styx491 Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Recently (as in last night...) I came to a realization. For the past 10 years I've been told I would make a good lawyer, there's so much money in law, it is the way to go, and so on and so on by MANY people. I have been going through school and college thinking that I would end up in law school and that I would become an attorney. Now that I think about it, I really have no desire for 3 more years of school, and not just school, but LAW school. I have asked a couple of people about their law careers, and the one thing that was common with them all was that none of them actively encouraged me to go on with it and do it. I got variations of "are you ready for the schooling and then the work and the long hours?" or "I hope you have what it takes". So for the resident lawyers on this board, what advice do you guys give? I currently am going for a Soc degree with a Business Leadership minor and an International Relations minor from VT, and my GPA isn't as good as I wanted (yay screwing around freshman and sophmore years...), and not nearly as good as I need to get into a top tier law school. It will be competitive even for a middle of the road law school. I feel my lack of excitement for my future in law has hindered me wanting to find out more about this career. Help please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-Prime Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 No thanks I'd rather live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKurp Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 So, the people who are telling you that you'd make a good lawyer, are they lawyers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corcaigh Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 I'm not a lawyer and I know some people who have gone through law school, practiced it for a while and decided that law is not for them. "I loved the law but hated practicing it" is a common feeling. But I know plenty of other people who love their job. Some of it will depend on personality and some will depend on the type of law you practice. Not everyone is cut out to be a litigator but most of the practice of law takes place outside of the court room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corcaigh Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 And if you are considering any career (and not just law) because it pays well, you'd better have a thick enough skin that you can shrug off the fact that your enjoyment comes from your massive paycheck, and is sufficient compensation in your view for the 60+ hours you put in at the office each week for many years with people you hate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanCollins Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 there are so many areas to practice law. certainly you could find one to suit you. not every attorney is a litigator. Many are business, real estate, estate planners, patent... attorneys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
styx491 Posted December 22, 2008 Author Share Posted December 22, 2008 So, the people who are telling you that you'd make a good lawyer, are they lawyers? Nope, parents, teachers, relatives, friends. I'm not a lawyer and I know some people who have gone through law school, practiced it for a while and decided that law is not for them. "I loved the law but hated practicing" it is a common feeling.But I know plenty of other people who love their job. Some of it will depend on personality and some will depend on the type of law you practice. Not everyone is cut out to be a litigator but most of the practice of law takes place outside of the court room. Thats what I think too, that's what a former lawyer family friend told me. Most of the current lawyers I talk to and tell that I am planning on law school usually get a look on their face like, oh... well ok! good luck! let me know if you have any questions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
styx491 Posted December 22, 2008 Author Share Posted December 22, 2008 And if you are considering any career (and not just law) because it pays well, you'd better have a thick enough skin that you can shrug off the fact that your enjoyment comes from your massive paycheck, and is sufficient compensation in your view for the 60+ hours you put in at the office each week for many years with people you hate. That is a MAJOR concern of mine. Money was a big reason for going into it and programming myself to think that law school and a legal career are the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corcaigh Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Thats what I think too, that's what a former lawyer family friend told me. Most of the current lawyers I talk to and tell that I am planning on law school usually get a look on their face like, oh... well ok! good luck! let me know if you have any questions... Law pays well, but some of that is because you work very hard and your firm will try to make every minute of your day billable. And this is often doing repetitive, detailed stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKurp Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 So people who have no idea what being a lawyer entails are telling you that you'd make a good lawyer. Hmmm..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corcaigh Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 That is a MAJOR concern of mine. Money was a big reason for going into it and programming myself to think that law school and a legal career are the best. So is happiness overrated in your view? Or is a big pay check all the happiness you need? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DjTj Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 If you aren't excited about, don't want to go to school for three more years, and don't have the grades to get into a top tier law school, then there's no reason to push yourself towards law school. You will get a lot more out of law school if you are interested in it and know what you what you want to do with your J.D. It's not exactly like college where you can go in, screw around for a year or two, and figure things out as you go along. Many people work for a few years before going to law school, so don't feel like you have to make a decision right now. I went straight from college to law school, and one thing I was surprised about was how quickly I had to pick an area of law to practice, and how quickly I had to start thinking about getting a job. I am now two years out of law school, with one year working in a courthouse and a year working at a firm, and I have enjoyed it so far. It can be very challenging and very rewarding, but just like any job, you do have to be interested in what you are doing. Feel free to PM me if you have any more specific questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianforster Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Right now? Terrible idea. The market is flooded with kids whose parents told them they would make good lawyers. Be a nurse, seriously. I got a liberal arts degree with the intention of going to grad school to make the big bucks. My friend's with nursing degrees are beating off $60,000 offers with a stick. Travel nursing? $80,000, Grad School? $90,000. You get the idea. It is also the #1 job in demand right now. And if thats not enough convincing: http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/03/news/economy/legal_industry/?postversion=2008120305 P.S. I had a law internship and it ruined the thought of being a lawyer for me. Once you see what the daily life of a lawyer is like, you get over it quickly. They look over worked and miserable. The trick is to marry a lawyer, because all of the lawyers I met have spouses who have no problems spending all of their money while they are stuck in the office 80 hours a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
styx491 Posted December 22, 2008 Author Share Posted December 22, 2008 So people who have no idea what being a lawyer entails are telling you that you'd make a good lawyer. Hmmm..... Yup, just realized that... haha, what a smart thing to base my future on huh. So is happiness overrated in your view? Or is a big pay check all the happiness you need? A big paycheck to me is the icing on the cake if the work I do makes me satisfied with myself at the end of the day. I just don't know if the TYPE of career that is a law career is appealing... I mean sure helping people is awesome. I'm torn at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicious Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Do business, you can change what you do and learn what you want to do on the job midstream. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
styx491 Posted December 22, 2008 Author Share Posted December 22, 2008 Dj: I was definitely thinking about everything you've mentioned. Right now FROM WHAT I KNOW of legal careers, it is not appealing at all. I also am contemplating going back to school later when I do have experience working and when I have a better idea of what I want. I was gonna go straight to law school when I started college, but as I progressed, delaying it until later seemed like a better option. Brian: ironically one of my best friends is a potential nurse. That article is pretty scary haha. I'm gonna try to get an internship for the summer through some family friends here, and I'm taking some basic law classes at VT too, so hopefully those two will help me figure out if it's the right way to go, like your internship did for you. And I'm planning on marrying a surgeon. Some of them make like 5k per surgery.... like, 3 of them a week. Hot damn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 If you aren't gung ho - then don't do it. I went to law school for all the wrong reasons. I found out too late that I absolutely hated the actual practice of law. It is fine for some people, but me it was a horrible pressure cooker of a life. I was lucky and found a very narrow non-practice niche that I enjoy and for which I am well suited, but most people don't. They just trudge through their legal career. I'd go into more detail, but frankly, it makes me break out in a cold sweat, even now - fifteen years after escaping the skyscraper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corcaigh Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Do business, you can change what you do and learn what you want to do on the job midstream. In my view, most general business qualifications are something that can help you do your existing job better. And best obtained after you have worked. I'd hire an English grad to help our marketing communications long before I'd hire a marketing communications graduate. Neither understand my business but I know at least one of them can write. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
styx491 Posted December 22, 2008 Author Share Posted December 22, 2008 Thanks guys I really really appreciate your help and input. Would you recommend a job as a paralegal over a full on lawyer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GibbsFactor Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Thanks guys I really really appreciate your help and input.Would you recommend a job as a paralegal over a full on lawyer? No You can go become a para in big!Law and then decide about the industry, but para shouldn't be a career choice. Many people go in as paras, like the firm they are with and transition to an administrative role, in recruiting, HR, admin, courts management, litigation support, etc... But Para work is tough, you can put in almost as many hours and you get paid crap, lot's of ot, but your base will be crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Thanks guys I really really appreciate your help and input.Would you recommend a job as a paralegal over a full on lawyer? No. Paralegal is the worst of both worlds. Pressure without the money and respect. Lousy job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
styx491 Posted December 22, 2008 Author Share Posted December 22, 2008 Gotcha, that's what I thought about the paralegal thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanCollins Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 styx491, I wouldn't go into Law for the money. I've had plenty of attorneys as prospective clients, that said that they couldn't afford our services. . If it's cha-ching that you're looking for, go for the business degree, and/or start your own business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 styx491,I wouldn't go into Law for the money. I've had plenty of attorneys as prospective clients, that said that they couldn't afford our services. . If it's cha-ching that you're looking for, go for the business degree, and/or start your own business. Absolutely. Going into law for the money is a mistake, because the amount of money you make is directly tied to the amount you work. The dreaded billable hour will suck away your life. If you start a successful business, it has the potential to generate money beyond the hours you work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karmacop Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 I went straight from undergrad to law school, and looking back I wish I had taken a year or two between to decompress and reflect, not to mention being able to get in-state tuition, which would have saved me thousands in student loans. So there's nothing wrong with just working for a year or two - you can always apply to law school later. In fact, admissions might like your application better with an interesting job after undergrad, particularly if your grades are as you describe. And I'll echo that the billable hour requiement is indeed soul-sucking. I've been dealing with the billable hour for my entire 10-year career so far, and it's by far the worst thing about being a lawyer. That being said, I'm still glad I'm an attorney. The work is challenging and interesting, for the most part. You do get paid very well, and you have more job security than most careers. After 8 years at a big firm doing litigation, I've found a much better job for me as an appellate lawyer. There are lots of different types of law jobs out there, and even some where there are no billable hours (government jobs such as D.A. or public defender, law professor, public interest). The problem with most of those types, however, is that they don't pay as well, so it's a trade-off. I also agree that you should try to figure out what area of law interests you BEFORE you go to law school, and then stick to your guns as you go through law school and after you graduate. You'll be much happier that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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