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After a great deal of self-reflection over the last two years in law school, I've decided to walk on the law entirely and pursue something else after law school. I don't really need to go into the specific reasons for this, but yeah. I'm still in my early 20's and not straddled with debt (thanks to a full tuition scholarship). But is it worth taking the bar? Some of my classmates (and CSO) recommend taking the bar anyway, but I don't know if I'm buying into their "spend thousands of dollars and countless hours studying for the hell of it" pitch. Especially since I'm 99% positive that the legal profession is wrong for me. I just thought I would ask TLS for an objective opinion.

How about don't spend thousands, just do self study in your spare time and cram the last week and if you get it fine if not move on
Might be an interesting credential to have

Well, what are you planning to do? If it's something legal-adjacent like compliance or risk management, being barred could give you an edge. If you want to become an artist or something, then the bar is totally useless. If you don't know yet, then you can always wait because the bar exams are administered twice a year and the prep courses are always available.

i mean, it's only November so if you're going to completely walk away from law, just drop out.

and assuming you finish LS and get your JD, part of you wants the credentials (at the cost of several more thousands of dollars than a bar review course even with scholly), and being barred is a closely adjacent credential to the degree itself.

Not everyone will see it this way but, in the non-legal interview context, I think sitting for the bar makes you look more like a failed lawyer than a person who had a change of heart.

I'd sit for the bar. You sound like you could probably self study and pass, so it's not really any detriment to you other than studying for 2-3 months.

pancakes3 wrote:i mean, it's only November so if you're going to completely walk away from law, just drop out.

and assuming you finish LS and get your JD, part of you wants the credentials (at the cost of several more thousands of dollars than a bar review course even with scholly), and being barred is a closely adjacent credential to the degree itself.

I'm not dropping out because I don't pay for anything (and I already have my apartment through May anyway), I'm actually doing something decently cool and practical through law school this semester and next semester instead of simply taking classes (and it's non law related which is even better), and 3L classes are so easy that I can basically have a four month vacation to chill/travel/workout/play Destiny, while still at least earning a degree, which would make me feel somewhat like this wasn't a total waste. And there's 5 months to go...dropping out now seems silly.

pancakes3 wrote:i mean, it's only November so if you're going to completely walk away from law, just drop out.

and assuming you finish LS and get your JD, part of you wants the credentials (at the cost of several more thousands of dollars than a bar review course even with scholly), and being barred is a closely adjacent credential to the degree itself.

wanting a career outside of law still makes having a law degree beneficial. lots of hiring decisions get okayed for non-legal roles because of a law degree certification. plus it avoids a resume gap. at this point, not graduating would be stupid considering the amount of money/time sunk into the degree. plus, for non-legal roles in businesses, lots of salary brackets become automatic if you have more than a bachelors degree, regardless of its relevance to your job. i know people who work at banks in non legal roles who automatically started 5k-10k higher in salary for having a law degree and others in non-business roles who automatically got a 5k-20k raise upon completion of an MBA.

so no, dont drop out.

jkpolk wrote:Not everyone will see it this way but, in the non-legal interview context, I think sitting for the bar makes you look more like a failed lawyer than a person who had a change of heart.

this can also be true. i dont think sitting for the bar is a big deal, assuming you want nothing to do with law. but lots of compliance jobs that are not really that legal (money laundering departments, loan departments, etc at big banks) give you an advantage for being barred. if you get a job you want, def no need to sit for the bar. if you are looking and casting a broad net, id sit for the bar, not study much (youll prolly pass), and see what happens. if you are applying for pure business roles with that dont touch on law at all, you might want to leave the bar off your resume.

I don’t think you can meaningfully say the legal profession isn’t for you while you’re still in law school. Law school only gives you a feel for being a clerk or being a cog in an enormous firm. Most legal jobs aren’t that way at all. Prosecutors, public defenders, family law, regulatory work, etc are completely different-and way better.

andythefir wrote:I don’t think you can meaningfully say the legal profession isn’t for you while you’re still in law school. Law school only gives you a feel for being a clerk or being a cog in an enormous firm. Most legal jobs aren’t that way at all. Prosecutors, public defenders, family law, regulatory work, etc are completely different-and way better.

The OP may have actually tried those things during school, though.