JonLaw

I can't think of a good reason to go to law school these days.

I would not have chosen to go to law school knowing what I know now having been practicing law for 12 years.

Don't be me.

Ractogon

Unless you are passionate about it and already acquainted (if not a "citizen expert" on it), you will join the many unemployed lawyers. Why should they pick you, out of all the lawyers available for rent/hire? Do you have both a legal and political mind?
The key here is dedication, and networking. Without either one, your chances of success in the legal world are against the odds.
And, be prepared to sell your time. A lot of time.

LakeClouds

Only go if you can attend a top-10 (or maybe top-15) law school and you believe you can graduate in the top 10-20% of the class. Be prepared to work mind-numbing hours when you graduate.

Read this quick blurb - you mentioned one of the myths in your why law statement.

Law Practice Myths - 5 Myths Regarding the Practice of Law

Do you have a specialty in mind?

SJShark

The best thing about deciding on law school (at least from what I got out of my own research) is that your undergrad degree really does not matter. I mean there are preferred ones, but for the most part you could major in something like business or psychology. After that, you can either decide to go for law school or move onto something else. There is time to think.

sisterrita76

I have a couple of friends who are lawyers(both female) and one majored in speech and language pathology and one was a Home Ec major! So you're right, it doesn't matter what you major in.

My sister (also a lawyer) is Assistant Dean of Career Services at a law school and she says very few graduates land the plum jobs they dream of. It's a shock to many of them. Many of them have to go into areas of the law outside of a firm (non-profit, government,etc.).

redeye41

On the other hand, my two best friends, whom eventually got married, were discouraged from going to Law school because "there were to many lawyers", "you'll never find a Job" etc. This was 10 years ago. They both attended law schools outside the top 10; one was hired within months, one would call and say "I'll never get a job, it was a waste of time." She did get hired, by the federal government, three years later after working as a paralegal for that time. They each now make high six figure salaries and have two vacation homes on different sides of the continent. They enjoy their work. The wife thinks it took her so long to find a job because she had family issues going on and first year grades weren't spectacular.

frazzled1

What do you mean by "high six figure salaries," redeye? No federal government employee earns in the high six figure range. The Attorney General's salary is around $200K; the President earns $400K annually. Did you mean to say that six figures is itself a high salary? (It is, in comparison to what most Americans earn, but six figures doesn't result in two vacation homes for many people.)

This is an interesting document from NALP: http://www.wcl.american.edu/career/g..._-_2010-11.pdf It states that Not a lot of positions available, considering the number of law school graduates each year.

lonestardad

You have several years ahead of you to decide whether law school is in the cards for you which is good. Overall, the job market for new law graduates is imploding. Way too many law school graduates for the legal jobs available. Read insidethelawschoolscam at blogspot.com which is hosted by a current professor at University of Colorado Law School. It is chock full of quantifiable "let the buyer beware" type evidence re law school. Also, he has a recently published e-book for students considering law school that is a "must read". Again, you have plenty of time to decide, but become an informed shopper.

lonestardad

One more somber note, the main reason this law professor started the insidethelawschoolscam blog was that a former student he highly regarded committed suicide after one year of being unable to find employment as a lawyer. (The law professor said this in a recent Washington Post article on the lousy legal job market. Google it up.) There have been structural changes in the legal job market since the Great Recession of 2008 which augurs that many legal jobs are never coming back.

nwcrazy

Why waste your time wanting to go into a totally boring field? Believe me, law schools and law students are a "dime a dozen". Just about EVERYONE will end up doing boring work, reading documents after documents after documents after...

It's NOTHING like you see on television. In the end, you'll end up trying to open a little corner office begging to get people to come to you.

If you really want to make a difference, learn/do something tangible. Don't just hope for a career where all you end up doing is push papers around. The reality is that 30 years will go by and you'll finally discover that you did NOT make a difference.

That's my best advice to you.

BTW business degrees are also useless. So in answer to your question, do NOT go into law. It's a waste of life. Do something like engineering or the sciences. If you're really talented, the money will come...and you get to create or discover really "cool" things in the process.

redeye41

Frazzled-- This couple both make over $100,000 per year. One makes way over $100,000 a year, in private practice, and didn't go to a top 15 law school. I don't feel comfortable giving out more of their private information.

frazzled1

Thank you for the clarification, and I agree that you don't need to provide private information. When your post said "they each now make high six figure salaries," my interpretation was that you meant salaries in the high six figures, which is not the case for any federal employee, of course.

Now in private practice, an attorney can make that much or more (or can be struggling to get by in the mid-5 figures).

Catria

What other careers you would consider that would require strong communicator skills?

fauxmaven

Only go if you are going to work really hard, otherwise it is a waste of money. We know a young man who partied through Law School, and didn't pass the Bar. Now he has a ton of debt, and no job!

NYULawyer

I always warn young students who are "set to become a lawyer" about their future life mistake, who want to become a lawyer after watching "Boston Legal" and "Legally Blonde".

It is a terrible mistake to treat your college as a mere stepping stone to get into a law school. Go to college and major in something that is marketable; one that will get you a job.

Posters in this thread who warn about job prospects in legal field are correct. I have friends at top 30 law schools, ranked top 20% of their class, that don't have any jobs lined up yet with six figure school debt.

What is mind boggling is how damn expensive it is to pursue education in this damn country. Law school is hardly only program that incurs massive economic sacrifices. Pretty much every college nowadays demand at least 20k a year just for tuition. Then, also think about those Masters in Theatre programs at NYU or Boston University which demand 50-60k a year in tuition, with little to no financial aid.

Bottom line is that education is an investment, and a very expensive one at that. Only buy it if you can get a solid return on investment. And, don't tell me going 100k in debt for a law degree at a directional State U is worth it because you want to fight for justice.