Trying to explain the legal market to your parents... Forum

[sreiter18]

Hey guys,
Okay, so to make it a semi-short story, I decided to not go to law school right away because A) wanted to retake the LSAT B) get some solid work experience for a few years while saving some money and C) ponder if going to law school was REALLY what I wanted; given the financial incentives and if it was actually what I wanted to do the rest of my life.

Anyways, my parents can't really grasp the above concept(s). I've explained over and over and over again about the current legal market and how bad the job prospects are. They truly believe that it doesn't matter where you go that you will come out a lawyer...blah blah blah but, I know that it's a bunch of BS.

I guess what I'm asking is, what else can I possibly say or even show them that the market is horrible? I really would love for them to believe that I'm trying to make smart decisions when it comes to law school. It would be really nice for them to get off my back.

[sparty99]

Hey guys,
Okay, so to make it a semi-short story, I decided to not go to law school right away because A) wanted to retake the LSAT B) get some solid work experience for a few years while saving some money and C) ponder if going to law school was REALLY what I wanted; given the financial incentives and if it was actually what I wanted to do the rest of my life.

Anyways, my parents can't really grasp the above concept(s). I've explained over and over and over again about the current legal market and how bad the job prospects are. They truly believe that it doesn't matter where you go that you will come out a lawyer...blah blah blah but, I know that it's a bunch of BS.

I guess what I'm asking is, what else can I possibly say or even show them that the market is horrible? I really would love for them to believe that I'm trying to make smart decisions when it comes to law school. It would be really nice for them to get off my back.

Aren't you a grown adult? Who gives a shit what they think. I've tried explaining my parents my frustrations and they still act like the job market is good and that I'll be okay because I have "work experience." It has come to the point where I don't waste my time talking to them about anything legal related.

[zozin]

If they want to you go to law school ASAP so badly, have them pay for it.

[TheThriller]

Hey guys,
Okay, so to make it a semi-short story, I decided to not go to law school right away because A) wanted to retake the LSAT B) get some solid work experience for a few years while saving some money and C) ponder if going to law school was REALLY what I wanted; given the financial incentives and if it was actually what I wanted to do the rest of my life.

Anyways, my parents can't really grasp the above concept(s). I've explained over and over and over again about the current legal market and how bad the job prospects are. They truly believe that it doesn't matter where you go that you will come out a lawyer...blah blah blah but, I know that it's a bunch of BS.

I guess what I'm asking is, what else can I possibly say or even show them that the market is horrible? I really would love for them to believe that I'm trying to make smart decisions when it comes to law school. It would be really nice for them to get off my back.

Aren't you a grown adult? Who gives a shit what they think. I've tried explaining my parents my frustrations and they still act like the job market is good and that I'll be okay because I have "work experience." It has come to the point where I don't waste my time talking to them about anything legal related.

They are still his/her parents. Whether or not "giving a shit what they think" is the right advice, he/she may still value their opinion.

OP: Maybe you can point them towards LST and Campos's book about attending law school. I did and my parents came around with the whole retake idea.

[hoos89]

,

[North]

LST and the Vale of Tears thread did the trick when I explained it to my folks.

[Nova]

Yeah show them LST.

Tell them about 45k grads are competing for about 25k entry level jobs, musical chairs style. When the music stops, a lot of capable grads are left standing. So its important to put yourself in the best possible position from the beginning to minimize risk.

[rinkrat19]

If just pointing them to LST isn't likely to work, print out the "this many people have jobs paying this much" LST graph for a school you could get into with your current LSAT and for a target school. Look up how many people are getting jobs in firms >50 lawyers and how many are in firms <10 (basically self-employed and likely doomed). Compare. If they can't understand the concept of 15%<65% or whatever, I have no other advice.

[Monochromatic Oeuvre]

I have Boomer parents who cannot grasp the idea that being a lawyer is not necessarily a path to riches. But they're paying for my school, so I'm going where they told me to go, basically. Ultimately, if your parents aren't paying for school, what they decide doesn't really matter. If you're just trying to inform them, and they're reasonable people, there's everything everyone ITT has mentioned, plus all the NYT/WSJ articles about unemployed grads.

[Ti Malice]

http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Law-School-U ... B009D13IA6

http://www.amazon.com/Failing-Schools-C ... m_kstore_1

http://www.lawschooltransparency.com/

Like M.O. said, there are a bunch of NYT and WSJ articles on all of this. Dig them up. Tell your parents they need to actually educate themselves on this subject rather than lazily assume what was true for boomers 25 years ago holds true today. I'm sure they mean well, but they should understand that they're completely ignorant in this area. Show them this thread and the resources cited.

[alexrodriguez]

Hey guys,
Okay, so to make it a semi-short story, I decided to not go to law school right away because A) wanted to retake the LSAT B) get some solid work experience for a few years while saving some money and C) ponder if going to law school was REALLY what I wanted; given the financial incentives and if it was actually what I wanted to do the rest of my life.

Just tell your parents about me. I taught English in China and then joined the Navy. Going to law school was always an idea, but I wasn't certain about it. Now I'm certain about it and having the opportunity to pursue other options will leave me with no regrets.

It really makes a difference having the option to try other things. I'm not just a degree seeking robot.

I graduated when I was 20 years old though. Age was a factor for me. I didn't want to be the youngest student in class for the next three years. I'm 23 years old now and I've been all around the world. My perspective has changed tenfold. I remember thinking when I was 19 that going to UM for law school would have been the greatest thing ever. Now I'm aiming for T14 and have a realistic plan on how to get there.

Going to law school right out of undergrad would have been a terrible idea for me. I just didn't know enough about the world or even myself.

[Redfactor]

.