Is being a lawyer a still a stable career option?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My college junior also wants to go to law school. I am highly encouraging it. We can afford to pay and it certainly won't hurt. He wants to go into international law/diplomacy.

Sounds like every IR major at every school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My college junior also wants to go to law school. I am highly encouraging it. We can afford to pay and it certainly won't hurt. He wants to go into international law/diplomacy.

Sounds like every IR major at every school.

20 years ago, I was interested in working in international law, possibly working in human rights at the Hague, etc. Then I took my first international law class and hated it. Except for Amal Clooney, most people who work in international law spend most of their time reviewing mind-numbing tax/tariff treaties and helping companies find loop-holes. It is extremely boring if you're not interested in being a tax lawyer.

That said, I practice in real estate law and love it and the work-life balance is great at my small boutique firm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been a lawyer for 20+ years and think AI will take over a lot of the work. The tuition rates have also skyrocketed and I’m not sure it’s worth it, and definitely not outside of T14. Georgetown tuition was between $25-27k when I went and now it’s an eye-popping $80k.

same here.
I am encouraging my kids to skip law school.
maybe business school if necessary.

What are you encouraging them *to* do, then?

Yes, lawyers who make money work a lot but so do other people who make money in other fields. Most high earning positions require more schooling. So it's business, law, or medicine.

There's masters programs of course which are (IMO) even worse of an "investment". I'm 15 years in my field w a bachelors and I looked into masters programs and the pay would be marginally more...

Most law students can pay off loans within 5 years of working if smart and diligent. Not every private attorney works 100 hours a week. My partner works typically less than big law and makes a bit less but it's a great trade off.

The real question is how much does your DC want to work, what is their idea of happiness, and how much money do they think they need/want to be happy.

Sure, if working in Biglaw. Not accurate for "most lawyers".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Now that Trump's been elected, so many more students are applying to law school, already--the giant Trump bump. It's a great career, assuming you don't assume you're going to make a fortune. --law prof

LOL. Only a law professor would make such a statement. Ask why this poster is a professor if practicing law is such a great career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you mean "stable" and what do you mean "safe"?

DH and I are both lawyers. We met at DOJ. I got sick of working 60 hours a week and no longer practice. FWIW, I did really enjoy practicing, there are just other things I wanted to do as well and wouldn't have been able to do them and practice the way I wanted to--I'm a bit of a workaholic. DH is now SES and works about 50 hours per week. He loves it. We didn't make Biglaw money but had amazing careers.

As far as "the judiciary" goes -- I apologize if I laugh at you thinking that is an option. An awful lot of brilliant lawyers want to be judges and never get the chance. I do know a few who did. And so I'd say this: if your kid wants to do that, tell them they will need to be political; and I don't mean passing out buttons for donkeys/elephants, although that doesn't hurt. I mean network, network, network. Publish, present, shake hands. If they are a conservative, a very active membership in the federalist society is necessary. If more liberal, there are other avenues.

Finally I'll touch on something you brought up: debt. I went to a very expensive law school and was fortunate enough to have family pay for it. Many of those who were on loans, which was the vast majority of my peers, have spent miserable careers doing what they have to do to make as much money as possible to pay back school loans. Most of them would rather be doing anything else. But they are stuck. It's ugly, and a lot of pressure. Especially when there is undergrad debt as well. So bear that in mind.

So two of you have laughed at thinking the judiciary is an option. Has it occurred to you that the judiciary employs lawyers and not just law clerks and staff attorneys? In the federal courts, we have attorneys who work in the Clerk’s Office, the Clerk and Deputy Clerk are attorneys, the Circuit Executive is typically an attorney, the Director of Workplace Relations is often an attorney, we have attorneys who work on judicial misconduct, there are lots of attorneys employed at the Administrative Office in DC. The federal judiciary is a fabulous employer and goes far beyond the Article I and III judges.

Yeah, I’m aware of this, lol. Most of the jobs you listed do not involve practicing law. And pay accordingly. As far as getting a permanent gig as a law clerk to a federal judge? Well, that job is almost as hard to get as the job of federal judge itself. Although I do have a friend who’s done that. But she started as one of his clerks right out of law school, and then just stayed after she had a baby when the judge invited her to do so.

And pay accordingly? All of those positions I just described pay a lot more than being a permanent clerk. Most of us are at least the equivalent of a GS-15. Unit heads are higher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My college junior also wants to go to law school. I am highly encouraging it. We can afford to pay and it certainly won't hurt. He wants to go into international law/diplomacy.

Sounds like every IR major at every school.

20 years ago, I was interested in working in international law, possibly working in human rights at the Hague, etc. Then I took my first international law class and hated it. Except for Amal Clooney, most people who work in international law spend most of their time reviewing mind-numbing tax/tariff treaties and helping companies find loop-holes. It is extremely boring if you're not interested in being a tax lawyer.

That said, I practice in real estate law and love it and the work-life balance is great at my small boutique firm.

Same! International Law was the worst!