There’s a pretty good chance one of my droids is going to wind up in law school, though they definitely haven’t yet realized it.
Ha! The biggest joke in my house is that the only one who doesn’t know D22 is going to law school is she.
1.5 years in, she has started to accept that yup, that will probably happen 
She doesn’t particularly enjoy when we point out that “no, we are not surprised you loved that class.”
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Reminds me of my S24, who doesn’t yet know that he is going to major in physics. Maybe I’m wrong, time will tell. He is TA-ing two physics classes instead of taking PE.
On the other hand, some people (cough) didn’t know they were going to law school until they had been working a few years and may still find themselves surprised that they did so, thirty years later.
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There have been situations like this throughout the year (like the HS Gov elective she was forced into).
She signed up for “a Politics class to fill a requirement that my friend said is good,” only to discover it is well known as a pre-law weeder class.
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I would urge caution in dismissing a legal career out of hand if a T20-ish school is not in the cards. You are correct that a T-20 law school provides an easier path to break into Big Law. But, Big Law is a very specific thing and is not for everyone, even if they think it they want that lifestyle. Limiting your outlook to Big Law or bust has great potential to disappoint even if D24 achieves a Big Law job out of law school.
Think of law school and a law degree as a vehicle a career. That process and the knowledge you gain can open a variety of doors, many of them lucrative.
I attended a non-T20 law school and worked alongside attorneys from Harvard, Penn, NYU, Cornell, etc. The two firms I worked in were not considered Big Law, but were incredibly lucrative. After a stint in law, I obtained a non-legal corporate job; again, quite lucrative.
Like many degrees, a law school education can provide the foundations for a wonderful career, even if that career is not what was intended at the outset. I’m not advocating law school or a legal career, but just cautioning foreclosing that as an opportunity if a T-20 school does not materialize. Regardless, good luck to your daughter!
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I worry about (including for my poli sci kid) when people say - they’re headed to law but don’t realize it - is it because often times if the path isn’t successful or as planned and someone is two years out of school struggling, law is the school where anyone with a college degree can apply and go?
Is that where that “thought” from the folks who posted - my kid will be in law school but doesn’t realize it- potentially comes from?
My cousin was working in a a low wage job in Portland out of SDSU, and now finds herself at a third tier law school pursuing environmental law…I believe in part for this reason. Working at a hotel is a tough way to make a career…but she wasn’t academically qualified for “top” law school.
In my experience, many go to law school because they can’t think of anything else and being a lawyer sounds like it would be interesting or lucrative. The reality is that a lot of legal work is not terribly interesting. It can be very important and very lucrative and still be about … well, comma placement. On the other hand, it could be terribly interesting and either pay nothing or not be an available career choice for someone with less than 10 years of experience.
Those that do very well in and after law school—regardless of the rank of the school—tend to be people that had a specific subject matter interest before they went to school (and typically had job experience in that area), and their legal career centers around that subject. For example, MBAs that went to law school and came out doing M&A work; HR people that came out doing labor and employment law; scientists that came out as patent lawyers; police/military that came out as prosecutors. Every industry needs lawyers that understand the industry. And deep understanding of an industry can make the work more interesting (even if the work is checking comma placement in contracts for the first year).
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Funny, I also have a cousin who bounced around a bit after college and ended up in a third-tier law school to study environmental law (not in San Diego). I hope your cousin’s outcome is better than mine - her long post-grad job search was ultimately fruitless, and last I knew, she was teaching ESL classes. A worthy vocation, but one that could have easily been pursued without law school.
Re: law school -
The adult son of a family friend decided to go to law school after struggling to make ends meet as a biology lab technician after college…he got jealous of his mechanical engineer sister earning $150k/yr. He’s attending a tier 3 law school near Sacramento (a law school nobody’s heard of) and will likely end up in a district attorney job after law school based on where he’s interned after the 1st and 2nd yr of law school.
My sister, on the other hand, went to Georgetown for law school. She had a very specific area she was interested in (international banking law) and had summer paid intern jobs (while in law school) working at a big law firm in that specific area of law. Worked like a dog for a few years after law school to pay off the grad school student loans, usually working 6 days a week for 12+ hour days. Fast forward many years later and now she’s had a pretty good career and good income doing international banking law and is a corporate attorney at a really large bank…doesn’t have to work insane hours anymore. Even has her house paid off, so no mortgage anymore (I’m jealous of that!)! 
My sister has said that going to a top law school, in her experience, definitely has opened job opportunity doors that, honestly, just aren’t available to you if you go to a tier 3 school. Our younger daughter has expressed interest in a law career and my advice to younger kid has been that if she really wants to pursue it, then get as close to perfect grades in college as possible AND get as high an LSAT score as possible…and preferably work somewhere for a year after college…AND that you don’t have to major in poli sci in order to go to law school…you should major in whatever you want.
I think that for us parents, you just kind of have a gut instinct about what makes your kid tick. The parent earlier (don’t remember who right now) who was commenting that they’re pretty sure that their kid will end up at law school? I totally understand what that person is talking about. I think the same thing about my other kid. Can’t quite explain WHY I feel that way. My sister has suggested a couple of specific college classes to my younger kid so she can get a taste of legal studies + help prep for LSAT (for example, take a class or 2 in logic).
My sister has also commented that law school is a hard road. almost all of her classes at Georgetown had no assignments or graded HW or even midterm exams - just one final exam at end of the semester and your grade on that test was THE grade for the entire class for you, so the stress was really high. AND lots of her law professors would do what she refers to as “cold call” you…Socratic method style where you’re expected to have done all of the reading and prep work for class ahead of time and be able to give an on the spot analysis out loud in class on whatever the very specific topic is that the professor is lecturing on.
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I agree with pretty much all of this, and would add that some schools (including Georgetown, at least when I was there), have night programs that are a pretty sweet deal. I worked during the day, went to class at night and even though I borrowed every penny of my tuition, I did at least have money to live on while I was in school. I ended up practicing in Biglaw for about five years, which helped set me up with a nice financial cushion.
I would add, though: if a kid wants to live in a specific area (that isn’t DC or NYC), they may be best served by going to a law school there even if it isn’t T20. Legal communities can be insular, and the effect of having connections at a local school can be substantial (or so it has seemed to me over the last 15 years or so).
(and FWIW, I also am currently working in a non-legal job. I’m still really happy that I went to law school, because what I learned there still helps me in my work).
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This makes sense - thanks - and to the posters that followed too. Very interesting insights.
I often envy but also don’t envy the corporate lawyers I work with. I’m guessing all make $175K - 250K so a nice job - but they read disclaimers and other things - and give “guidance” but that’s it.
And often times it’s so over the top ridiculous.
But to me, they’re really proofreaders / editors…and not much else.
Still how many people make such bank.
And if there’s a “real” legal issue, they hire outside counsel.
But I get it - if a kid has struggled out of school or has a degree that they’re unable to capitalize on, I can see where - well, why not Law School.
For my kid, I’m thinking MPA or LSW - but hopefully she’ll end up somewhere wonderful on her own and school will be an enhancement, not a savior, etc…actually for all kids I should say that.
Thanks for your insight.
not all corporate lawyers are basically just proofreaders & editors. For example, my sister has worked over the years on a lot of pretty involved & complex projects, involving reviewing, analyzing, and putting together plans & implementing those plans with a team of other lawyers for new regulations and changes to banking law. Or doing complicated reviews of business divisions’ workflow/processes and telling them why what they’re doing is putting the bank or organization at a big legal risk.
Like any profession, there’s many flavors of ice cream. Corporate lawyers aren’t all just box-checkers.
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May be. And I see what I’ve been exposed to so I might be short sighted vs the full palate.
They are all so chill and don’t worry about our deadlines -likely because they have too many things to review to meet everyone’s deadline.
But I mainly see stuff related to sales and marketing and franchise law.
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Appreciate your perspective. This is one area where our D has some pretty good insight.
We have four lawyers in my family: non practicing, in house counsel, partner at one of the tippy, tippy top Big Law firms in NYC, partner at litigation firm NYC.
Schools ranged from T5 Ivy to top quartile. We have actually discouraged her from a law career due to the grind.
D24 has a pretty good understanding of comp levels, pathways to success, partnership track, who gets recruited where etc.
Yes, Big Law may not be for her, but she understands it better than most people, including most 1L’s.
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Wow, I don’t even have any lawyers in the family, but find your take on lawyers pretty offensive and condescending.
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There’s a wide range of in house attorneys. Yes, some make $175-$250k but others make a lot more than than that, especially once you factor in bonuses, and stock grants.
Senior in house attorneys can clear $350-$500k all in. GC’s can make over $1 million +.
And no, they dont just proof read documents and “give guidance”.
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That is great and I did not intend to insinuate otherwise. My only point was that a law degree can provide a lot of options not limited to just Big Law.
As a bit of an aside, whether Big Law is in her future or not, I am partial to going to as “prestigious” a school as possible. I am saying that poorly, but on a different thread, someone used the phrase that prestige provides “margin for error”. That word choice has stuck with me and put words to my feeling on the subject. Thus, I am certain that a law degree from Harvard will confer many more options out of school that I had upon graduation. Life has turned out well for me thus far, but I would have appreciated a bit more margin for error!
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No worries. For sure, you don’t need to go to T14 or even T20 law school to be successful or even go to Big Law at all.
But if you do want to go to Big Law, prestige does help. Although there are some amazing kids who go to Fordham or Rutgers and get recruited for top NYC positions. But those kids are basically the very top students. Many of them went to T20 undergrad but couldnt afford the really expensive T14 price tag but are incredibly bright.
I think “margin for error” is a great way to describe it. If you go to a T14 law school and do ok, you can still land a really great job. If you go to a second/third tier school and are average/above average, you’re probably starting at a small firm or maybe medium. The real issue is cost and ROI. Law school debt could be a heavy weight if you’re pulling in $90k/year.
Of course you dont have to work in NY and still make the same coming out of law school no matter the location.
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Why is it offensive ? It’s what I’ve seen at both my companies. They are Senior Managers like all the other Senior Managers. There is typically an Assistant General Counsel (Director level) and then VP / General Counsel.
I don’t work for a bank or tech company and even VPs likely make less than some figures stated in my industry (350k sound about right for a VP) - and there are no stock grants.
I noted it’s what I’ve been exposed to - marketing and franchise laws as everything an automotive manufacturer does has to comply with franchise laws - that differ in each state.
You’re entitled to your opinion but I said nothing condescending.
I said their job is chill. And they don’t disagree. At my old job I used to lunch with them. They took the corporate gigs for a reason - as someone above pointed out who now works for a corporation.
Just like my role - it’s steady, supportive financially, and for them a great gig.
I know what they do because I’m their client. They read ads and bulletins and when there are quality issues or dealer challenges, interpret franchise law by state.
And in my industry - at least to the roles I’m in, they are guidance givers - which is followed 90%+ of the time. But they tell you it’s their guidance. They don’t operate the business.
It’s factual, not condescending.
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I worked in BigLaw and went to a T5 law school. I would say to have the most options after graduating in terms of law firms, federal government jobs and judicial clerkships, one needs to attend a T15 law school or the strongest regional school in the area in which one plans to practice after graduation. That isn’t to say that graduates from other law schools won’t have success, many do. Big law, federal judicial clerkships, and some government agencies, however, tend to highly value credentials. Being selected for law review also helps a good deal.
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