Transition advice for those who drop out... Forum

[Wanderlust89]

I just finished 1L at a top 25 law school. Spring grades were posted and I am slightly below median. I enjoyed certain aspects of law school, but other portions were unbearable. The elusive Big-Law was never a priority. Due to internships with a DA and working at a firm, I thought I wanted to go into prosecution. My first year experience made me question whether law is a long term career path for my sanity.

I was fortunate and received a large scholarship to attend law school. If I finish law school, I will owe 14K in loans. If I drop out after 1L, I will owe 4.5K in loans. I do not have any debt from UG.

I went to a prestigious UG. However, I double majored in two useless liberal arts majors. I worked in-between UG and law school in higher education and at a law firm. I have no real transferable skills though if I drop out.

I would love to hear what other people did if they dropped out after 1L. Thanks for any assistance you may provide.

[zozin]

So you don't want to do biglaw at all? I would stick around until OCI/mass mailing and see if you can grab something. If you don't, you might still be able to drop out a few weeks into 2L year and still get a full refund on tuition.

[Wanderlust89]

I could possibly see myself at a smaller firm. I worked as a legal assistant at a biglaw firm. I saw the type of work and the toll it took on associates and partners. It isn't a lifestyle I'm interested in. I don't know if I want to go through OCI and waste additional time if I may be able to be something other than law school. Further, chances of getting work in a DA's office seems like a distant possibility at this point.

[lawman4]

There is not much of an answer to this question when you look at it.

On one side:
1.) You stay in law school, below median, racking up debt, currently questioning the practice of law

And on the other:
2.) you have a bachelors degree (today's bullsh*t degree), useless majors, not much job experience outside of the law

Option 1) Move out of the country
Option 2) Work at Sears
Option 3) Make connection and expand your horizons in the law field = there is more to life than Big law and prosecution.

[BVest]

Sears sucks, Crash. Boy, I worked there once. Sold Lady Kenmores. Nasty, whoa, nasty.

[jdx2014]

I just finished 1L at a top 25 law school. Spring grades were posted and I am slightly below median. I enjoyed certain aspects of law school, but other portions were unbearable. The elusive Big-Law was never a priority. Due to internships with a DA and working at a firm, I thought I wanted to go into prosecution. My first year experience made me question whether law is a long term career path for my sanity.

I was fortunate and received a large scholarship to attend law school. If I finish law school, I will owe 14K in loans. If I drop out after 1L, I will owe 4.5K in loans. I do not have any debt from UG.

I went to a prestigious UG. However, I double majored in two useless liberal arts majors. I worked in-between UG and law school in higher education and at a law firm. I have no real transferable skills though if I drop out.

I would love to hear what other people did if they dropped out after 1L. Thanks for any assistance you may provide.

what else would you do? lesser of the evils, devil you know vs the devil you don't.
unless you want to be a marine. If so, do it.

[Wanderlust89]

Thanks for the input. Has anybody had any success transitioning from dropping out of law school into a stable career? I'm running into a damn wall. If I drop out, I have a liberal arts UG degree from a top university that is essentially worthless. If I stay, I'm investing time and energy into something that may not pan out. I'm not concerned about the cost with my scholarship covering 95% of attendance/tuition costs.

I would appreciate any insight from individuals who have dropped out of law school

[haus]

I dropped out of college many years ago.

I ended up building a career in IT/InfoSec (after a detour through the military). Once I had some success, I managed to find an employer who offered tuition assistance and went back, finished my undergrad and picked up a Masters degree as well. But this is something that I had an interest in before hand. So my follow-up question, is do you have any skills that are marketable, or failing that do you have interest that with some tweaking, work & luck that you suspect could lead to something interesting?

[gnomgnomuch]

Full disclosure : havent even taken my lsat yet.

But, if you really did go to an ELITE undergrad, im talking ivy league, MIT, Stanford then even those 2 "bs" degrees can open doors for you.

so if i were in your situation, id mass mail looking for a job/internship that you think you'd like, stay in LS until you see how you fare at OCI (or if something comes along, and you see the opportunity, take it and drop it) and pick the lesser of two evils. 12k in debt isnt that much, and you could pay that off pretty quickly.

It doesnt seem like you have too much to lose, except for your sanity when you get to the point of LS that you really hate.

Also, whats are your degrees in? If its English and History, i cant see your point, but degrees like Poli Sci/Public Policy can open doors for you when you have an ivy league degree.


Best of luck!

[NYSprague]

There used to be a thread on dropping out but I couldn't find it. Maybe someone else can.

My advice is that it will never get easier to start on a different path. I know enough people who hate law that I don't think you should stay just because you can't think of anything else.

[Wanderlust89]

I'm interested in public policy or lobbying. I circulated a resume for almost 9 months from an "elite" ug without getting hits. I don't have work experience in practical fields. My degrees were in history and political science. I still maintain that they are useless degrees. I'm beginning to apply to other positions. No reason to jump ship without somewhere to go...

[northwood]

I'd stick it out. You only have 14k in debt if you finish, if you keep your scholarship. If for some reason you lose that scholarship then I'd drop out.

[jbagelboy]

(Oops)

[jbagelboy]

Apply for a an MPP or MPA if you can't get a consulting or gov't position and you want policy work. How are your UG grades? Definitely sit for the GRE as soon as possible.

Doesn't sound like your JD will have added value from a job hunt or name branding perspective. I'd probably lose it and either get a different masters or continue to milk your alumni network.

[LauraS]

I don't know the public policy scene, but, if you can't find a better plan, maybe you can shape your 2L and 3L years to help you get where you want to go.

Some ideas:

a) Take small seminars on topics you care about, ideally, with profs who're connected to Washington. Maybe they'll be impressed with you and make some calls for you and/or act as mentors. Visiting profs from Washington are even better.
b) Find profs you admire (ideally with ties to Washington) and ask to do an independent study with them. Or work as a TA.
c) Get a certificate in law and public policy, if available.
d) Take the classes you really want to take in other schools at your university, if allowed. (We were, and I'm still kicking myself that I didn't do it.)
e) Join groups in law school or elsewhere on campus that are focused on the topics you care about, so you can hear speakers, meet people, etc.

If you stay away from litigation and take courses that actually interest you, you may find you like law school.

[Wanderlust89]

Quick update. I was selected for Law Review at my school. I still think it was a fluke, but that is neither here nor there. If I'm still on the fence about law school, will Law Review be an asset when applying to public interest and non-profit positions?

[BVest]

Yes. But you may have to be convincing in your cover letters that you actually are seeking a public/PI position so they don't think you're just carpetbombing every employer in the tristate area.

[crazycanuck]

Well here's my 0.02, I didn't go to law school so you can read further if you want or not.

Don't try to pick a particular route, and just start applying for anything that is entry level and seems remotely interesting. Don't try to force yourself into one specific area. All the people I know who are doing well, didn't get there by trying to force a specific place, they just got an entry level job and ended up there. They are now project managers, doing all sorts of cool stuff at start ups, finance managers, risk managers, business development, etc. The people who tried to get into a niche went through the masters of x thing, did more schooling, and then ended up in the same entry level jobs that the others had 3 years earlier.

If you do drop out (and that's a personal decision which I won't comment on as I have no experience there), just start applying for jobs. Don't try to force your way into a specific industry because you think it's stable.

[boozehound]

Just so you know, I got killed my first semester (i.e., bottom third of class) and still ended up Magna Cum Laude. Law school is a truck load of bullshit. Professors are professors because they fail in the real world! Just write what the dumb fucks what to read and you'll be fine.

[Nep11]

Don't let your 1L grades or law school experience impact your future to that extent. I am a paralegal/law student and I can't tell you how many attorneys from all areas of the field didn't have great grades or a great time during school until they got to practice and find their niche. And these attorneys aren't bottom of the barrel, either - some of them bombed 1L, re-built their GPAs through hard work, while networking like crazy to ultimately land jobs they love. And I'm talking about partners, senior counsel, corporate executives, and etc.

That said, law review is an asset that can open doors, but it seems like it might be more important for you to get some real experience in practice. Have you interned or worked in a law office or took part in a clinic?

To be honest, 14k really isn't that much debt and you could conceivably network your way to a position that, unlike your peers, you could actually afford to take. 14k of debt/40k a year job looks very different to 140k in debt/40k a year job.

[OklahomasOK]

$14K in debt. Child, please. I'm at $70K and, amongst my friends, I have the least. I know people pushing $200K+.

Selected for law review too? I started out around the median and worked up to top 25% by the time I graduated. Managed to get a great part-time gig while in law school with a state regulatory agency. I landed a very nice job in a boutique lit firm with above median salary, good benefits, reasonable billable hours requirements, and an office with a door and a window.

Stick it, out. 2L and 3L years are total jokes anyways. Your grades will drastically improve and your stress goes down.

[daleearnhardt123]

Lots of suspect advice in this thread.... Law profs failed in the real world? Your grades WILL rise 2L and 3L?

That aside; OP paying 14k to get a degree from a top 25 with law review is a steal. Even if your grades are dogshit. Law review often doesn't dramatically alter the scales for employment prospects, but for YOU I think it does. Stick it out, work hard, build rrlationships w professors and alumni. You may not get a great job but you'll get a job. Given that your alternatives are nonexistent, I'd say this is a no-brainer.

And btw, you need to drop the "I've seen what the work does to people" horseshit attitude. This is the 21st century, post financial crisis. NO ONE pays decent money w solid job security for akid with no science/math skills and a lack of willingness to hustle. If you truly can't handle the real world, go try n bartend on a beach in costa rica.

[Mredav44]

Lots of suspect advice in this thread.... Law profs failed in the real world? Your grades WILL rise 2L and 3L?

That aside; OP paying 14k to get a degree from a top 25 with law review is a steal. Even if your grades are dogshit. Law review often doesn't dramatically alter the scales for employment prospects, but for YOU I think it does. Stick it out, work hard, build rrlationships w professors and alumni. You may not get a great job but you'll get a job. Given that your alternatives are nonexistent, I'd say this is a no-brainer.

And btw, you need to drop the "I've seen what the work does to people" horseshit attitude. This is the 21st century, post financial crisis. NO ONE pays decent money w solid job security for akid with no science/math skills and a lack of willingness to hustle. If you truly can't handle the real world, go try n bartend on a beach in costa rica.

+1

[mephistopheles]

damn, beach side bartending is sooooo credited.

man i love cocktail

[Wanderlust89]

Appreciate the advice. A lot to chew on going forward. I'm gonna go through OCI and mass mail policy groups I'm interested in.