is being a lawyer losing its appeal compared to tech or finance for high achieving students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems like every high-achieving student is going into tech, finance, or consulting.

Back in the 1990's most of the smart kids aspired to Big Law.

But then wasn't the market oversaturated? Is it better now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Their all being thretened by AI.

Consulting companies are making a killing on AI right now.

[Anonymous]

Compared to 30 years ago, I think it's very true that there are comparatively few bright students interested in becoming lawyers today. Now, smart and ambitious students are much more likely to choose engineering, finance, pre-med, tech, and consulting.

People are much more informed today about the realities of being a lawyer. And neither the life nor the money seems that appealing to most. I think you really need to feel it as a vocation for it to make sense.

[Anonymous]

No. Law school applications are up about 20% vs year ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the DMV bubble I know, many of my friends are lawyers who hate being lawyers so they don't steer their kids into it. They went into it because that's what high achieving kids did back then, and/or it pleased their parents and/or it seemed lucrative/interesting.

This is exactly how I feel. DH and I are lawyers - I strongly discourage my kids from law school. Of the tons of lawyers we know, most are unhappy, most worked and are still working long hours to the detriment of personal life, and many have boring AF jobs. Why would I want my kids to have careers like this.

[Anonymous]

The title of this thread reminds me of an old lawyer joke:

Lawyers don't get old. They just lose their appeal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems like every high-achieving student is going into tech, finance, or consulting.

Back in the 1990's most of the smart kids aspired to Big Law.

I disagree. I think you think if kids go into that then they are high achieving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a lawyer and worked to convince my kid to go into engineering. I'm so thankful he did.

I'm the exact opposite.

[Anonymous]

I am a super-happy lawyer in my 50s, but I actively discouraged my kids who were interested in law for various reasons (one loved Government class in high school, and the second loved watching Suits and debate). I think there are better professions for working women. It's really hard to find work-life balance in law. The jobs that have balance are increasingly hard to find (i.e., federal government) and even then you still have a client who could be horrible. I was at a law firm where all the smart women left. The bros who stayed behind and seemed just mediocre all became partners because they have stay-at-home wives who can handle all the household stuff and enable them to work 24-7 when that is needed and be a slave to billable hours.

Medicine is a grind too and requires longer schooling, but I know a lot of women physicians who have shift work and can leave it when they leave. There's not as much of a penalty for having a family, as there is in private practice law. Pediatricians, radiologists, ER physicans. They can work full time or almost full-time and happily maintain their careers for decades. And while medicine is increasingly a business, blah-blah, I still think a bunch of doctors running an organization are going to be better to work for, and more humane, frankly, then lawyers whose professional livelihoods depend on servicing corporate clients who face a ton of business pressures and thus can be whimsical and arbitrary and difficult to please.

Plus, our current administration has reduced a lot of government positions, and the next time Democrats come in, they will politicize the civil service attorney corps in their own way. I don't think being a lawyer for the federal government is what it used to be and am actively discouraging my kids from pursuing a career in law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the DMV bubble I know, many of my friends are lawyers who hate being lawyers so they don't steer their kids into it. They went into it because that's what high achieving kids did back then, and/or it pleased their parents and/or it seemed lucrative/interesting.

Ha! 2 lawyer family here. Our kids will not be lawyers. We're actually both reasonably happy with our career choice, BUT it's stressful and we work a lot. Our kids see how much we work and they have no interest in this path.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a super-happy lawyer in my 50s, but I actively discouraged my kids who were interested in law for various reasons (one loved Government class in high school, and the second loved watching Suits and debate). I think there are better professions for working women. It's really hard to find work-life balance in law. The jobs that have balance are increasingly hard to find (i.e., federal government) and even then you still have a client who could be horrible. I was at a law firm where all the smart women left. The bros who stayed behind and seemed just mediocre all became partners because they have stay-at-home wives who can handle all the household stuff and enable them to work 24-7 when that is needed and be a slave to billable hours.

Medicine is a grind too and requires longer schooling, but I know a lot of women physicians who have shift work and can leave it when they leave. There's not as much of a penalty for having a family, as there is in private practice law. Pediatricians, radiologists, ER physicans. They can work full time or almost full-time and happily maintain their careers for decades. And while medicine is increasingly a business, blah-blah, I still think a bunch of doctors running an organization are going to be better to work for, and more humane, frankly, then lawyers whose professional livelihoods depend on servicing corporate clients who face a ton of business pressures and thus can be whimsical and arbitrary and difficult to please.

Plus, our current administration has reduced a lot of government positions, and the next time Democrats come in, they will politicize the civil service attorney corps in their own way. I don't think being a lawyer for the federal government is what it used to be and am actively discouraging my kids from pursuing a career in law.

+1 from another female attorney

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Their all being thretened by AI.

not true at all, AI can't practice law

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a lawyer and worked to convince my kid to go into engineering. I'm so thankful he did.

I tried but mine wanted law school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Their all being thretened by AI.

not true at all, AI can't practice law

No, but it can greatly reduce the number of associates needed. I’m a lawyer and use AI every day. It’s amazing how helpful it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the DMV bubble I know, many of my friends are lawyers who hate being lawyers so they don't steer their kids into it. They went into it because that's what high achieving kids did back then, and/or it pleased their parents and/or it seemed lucrative/interesting.

I’m in the same bubble although I don’t hate it, I’m more lukewarm, but honestly as the parent of teenagers I am really not sure what fields actually seem promising these days and offer likely job satisfaction and a reasonably nice lifestyle.