Do You Regret Going to Law School? Forum

[nouseforaname123]

Going to echo a lot of the sentiments expressed ITT. I don't regret it now because everything ultimately worked out (knock on wood), but the past 2.5 years have taken a huge emotional and psychological toll. If I knew as a 0L what the legal market/employment was really like, I probably would have just stuck with my old job. I hated it, but at least I'd still be making money instead of taking on a decent amount of debt.

Bolded is so true. I'm excited about doing biglaw after graduation and limited school debt to $60k. My wife and family are proud of me, but I don't feel a sense of accomplishment about law school. It's been so stressful I'm just relieved that things have worked out thus far.

Same boat at on the former job. It was a boring office job, but the pay was really good and most weeks I worked about 35 hours/week. I didn't really know how good I had it.

[rad lulz]

Do you know of anyone who did not get offered? if so, what did they do to land on their feet?

Out of the 9 people I know who got no-offered at large and midsized firms last year:

One got biglaw
Two got boutiques
One got an offer from his other half summer firm (split summer)
One got a job as a contract atty. at the same firm
Four are still looking

[utlaw2007]

I love my decision to go to law school. I think it is one of the best I ever made, hands down! I love being a lawyer that much more!

[reverendt]

I don't regret it at all.

I was class of 2011 from a T2 school. I have lots of debt, but I pay it back on the Income Based Repayment plan. I work, as a 1099 employee, for a small firm downtown in my city. I'm not salaried...I simply bill them for the work I do (usually about 25 hours a week). They also let me run a solo practice out of their office, using their facilities, staff, conference room with a view of the skyline, etc.

Between the two I make ends meet, and I'm starting to do a little better than that. I USUALLY love what I do.

[Supra]

Class of 2010. 330K debt (UG and T30 at sticker) that is accruing interest as we speak.

Constantly browsing craigslist looking for new contract positions. No stability, no health insurance.

Would not go to LS.

[EvilClinton]

Class of 2010. 330K debt (UG and T30 at sticker) that is accruing interest as we speak.

Constantly browsing craigslist looking for new contract positions. No stability, no health insurance.

Would not go to LS.

Wow...you sound like the poster child for why law might be a bad decision.

Can you elaborate more on your situation? What were your grades like? You obviously went into law school when the economy was good and left when it was bad, how did the market crash effect your job search? How much of the 300k was from UG?

[bk1]

One got a job as a contract atty. at the same firm

That's just fucking cruel.

[Nelson]

Class of 2010. 330K debt (UG and T30 at sticker) that is accruing interest as we speak.

Constantly browsing craigslist looking for new contract positions. No stability, no health insurance.

Would not go to LS.

Probably should've made a few more posts before creating a flame this obvious.

[Richie Tenenbaum]

Class of 2010. 330K debt (UG and T30 at sticker) that is accruing interest as we speak.

Constantly browsing craigslist looking for new contract positions. No stability, no health insurance.

Would not go to LS.

Probably should've made a few more posts before creating a flame this obvious.

Not saying it isn't a flame, but by no means is it obvious. 2010 is the no-offer class, and while 330K is high, it's not unimaginable to come away from UG with 100K+ in debt and law school with 200K+ in debt. I would think there is a good amount of class of 2010 people with a ton of debt and no good job prospects.

[rad lulz]

One got a job as a contract atty. at the same firm

That's just fucking cruel.

Yeah but he says he'd rather take it than keep looking

[bk1]

One got a job as a contract atty. at the same firm

That's just fucking cruel.

Yeah but he says he'd rather take it than keep looking

Of course. The firm is essentially saying "yeah we have work, but we'd rather pay you 16/hr than 160k to do it."

[dextermorgan]

One got a job as a contract atty. at the same firm

That's just fucking cruel.

Yeah but he says he'd rather take it than keep looking

Of course. The firm is essentially saying "yeah we have work, but we'd rather pay you 16/hr than 160k to do it."

The level of (justifiable) hatred he will feel towards everyone else in the office everyday is unimaginable.

[los blancos]

3L. No regrets, but only because (a) I met my fiance here; and (b) the law school gamble worked out extraordinarily well for me (and it was very close to not working out at all).

[keg411]

3L, no regrets about going, some regrets about choices I made during 2L. But generally I knew the game coming in, and played it really really well when it counted (with a lot of luck thrown in).

[LaBarrister]

One got a job as a contract atty. at the same firm

That's just fucking cruel.

Yeah but he says he'd rather take it than keep looking

Of course. The firm is essentially saying "yeah we have work, but we'd rather pay you 16/hr than 160k to do it."

Does work that truly requires a JD to complete ever only pay $16 per hour? If so, that is so cruel.

[bk1]

Does work that truly requires a JD to complete ever only pay $16 per hour? If so, that is so cruel.

Not sure what "truly requires" means but yes, there are lawyer jobs that pay $16/hour. Welcome to doc review.

[scifiguy]

Seems liek a lto of people say if they knew what theyh know now about law school and the law economyh that they'd just not go (if doing it all over again).

Do you guys feel, however, that in some ways you were psychologically "protected" by not knowing?

I guess I imagine that if I went to a T14 and just assumed nearly everyone was guaranteed a great outcome, then I might feel more relaxed. But if I went and was reading all this news and being told these stats all the time about how only 50 or 60% of students at like Michigan ...Duke...UVA, etc. could get biglaw/fed clerkship that I might freak out when stuyding and/or taking 1L exams. I wonder if people almost feel as if they're a gun to their heads when taking their 1L exams? SO much rides on it.

Do you guys feel at all that you benefited from not knowing in some ways?

[keg411]

Do you guys feel at all that you benefited from not knowing in some ways?

The opposite. I benefitted from knowing, and coming in with a plan, a back-up plan, and a back-up-to-a-back-up plan, etc. And I didn't start at anything close to a T14.

[Mick Haller]

Employed and like job.

Still regret quite a bit.

[jrf12886]

No regrets.

[Alexandria]

Seems liek a lto of people say if they knew what theyh know now about law school and the law economyh that they'd just not go (if doing it all over again).

Do you guys feel, however, that in some ways you were psychologically "protected" by not knowing?

I guess I imagine that if I went to a T14 and just assumed nearly everyone was guaranteed a great outcome, then I might feel more relaxed. But if I went and was reading all this news and being told these stats all the time about how only 50 or 60% of students at like Michigan ...Duke...UVA, etc. could get biglaw/fed clerkship that I might freak out when stuyding and/or taking 1L exams. I wonder if people almost feel as if they're a gun to their heads when taking their 1L exams? SO much rides on it.

Do you guys feel at all that you benefited from not knowing in some ways?

Not really -- I already put tons of pressure on myself to get good grades -- I'm not sure how much of a difference it could have made.

[jtabustos]

For you working lawyers, why do people say that the work is "soul-crushing" so often?

What's that referring to? Is it just the boredom factor?

[LaBarrister]

For you working lawyers, why do people say that the work is "soul-crushing" so often?

What's that referring to? Is it just the boredom factor?

My friends says that he believes litigation deprives people of their soul, but in a slow way that they cannot always notice. He said it has to do with the environment of the work, not necessarily the hours.

He is a nice guy and a big proponent of transactional legal work. He says it helps him sleep at night.

[portaprokoss]

Even though I go to a T-14 for nearly free, even though my grades are decent, even though I landed a coveted paying 1L gig, even though I'm going to big law, even though it's in the market I want, even though it's in the practice group I want, and even though that practice group is the best at what it does in the country . . . I regret coming to law school with every fiber of my being.

Practicing law is boring. 95% of the work you'll do is not challenging, though it may seem to be because you're exhausted. The people are terrible. Even at the highest paying firms the money sucks (for how many hours you work & the three years of your life you lost going to law school). The only things lawyers have in common are shoddy family lives and the desire for material well-being.

The legal profession's biggest winners are life's biggest losers.

Yes. I regret going to law school.

[howlery]

Even though I go to a T-14 for nearly free, even though my grades are decent, even though I landed a coveted paying 1L gig, even though I'm going to big law, even though it's in the market I want, even though it's in the practice group I want, and even though that practice group is the best at what it does in the country . . . I regret coming to law school with every fiber of my being.

Practicing law is boring. 95% of the work you'll do is not challenging, though it may seem to be because you're exhausted. The people are terrible. Even at the highest paying firms the money sucks (for how many hours you work & the three years of your life you lost going to law school). The only things lawyers have in common are shoddy family lives and the desire for material well-being.

The legal profession's biggest winners are life's biggest losers.

Yes. I regret going to law school.

If you could go back and choose differently, what would you have done? It sounds like you had amazing grades from undergrad and must be very talented to be where you are now.