In what instances is it rewarding to attend law school? Forum

[Foghornleghorn]

I just can't be expected to sit at my desk all day, everyday for 6 months

lol

[Nomo]

Even if you get into CCN, and work in biglaw lit for 3-5 years, you still probably won't get AUSA. There aren't anywhere near enough
AUSA jobs for every biglaw midlevel who wants one.

[BizBro]

This whole thread has got to be a flame. I love the way OP writes though.

[lillawyer2]

Even if you get into CCN, and work in biglaw lit for 3-5 years, you still probably won't get AUSA. There aren't anywhere near enough
AUSA jobs for every biglaw midlevel who wants one.

Well SOMEONE is going to get AUSA! Even if the number is small, I could be one of those people. If one of those people is me, then what's good?!

[lillawyer2]

Obviously TCR is still going to be bust your butt on the LSAT no matter what you do. A lot of people take a route that involves 3-4 years of biglaw that they "put up" with in order to gain experience (side note: also money) valued by transitional employers.

I actually don't think law, as a profession, is that bad - the problem is that you're almost setting yourself up to be disappointed. If you're working difficult hours doing mundane work and feel trapped, biglaw is going to be that, except worse. If you dream of going to an NYC DA's office, prepare to volunteer for 1+ years post graduation just to get in the door, because right now selection rate varies between .5% and 1.6%. Starting salary is 62k/year, and the hours are only marginally better than biglaw. From your last couple posts, it sounds like you're looking for this perfect unicorn job where you can (1) work reasonable hours, (2) make "lucrative" money (which for tri-state area is kind of relative), and (3) do prestigious litigation. Basically, pick 1-2 of those three, and that's pretty accurate.

edit>

I just can't be expected to sit at my desk all day, everyday for 6 months.

Actually, I take it back, law is probably a bad idea for you almost across the board, then. :/ Maybe JAG, but even that is going to be a lot of sitting at your desk all day every day.

If push came to shove, I'd pick (2) and (3). I work in finance and sitting at my desk makes me think bad thoughts. I don't imagine anyone likes sitting at their desk for hours, but that fat check guarantees ones ass in that desk from sun up to sun up.

I'm going to look into big law firms, I need a walk through, a day in their shoes, to get a feel of what they actually are doing. I don't think I quite understand.

I don't like at all what I am doing at my current job, so it can also factor in to my hatred of cubicle seating. If I find that what biglaw entails on a day to day basis and I realize it may not be as bad as what I currently do and go through then my attitude may change.

[lillawyer2]

This whole thread has got to be a flame. I love the way OP writes though.

Thanks, I like your avatar!

[jbagelboy]

you no longer have to sit at your desk in law. most firms will get you a standing desk or a treadmill desk on request.

[TheSpanishMain]

Even if you get into CCN, and work in biglaw lit for 3-5 years, you still probably won't get AUSA. There aren't anywhere near enough
AUSA jobs for every biglaw midlevel who wants one.

Well SOMEONE is going to get AUSA! Even if the number is small, I could be one of those people. If one of those people is me, then what's good?!

Assuming you're real, you're basically saying that you're only interested in two legal jobs: AUSA and JAG. I'm not sure you really understand what either job is about, but regardless, you're making a huge gamble (three years plus a lot of money) in the hopes that you get a relatively unlikely outcome. Most people who want to become AUSAs/JAGs don't. Going to law school is dumb if the only acceptable outcomes are unlikely.

[Dcc617]

Even if you get into CCN, and work in biglaw lit for 3-5 years, you still probably won't get AUSA. There aren't anywhere near enough
AUSA jobs for every biglaw midlevel who wants one.

Well SOMEONE is going to get AUSA! Even if the number is small, I could be one of those people. If one of those people is me, then what's good?!

Assuming you're real, you're basically saying that you're only interested in two legal jobs: AUSA and JAG. I'm not sure you really understand what either job is about, but regardless, you're making a huge gamble (three years plus a lot of money) in the hopes that you get a relatively unlikely outcome. Most people who want to become AUSAs/JAGs don't. Going to law school is dumb if the only acceptable outcomes are unlikely.

The OP may actually want to look into JAG. While there is a lot of sitting around, that's just the life of an officer. But JAG lawyers (in the army at least) also have the ability to go to high speed schools like air assault. They also have to do normal soldier stuff like firing at ranges and going to the field. Well, I've seen JAG people in the field before, but I don't know how long they had to stay. The pay is alright. O3s and O4s make pretty decent money.

OP, you may want to talk to a recruiter and look into it. They may not be interested in signing you up for it until you actually get the degree though. But I can't imagine it would be too competitive. I know some JAG attorneys from some pretty awful schools.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I don't think that's correct. JAG is extremely competitive. Just because you know JAGs from crappy schools (I do too) doesn't mean the process isn't selective, just that school name isn't what they look for.

[TheSpanishMain]

The OP may actually want to look into JAG. While there is a lot of sitting around, that's just the life of an officer. But JAG lawyers (in the army at least) also have the ability to go to high speed schools like air assault. They also have to do normal soldier stuff like firing at ranges and going to the field. Well, I've seen JAG people in the field before, but I don't know how long they had to stay. The pay is alright. O3s and O4s make pretty decent money.

OP, you may want to talk to a recruiter and look into it. They may not be interested in signing you up for it until you actually get the degree though. But I can't imagine it would be too competitive. I know some JAG attorneys from some pretty awful schools.

Sure, JAGs can go to Air Assault/Airborne/etc. Probably even Ranger School. You're just not likely to get sent unless you're in an infantry battalion, and even then you're probably pretty low priority for spots. Point is, if what appeals to you about JAG is "I get to play infantry sometimes" then you should probably just skip the JAG part and go be an 11B.

And yeah, JAG is pretty selective, as Nony said. It's just less correlated with school prestige than other competitive jobs. They look at personality, prior service, public service in general, etc.

[Dcc617]

The OP may actually want to look into JAG. While there is a lot of sitting around, that's just the life of an officer. But JAG lawyers (in the army at least) also have the ability to go to high speed schools like air assault. They also have to do normal soldier stuff like firing at ranges and going to the field. Well, I've seen JAG people in the field before, but I don't know how long they had to stay. The pay is alright. O3s and O4s make pretty decent money.

OP, you may want to talk to a recruiter and look into it. They may not be interested in signing you up for it until you actually get the degree though. But I can't imagine it would be too competitive. I know some JAG attorneys from some pretty awful schools.

Sure, JAGs can go to Air Assault/Airborne/etc. Probably even Ranger School. You're just not likely to get sent unless you're in an infantry battalion, and even then you're probably pretty low priority for spots. Point is, if what appeals to you about JAG is "I get to play infantry sometimes" then you should probably just skip the JAG part and go be an 11B.

And yeah, JAG is pretty selective, as Nony said. It's just less correlated with school prestige than other competitive jobs. They look at personality, prior service, public service in general, etc.

Those are all very fair points. I still think the OP should look into it if he wants a lawyer job that's less of the traditional office work.

To be honest, I don't know much about JAG besides that I can ask them for advice when a soldier does something dumb. It never really appealed to me, but I can see the allure for some.

[TheSpanishMain]

I can ask them for advice when a soldier does something dumb.

But really, how often does that happen?

[Dcc617]

I can ask them for advice when a soldier does something dumb.

But really, how often does that happen?

I'm assuming that you're joking, or else in a way better unit than mine. I have to call legal on a weekly basis, at least. This last month was so bad that I legitimately offered our paralegal a little desk and computer in our orderly room so she didn't have to keep running back and forth.

EDIT: Sorry OP, I don't mean to derail your thread. I'll stop complaining.

[TheSpanishMain]

Definitely joking.

One of my soldiers got battery acid in his eye. How? He was smashing batteries with a mallet. Why? It is a mystery.

[Dcc617]

Definitely joking.

One of my soldiers got battery acid in his eye. How? He was smashing batteries with a mallet. Why? It is a mystery.

One time I had a sergeant show up to his soldier's school graduation drunk and wearing the wrong rank (staff sergeant). He drove there on a suspended license and the MPs found an unregistered firearm in his vehicle. It was fully loaded with a banana clip.

EDIT: sorry, sorry, I swear that's my last one. But OP, JAG also has crazy good hours. It's pretty 9-5 and you get federal holidays. Plus you get stories like the ones above.