Litigation consulting or Law school? Forum

[r536]

I've recently graduated and got started as a research analyst in a litigation consulting firm earning around 60K/year. Considering the time cost and tuition, does it worth going to law school? I have been doing a lot of doc review at work and have found out that I am really good at it (my manager told me that) and enjoy doing it.

[twert]

does it look like you have a reasonable chance of making 100k at this job in the next three to five years? If so its probably not worth it to go to law school.

[TTH]

Well, do you want to be a lawyer?

[r536]

This is a question that I have been constantly thinking about. I want to become an attorney because I like what they do, and because of the respect they get. On the other hand, I feel like I’m doing similar/related things at work (reading depos, reviewing docs, damage model calculations, etc). So I want to know if it really makes a difference by going to law school. Yes, for sure, people respect lawyers a lot more than some random folks working for a litigation consulting firm. But I will have to invest a lot of time and money in order to get there. Will it pay off?

[GATORTIM]

But I will have to invest a lot of time and money in order to get there. Will it pay off?

This is the $150k question...only you can answer

[englawyer]

This is a question that I have been constantly thinking about. I want to become an attorney because I like what they do, and because of the respect they get. On the other hand, I feel like I’m doing similar/related things at work (reading depos, reviewing docs, damage model calculations, etc). So I want to know if it really makes a difference by going to law school. Yes, for sure, people respect lawyers a lot more than some random folks working for a litigation consulting firm. But I will have to invest a lot of time and money in order to get there. Will it pay off?

IMO depends on your gpa/lsat. since you are presumably a young person, if you can study at a good quality JD program, you should suck it up and do it. the opportunity cost will be well worth it.

it is probably not, however, a good idea to go to a TTT. so stats please

[GATORTIM]

it sounds like the latitude offered by a law career appeals to you. Does your current position offer that or will you be doing the same task in 5 years?

[r536]

Thanks to everyone who responded. 1 year has passed and...

1. I've taken the LSAT (165).
2. I've been admitted to UC Hastings (no $$ so far), and a couple other T2 schools in CA with $$.
3. I've also been admitted to a law school in Asia (which is where I'm from).

Ideally I'd like to practice US law in Asia, but I don't know anything about the demand of US lawyers in Asia. Another concern is that I'm ESL (this is my 6th year in the U.S.) and I have a slight accent. I don't know if I can manage to survive law school with decent grades.

Going to law school in my hometown is an option. I won't have to go into debt, but I will earn a lot less as a local hire after I graduate. However, local law schools are not very prestigious and I will be hired as a trainee solicitor for 2 years (basically a paralegal) before I can become an attorney.

Regarding my job, there's not a lot of upward mobility unless I go for a CPA/CFA, which is absolutely not something that I would want.

P.S. I decided to study for the LSAT partly because of you guys', seriously!! Now that I've been admitted to law school, I'm still confused...

[dood]

wat firm bro

[nealric]

1. I've taken the LSAT (165).
2. I've been admitted to UC Hastings (no $$ so far), and a couple other T2 schools in CA with $$.
3. I've also been admitted to a law school in Asia (which is where I'm from).

Ideally I'd like to practice US law in Asia, but I don't know anything about the demand of US lawyers in Asia. Another concern is that I'm ESL (this is my 6th year in the U.S.) and I have a slight accent. I don't know if I can manage to survive law school with decent grades.

Retake the LSAT or don't go. There are a tiny handful of US trained lawyers working for US firms in Asia, but almost all are from top schools. Getting average grades at Hastings would likely lead to a job paying exactly what you are making now - plus six figures of debt.

[typ3]

Solution: Keep your current job and go to law school part time with full tuition with your 165.