Self-employed lawyers

[Anonymous]

I have been hearing about so many law school grads being unemployed. What stops them from hanging out their shingle and working for themselves?

[Anonymous]

They don't know what they're doing. Law school teaches you virtually nothing about the actual practice of law. That's like saying why doesn't someone graduating from med school just start doing surgery already? It's a recipe for malpractice. That said, there are people doing it.

[Anonymous]

Maybe law school students should start demanding law schools teach them to lawyer?

[Anonymous]

Because they have no experience, no credentials, and no clients.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe law school students should start demanding law schools teach them to lawyer?

Is lawyer a verb?

While they're at it they should demand a tuition reduction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe law school students should start demanding law schools teach them to lawyer?

Is lawyer a verb?

While they're at it they should demand a tuition reduction.

And free coffee!

[Anonymous]

Are there programs like there are for doctors to work in areas - maybe poor rural communities or inner city areas or with populations that are underseved by the legal profession - in exchange for loan forgiveness?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are there programs like there are for doctors to work in areas - maybe poor rural communities or inner city areas or with populations that are underseved by the legal profession - in exchange for loan forgiveness?

Who's going to pay for that? Lawyers are not as much of a necessity as doctors, plus there are already lots of legal clinic/legal aid places all over.

[Anonymous]

South Dakota pays a lawyer subsidy.

http://www.businessinsider.com/south-dakota-lawyer-subsidy-2013-4

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They don't know what they're doing. Law school teaches you virtually nothing about the actual practice of law. That's like saying why doesn't someone graduating from med school just start doing surgery already? It's a recipe for malpractice. That said, there are people doing it.

Maybe they shouldn,t go directly from undergrad to law school? I know too many people - mostly liberal arts majors- who go to law school b/c they do not know what else to do. My father went to law school after 13 years in the USAF. He continued in the USAF Reserves while practicing law. Most of his client base came from his USAF connections: airline pilots and their unions, airlines, airline machinist unions and basically anything to do with aviation. Maybe the key is to get some real specialty in a particular industry before becoming a lawyer.

[Anonymous]

Maybe the problem is that it's too damn easy to get into law school. So everybody who thinks they can jump socioeconomics classes goes and plays the lottery. But I guess the opposite wouldn't be a good thing either, ie, making it too damn hard to get into LS.

[Anonymous]

1.) New law school grads don't know how to do the job. Too many intricacies, no one to ask or get help from.
2.) Given #1, the risk of malpractice is too great.
3.) Malpractice insurance, overhead, and access to essential sources like Westlaw are prohibitively expensive.
4.) The easy to get cases - small stuff, criminal, etc... - doesn't pay we'll or at all if clients are shady or cases are based on contingency.
5.) The logistics are overwhelming. Who reviews your millions of documents? Who pays for you to fly to Nevada to take a 3 hour deposition? Who pays court fees? What if you want to file in a state you're not admitted in and don't have partners who are?

So those are some reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They don't know what they're doing. Law school teaches you virtually nothing about the actual practice of law. That's like saying why doesn't someone graduating from med school just start doing surgery already? It's a recipe for malpractice. That said, there are people doing it.

Maybe they shouldn,t go directly from undergrad to law school? I know too many people - mostly liberal arts majors- who go to law school b/c they do not know what else to do. My father went to law school after 13 years in the USAF. He continued in the USAF Reserves while practicing law. Most of his client base came from his USAF connections: airline pilots and their unions, airlines, airline machinist unions and basically anything to do with aviation. Maybe the key is to get some real specialty in a particular industry before becoming a lawyer.

Sure but working in aviation or military or chemistry doesn't help you navigate the legal aspects of your new craft.

Now say you were a paralegal for 6 years at a busy, robust office? Ok, now maybe we are talking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They don't know what they're doing. Law school teaches you virtually nothing about the actual practice of law. That's like saying why doesn't someone graduating from med school just start doing surgery already? It's a recipe for malpractice. That said, there are people doing it.

Maybe they shouldn,t go directly from undergrad to law school? I know too many people - mostly liberal arts majors- who go to law school b/c they do not know what else to do. My father went to law school after 13 years in the USAF. He continued in the USAF Reserves while practicing law. Most of his client base came from his USAF connections: airline pilots and their unions, airlines, airline machinist unions and basically anything to do with aviation. Maybe the key is to get some real specialty in a particular industry before becoming a lawyer.

Sure but working in aviation or military or chemistry doesn't help you navigate the legal aspects of your new craft.

Now say you were a paralegal for 6 years at a busy, robust office? Ok, now maybe we are talking.

Well, then there is another avenue.

[Anonymous]

Well, here is a March 13 the article on the 50th anniversary of Gideon vs. Wainright that points to the deficiencies in providing adequate "right to counsel." http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/16/us/16gideon.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

It seems to me there might be plenty of opportunities to put some unemployed lawyers to work. Does the ABA or state bars require a certain percentage of time for all members to spend working on providing indigent counsel? If not, perhaps that should be part of the cost of being an "officer of the court."

To the PP who said that a lawyer is note really necessary when compared to a doctor, tell that to someone who faces loss of liberty or property and cannot afford a lawyer.