Law school-is it worth it?

[Anonymous]

Tell him to work in a law firm to find out what being a lawyer is really like before making the decision. I actually love practicing law and would make the same choice even if it led to more debt. I went to a state law school and did not have huge loans, so I had more flexibility to practice the law I enjoyed, regardless of salary. I think the people who are unhappy are the ones who go because they don't know what else to do or because they are expecting big bucks. You should only go to law school if you enjoy reading the law and expect to enjoy being an attorney, IMHO.

[Anonymous]

I like the law. I even (most of the time) like my job as a biglaw attorney. I find the work challenging and my colleagues (for the most part) collegial. It isn't for everybody, but I have made it work for me (been in biglaw for the past 7 years).

That said, no way is it worth it for your brother. I find myself somewhat lucky to have gotten a biglaw associate gig here, and I graduated magna cum ladue from a top 20 law school (not local though). Many of my friends had real trouble getting jobs after graduating - even ones who were in the top third of our class.

I also graduated with only $40k in debt (no undergrad debt). Makes a HIUGE difference. I don't think people truly understand how crippling education debt can be and your brother already has an aweful lot of it. Please please please show him this thread. Law school is a mistake for him.

[Anonymous]

I am glad that I went to law school, but I went because I really wanted to be a lawyer, not because I wasn't sure what else to do, didn't get into med school etc. It is difficult to pay back the loans, but I always knew I wanted to work for a gov't agency when I graduated, so I was frugal during law school and it has been difficult, but not impossible. However, you should only go for the right reason - because you are interested in practicing law. If you go for any other reason, you could wind up being very dissatisfied and in debt when it wasn't really necessary for you to be.

[Anonymous]

I attended a T20 for free and with a well-paying job essentially guaranteed at the end, and I'm still wondering whether it was worth the lost income during those three years. The amount of debt most of my classmates took on terrifies me, and many remain unemployed or under-employed (class of 2010).
I would not advise anyone to attend law school (or any other graduate program) without a very specific and realistic plan for what they will do afterwards and what the costs will be. "I'll work for a big firm to pay off my debt" is not a realistic plan these days, nor would I consider it specific. The miserable lawyers tend to be the ones who had no idea what their jobs would actually involve and went to law school because they had nothing else lined up; being chained to a job by debt also ups the misery factor.

[Anonymous]

No in 99% of cases. Your brother falls in that 99%.

10 years ago my answer might have been different.

[Anonymous]

I have an M.S. in Legal Studies. When I was working, there were several months when I made more than many of the junior attorneys at the firm. And I didn't have the killer student loans on my back.

I love paralegal work. I like that I can spend time talking with clients. I love the behind the scenes work that goes into trial prep. I love mediating. And I love the investigative part of working on a case. I would hate being an attorney because I would hate the long hours and the pressure. I would hate being in the spotlight in court. And would hate being solely responsible for the case.

I guess what I'm saying is, before your brother goes further into debt, find out why he wants to be an attorney. A degreed paralegal can do everything an attorney can do except represent clients in court (except in certain administrative hearings), set legal fees, and give legal advise (as opposed to information). Most cases never see the inside of a courtroom. So if it's just law that he loves, he might do better getting his masters in legal studies and working for a large firm.

My starting salary in Memphis, Tennessee was $90,000 plus bonuses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here, thank you for the great replies.
Re: the MYOB reply, I understand where you are coming from, but my brother has been struggling with this for a few months and has been asking my opinion on it. I know there are a lot of lawyers on this site so I thought I would ask

OP, if your brother is already having second thoughts, please tell him to at least defer for a year. My DH is a lawyer, a very successfull and employed one who went to a top 3 law school, and he tells young people to really seriously consider not going to law school. He LOVES the law for the law itself, as a subject matter and as an intellectual pursuit, and that made it worth the years he spent working long hours under stressful conditions before he made partner. We gave up a lot of things along with what we gained because of his career choice. If he hadn't been in love with the subject matter, this path would not have made sense.

Have your brother take some time and figure out what he really likes to do while working at a job that helps him to pay off some of his undergrad loans. If, in a few years, he is still in love with the idea of the law as a field, he can reconsider.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have an M.S. in Legal Studies. When I was working, there were several months when I made more than many of the junior attorneys at the firm. And I didn't have the killer student loans on my back.

I love paralegal work. I like that I can spend time talking with clients. I love the behind the scenes work that goes into trial prep. I love mediating. And I love the investigative part of working on a case. I would hate being an attorney because I would hate the long hours and the pressure. I would hate being in the spotlight in court. And would hate being solely responsible for the case.

I guess what I'm saying is, before your brother goes further into debt, find out why he wants to be an attorney. A degreed paralegal can do everything an attorney can do except represent clients in court (except in certain administrative hearings), set legal fees, and give legal advise (as opposed to information). Most cases never see the inside of a courtroom. So if it's just law that he loves, he might do better getting his masters in legal studies and working for a large firm.

My starting salary in Memphis, Tennessee was $90,000 plus bonuses.

"give legal advise"

The irony drippeth.

[Anonymous]

If you want a non-law job that requires you how to "think and write" (which you don't learn in law school in my opinion), then you are likely going to have to delete law school from your resume just to land the interview! makes sense, right?

This is not true. I know plenty of senior level HR directors, business executives, and people in other fields that have law degrees. You will learn how to think and write more from law school than a degree in accounting. The problem that some lawyers have is that they never figured out what they want to do. Their bitterness has nothing to do with law school, they just seem unmotivated by anything and entitled for their dream job to fall into their lap.

[Anonymous]

"give legal advise"

The irony drippeth.

Really....please share where in my post I gave "legal advise"....that is, applied legal knowledge to a specific fact pattern. All I did was share my experiences working with lots of attorneys. Some loved practicing. Some absolutely hated it and regretted their decision. I merely offered an alternative. If he loves the law, there are other ways to work in the legal field.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

"give legal advise"

The irony drippeth.

Really....please share where in my post I gave "legal advise"....that is, applied legal knowledge to a specific fact pattern. All I did was share my experiences working with lots of attorneys. Some loved practicing. Some absolutely hated it and regretted their decision. I merely offered an alternative. If he loves the law, there are other ways to work in the legal field.

Are you kidding?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My starting salary in Memphis, Tennessee was $90,000 plus bonuses.

Is this track possible for those who aren't under-30 and a gorgeous woman?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My starting salary in Memphis, Tennessee was $90,000 plus bonuses.

Is this track possible for those who aren't under-30 and a gorgeous woman?

And don't know how to spell advice?

[Anonymous]

I am the original poster on the other thread with 370K HH debt from law school.

10:24, I am not on the greatest terms with my husband these days either. He blames me for my unemployment (refusing to believe that other lawyers are unemployed in this economy). He keeps pointing out obscure cases of people from fourth tier schools who get jobs and then calls me a bum. Yesterday night he was like, "Why am I getting all these interviews if no one's hiring lawyers?" (even though he has JOB EXPERIENCE and good grades, unlike me). Screaming matches are frequent in my household. Worst decision ever.

[Anonymous]

Um yes - most paralegals I work with are not under 30 or gorgeous. A good paralegal is extremely valuable and firms will pay a lot to keep one. If you are good enough to manage other paralegals and have significant experience you can make around 200k at a large firm in a major city, though this is more rare. I know plenty of mid thirties male paralegals who are making six figures. They can be billed out at around $200 an hour. If you are organized and smart, paralegal is Much smarter career choice than lawyer right now.