Is the legal market REALLY that bad? Forum

[caruiz93]

I am still an undergrad and i am trying to figure out what i want. My "Dream job/career" is in law. but i keep hearing about how bad the market is and how law school is the worst idea ever. A lot of people on this forum are really snobby too and spread the attitude of "go to a T14 and graduate in the top 10 percent or you have no chance". But are things REALLY that bad? or is it just a temporary decline in the market just like there exists at times in any other field?

[fatduck]

if law school were free it wouldn't be that bad. when law school costs $100k, $200k, or more often $300k+, it's a pretty terrible bet, and at most schools you'd be better off spending that money on lotto tickets.

[goldeneye]

I am still an undergrad and i am trying to figure out what i want. My "Dream job/career" is in law. but i keep hearing about how bad the market is and how law school is the worst idea ever. A lot of people on this forum are really snobby too and spread the attitude of "go to a T14 and graduate in the top 10 percent or you have no chance". But are things REALLY that bad? or is it just a temporary decline in the market just like there exists at times in any other field?

unless you go for cheap elsewhere/have job lined up/extremely good connections.

simple answer, it's bad because of the cost.

[okinawa]

What is more likely, that every story here of unemployment is just someone who was bad at interviewing/working/hustling/whatever in some way, and that people are suggesting going to schools with higher employment because they are snobs, OR that the NY Times and a billion other news sources reporting a crisis in legal employment, talk of schools having to shut down, and actual employment statistics are correct?

Do research yourself. You wouldn't invest $200,000 - $300,000 plus three years on anything else without looking into the facts, so don't do that for law school assuming that people warning you are just snobs and you're so special, unemployment will never happen to you.

[Anonymous User]

What is more likely, that every story here of unemployment is just someone who was bad at interviewing/working/hustling/whatever in some way, and that people are suggesting going to schools with higher employment because they are snobs, OR that the NY Times and a billion other news sources reporting a crisis in legal employment, talk of schools having to shut down, and actual employment statistics are correct?

Do research yourself. You wouldn't invest $200,000 - $300,000 plus three years on anything else without looking into the facts, so don't do that for law school assuming that people warning you are just snobs and you're so special, unemployment will never happen to you.

Im not assuming I'm special or that unemployment won't ever happen to me. that is exactly why i am asking. I'm doing my research as well as trying to get opinion of those that have been there done that.

[thegrayman]

A relative graduated with good grades from a TTT and is now working for free while trying to pay down their debt. There is sound reasoning to the logic that you should only go if 1) you get into a really good school, or 2) you can go for free or nearly free.

You need to understand that you have no idea how you will do. You might end up at the top, but you might end up at the bottom. Your entire section will be composed of people who are just as smart as you and know the implications of not doing well just the same as you do. Don't kid yourself that you can just "work harder" than everyone else and succeed. You need to build into your assessment of schools what will happen if you end up with a bad result.

[bk1]

Apparently you are not capable of reading the rules posted at the top of the forum.