, the service academies all have mandatory law classes taught by JAGs. Obviously this isn't as coveted a position as actually teaching at a law school in a JD program, but it is at least an option to teach at a well respected institution.

At least talk to a JAG recruiter if you really don't like the looks of the legal opportunities in the civilian world. Yes, you will be a lawyer by trade and will be responsible for the legal issues of a unit, but your entry level position will probably be the assistant judge advocate for a 4,000 Soldier brigade (if you join the army). Being in the military, at least from what I have been told 1st hand from those currently doing the job and those who have transitioned out, will also help you make partner in a big law firm despite the fact that, age wise, you are behind the power curve.

And you will have veterans hiring preference into federal jobs if you go that route.

Just my 2 cents. I am only a 0L, and do not know much of anything about the legal market compared to the advice you have gotten from the rest of the 2L, 3L, or graduates that have given you advice, but I do know a lot about the military, and have several very close friends who are JAGs. A JAG recruiter is probably your best option for someone to talk to, but many of them are a couple of echelons above reality since they have never worked at the ground level in the military. Post here or PM me with more questions if you want more information.