what exactly do lawyers do on a day to day basis? Forum

[lillawyer2]

bc im confused as fuck.

it isnt like law and order.

it isnt like suits.

it isnt anything you sre taught in school.

so wht the fudge is it?

a lot of ppl seemingly hate law bc they went in thinking it was something its not.

reality for lawyers is that you sit on your ass all day doing something similar to college homework (as in readung boring shyt all day). no frequent court appearances...no entertaining cases...no big or even decent money...this is the reality that im told.

then im told go do something in medicne, but wtf? isnt it similar? ill be a poor doctor until i hit 40 and its nothing like er and i work long hours.

i mean it all seems like shit doesnt it?

[BigZuck]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 3&t=228583

[cheaptilts]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... l#p7648568

There's a gigantic thread on this topic. Hasn't been bumped in awhile but it's pretty detailed/lots of anectdotes. hopes that helps

ETA: scooped

[rinkrat19]

Depends what kind of lawyer. County prosecutors or public defenders are in court CONSTANTLY (especially new ones who probably start with misdemeanors). But it's still not like law & order.

[jrass]

The first thing I do when I get into the office is create a list of everything I need to do that day. After I finish the list, I convert it into a chart. Once it's converted into a chart, I read it. After reading it about 6 or 7 times, I have lunch. After lunch, I study the chart a few more times until my eyes hurt so I go out to get some Tylenol and eye drops. Before you know it the day's over, and the cycle repeats itself the next day.

[lillawyer2]

thanks you guys: i fall in line with an AUSA and anything criminal DA.


is it really that hard to become an AUSA?! ugh the stress of this lsat is too much

[A. Nony Mouse]

You realize law and medicine aren't the only career options out there, right? So if law and medicine are shit, it's not like that's the end of the world.

[rinkrat19]

thanks you guys: i fall in line with an AUSA and anything criminal DA.


is it really that hard to become an AUSA?! ugh the stress of this lsat is too much

How do you know you fall in line with those when (a) those can be two very different jobs (I work in a DA's office and we just got a new DDA who was an AUSA and she's been having a month of utter culture shock) and (b) you have no idea what their daily jobs are like?

[lillawyer2]

You realize law and medicine aren't the only career options out there, right? So if law and medicine are shit, it's not like that's the end of the world.

yes, i do. i have yet to find a career with more pros than cons. it seems to be either equal or more cons than pros

[lillawyer2]

thanks you guys: i fall in line with an AUSA and anything criminal DA.


is it really that hard to become an AUSA?! ugh the stress of this lsat is too much

How do you know you fall in line with those when (a) those can be two very different jobs (I work in a DA's office and we just got a new DDA who was an AUSA and she's been having a month of utter culture shock) and (b) you have no idea what their daily jobs are like?

based off the thread i read thats linked where ppl talked about being in those professions. i mean there really is no way i can truly inow for sure unless im actually doing it right? how does anyone know what they want to do unless theyre actually do it

[rinkrat19]

thanks you guys: i fall in line with an AUSA and anything criminal DA.


is it really that hard to become an AUSA?! ugh the stress of this lsat is too much

How do you know you fall in line with those when (a) those can be two very different jobs (I work in a DA's office and we just got a new DDA who was an AUSA and she's been having a month of utter culture shock) and (b) you have no idea what their daily jobs are like?

based off the thread i read thats linked where ppl talked about being in those professions. i mean there really is no way i can truly inow for sure unless im actually doing it right? how does anyone know what they want to do unless theyre actually do it

Ok, I didn't realize you'd already read the thread. That's at least a good place to start.

You can get an idea from your summer jobs. Not really from the work that you yourself do, but by watching the real attorneys who work there. You can also get an idea of what material interests you at law school. If you hate contracts and civpro but love evidence and crim, then it makes sense to lean towards DA's offices and not biglaw firms.

[lillawyer2]

thanks you guys: i fall in line with an AUSA and anything criminal DA.


is it really that hard to become an AUSA?! ugh the stress of this lsat is too much

How do you know you fall in line with those when (a) those can be two very different jobs (I work in a DA's office and we just got a new DDA who was an AUSA and she's been having a month of utter culture shock) and (b) you have no idea what their daily jobs are like?

based off the thread i read thats linked where ppl talked about being in those professions. i mean there really is no way i can truly inow for sure unless im actually doing it right? how does anyone know what they want to do unless theyre actually do it

Ok, I didn't realize you'd already read the thread. That's at least a good place to start.

You can get an idea from your summer jobs. Not really from the work that you yourself do, but by watching the real attorneys who work there. You can also get an idea of what material interests you at law school. If you hate contracts and civpro but love evidence and crim, then it makes sense to lean towards DA's offices and not biglaw firms.

yea ive interned and loved it. i interned with a prominant criminal defense att and love that she went to court sll the time. i hated the office work but it was fine. i mean it just seems everywhere i went when i interned tell me to run away. every lawyer i meet says run. its disheartening and disgusting. it makes me question myself all the time... im going partially insane thinking about it.

[tk421991]

yea ive interned and loved it. i interned with a prominant criminal defense att and love that she went to court sll the time. i hated the office work but it was fine. i mean it just seems everywhere i went when i interned tell me to run away. every lawyer i meet says run. its disheartening and disgusting. it makes me question myself all the time... im going partially insane thinking about it.

Different attorneys do different things during their work day. When I was in community college and interned at my state's Attorney General's office, most of the prosecutors were either doing paperwork in their large cubicles/sections of the room or were in court. The head prosecutor of the department I worked in (who was a Deputy AG) was in court from 9am to 5pm. He literally was always in a hurry and he was one of those people who's office looked like a bomb exploded in it. One of my duties was to clean his office when he was on vacation but not mess with his organized chaos too much.

If you're an attorney in a medium sized or small town, you'll have your own office and maybe a secretary, maybe not. Busy on court days (for instance a guy who specializes in traffic tickets and DUIs will be in the traffic tribunal on Tuesdays since that's when the court handles traffic issues), in the office on off days.

What are they telling you to run away from? Practicing law or criminal defense? You have to understand that many, many people hate their jobs and sometimes their lives. You can't expect everyone to have a burning desire to be the best attorney they can or whistle and smile at work. I've seen what lawyers do, I know myself and I know who my role models were. So for me, there's no second guessing. This is my big shot to be something, unlike the last 300 years of my family, so for me it's probably different than you. I have a huge chip on my shoulder.

[AfrocentricAsian]

bc im confused as fuck.

it isnt like law and order.

it isnt like suits.

it isnt anything you sre taught in school.

so wht the fudge is it?

a lot of ppl seemingly hate law bc they went in thinking it was something its not.

reality for lawyers is that you sit on your ass all day doing something similar to college homework (as in readung boring shyt all day). no frequent court appearances...no entertaining cases...no big or even decent money...this is the reality that im told.

then im told go do something in medicne, but wtf? isnt it similar? ill be a poor doctor until i hit 40 and its nothing like er and i work long hours.

i mean it all seems like shit doesnt it?

T-14 graduates making 160k...sometimes this board infuriates me...

[totesTheGoat]

reality for lawyers is that you sit on your ass all day doing something similar to college homework (as in readung boring shyt all day). no frequent court appearances...no entertaining cases...no big or even decent money...this is the reality that im told.

then im told go do something in medicne, but wtf? isnt it similar? ill be a poor doctor until i hit 40 and its nothing like er and i work long hours.

i mean it all seems like shit doesnt it?

It's called being a desk jockey. Some people love it, some people hate it. I tend to be on the hate it side. That's why I went to law school. Might as well make as much money as possible while riding that desk. (mild sarc and hyperbole)

In all seriousness, work is called work for a reason. Except for the occasional unicorn, you get to choose two of: fun, safe, well-paying, and work-life balance.