Advice needed on career situation Forum

[Newyorkparalegal]

Hello,

I am a guy in my mid thirties that works as a paralegal in New York City. My best friend since high school is a very successful plantiffs lawyer who is now on the verge of his first seven figure win. Every month, he takes me to lunch in an expensive restuarant, and gives me the same lecture over and over again:

By being just a paralegal, you are wasting your intellect and will never be able to get a high quality wife. Being a lawyer, has truly helped me get great women (actually he always was great at getting women, being a suave ladies man). Law is so fascinating and challenging, each case is like a great chess game, poker game, and war combined. It is great to make at times six figures per case (he has had some huge mid six figure wins.

You really need to get your ass to law school.

I can tell that he really wants the best for me, since I saved him from suicide when we were in high school, yet despite his great salesmenship, and trial skills, he is unaware of the following things:

1. The legal job market is hypercompetitive and most non big-law jobs do not offer a good ROI on the huge six figure loan debts Law school requires.

2. He was able to intially knock down his law school debt by lasting a few years at a Biglaw firm, yet as a guy in my third thirties, I am unlikely to get a job in Big-law.

3. Building up his practice involved a few years of going nowhere, till he by luck got his first worthwhile case via a referal of a referal.

When I explain to him, the torture that the doc review world is like for those who can't get decent legal jobs, his response is to give a speech saying that he will find work for me and eventually make me his partner, YET

Is it really a sensible gamble to take out a loan for law school based on his repeated promise to make me his partner one day? How do I know that he will really do it when push comes to shove?

My questions are the following:

1. Which one of of us is right, him that being a paralegal is waste of time and that I should follow in his footsteps, or me who is averse to taking on six figures of nondischargeable debt?

2. What type of law school is best for the purpose of being a solo or partner of a solo?

3. Any other advice?

I would be very interested in your thoughts.

Thanks

[lillawyer2]

Hello,

I am a guy in my mid thirties that works as a paralegal in New York City. My best friend since high school is a very successful plantiffs lawyer who is now on the verge of his first seven figure win. Every month, he takes me to lunch in an expensive restuarant, and gives me the same lecture over and over again:

By being just a paralegal, you are wasting your intellect and will never be able to get a high quality wife. Being a lawyer, has truly helped me get great women (actually he always was great at getting women, being a suave ladies man). Law is so fascinating and challenging, each case is like a great chess game, poker game, and war combined. It is great to make at times six figures per case (he has had some huge mid six figure wins.

You really need to get your ass to law school.

I can tell that he really wants the best for me, since I saved him from suicide when we were in high school, yet despite his great salesmenship, and trial skills, he is unaware of the following things:

1. The legal job market is hypercompetitive and most non big-law jobs do not offer a good ROI on the huge six figure loan debts Law school requires.

2. He was able to intially knock down his law school debt by lasting a few years at a Biglaw firm, yet as a guy in my third thirties, I am unlikely to get a job in Big-law.


3. Building up his practice involved a few years of going nowhere, till he by luck got his first worthwhile case via a referal of a referal.

When I explain to him, the torture that the doc review world is like for those who can't get decent legal jobs, his response is to give a speech saying that he will find work for me and eventually make me his partner, YET

Is it really a sensible gamble to take out a loan for law school based on his repeated promise to make me his partner one day? How do I know that he will really do it when push comes to shove?

My questions are the following:

1. Which one of of us is right, him that being a paralegal is waste of time and that I should follow in his footsteps, or me who is averse to taking on six figures of nondischargeable debt?

2. What type of law school is best for the purpose of being a solo or partner of a solo?

3. Any other advice?

I would be very interested in your thoughts.

Thanks

It's easy to find the negatives in something u don't want to do. In most professions u are taking a risk/there are negatives.

[CanadianWolf]

Non-biglaw litigation is like chess, poker & war combined; if you don't enjoy the hunt & lust for the kill, then this may not be the right choice for you.

With respect to paralegal work, it depends upon the person as well as on your earnings/earnings potential. Some paralegals make very good incomes. What type of paralegal work are you doing ? Litigation ?