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

[Anonymous]

I’ve always thought the people who go to T14 schools and then big law were smart, but couldn’t hack STEM. I think it’s still sought out by the people who want to make money but can’t do finance/medicine/software engineering.

[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.

Did you sleep through 2000s and 2010s?

[Anonymous]

I would say that the current state of the justice system should be a big flag for anyone going into law...

what's the point in going to law school, working hard, learning so much if it just comes down to a judge thinking "What would Trump want me to do here?" and your boss at the law firm calculating he'd rather assign you to do free work filing class-action lawsuits against all residents of blue states for (allegedly) thinking about burning a flag, than fight back against Trump's attacks on the firm.

[Anonymous]

I've done fine in big law and then small law in a transactional practice. I'm not sure I could've hacked it in tech, maybe finance. I would recommend finance to my younger self as it has more upside than law, and you don't have the opportunity cost of 3 years in law school in your twenties (although I imagine I would've gotten an MBA if I went to finance, so this might be moot).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would say that the current state of the justice system should be a big flag for anyone going into law...

what's the point in going to law school, working hard, learning so much if it just comes down to a judge thinking "What would Trump want me to do here?" and your boss at the law firm calculating he'd rather assign you to do free work filing class-action lawsuits against all residents of blue states for (allegedly) thinking about burning a flag, than fight back against Trump's attacks on the firm.

Who goes to law school thinking Trump will be in charge in 3 years?


And the vast, vast majority of lawyer work never faces a judge. It's mostly procedural.

[Anonymous]

I did well in biglaw. Son is attending now. Entering Law, is, still the best upward mobility vehicle I know of aside from med school, which takes much longer. After clerking, he'll enter DC or New York firms making $246K or better. Yes, he knows how mindboggling boring it can be. He's heard it from me and all of my friends. Itis what it is. But it will get him set financially for life and after being an associate, he can find a better path should he want it. There are many other things that law graduates can do. Many

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did well in biglaw. Son is attending now. Entering Law, is, still the best upward mobility vehicle I know of aside from med school, which takes much longer. After clerking, he'll enter DC or New York firms making $246K or better. Yes, he knows how mindboggling boring it can be. He's heard it from me and all of my friends. Itis what it is. But it will get him set financially for life and after being an associate, he can find a better path should he want it. There are many other things that law graduates can do. Many

A law degree closes doors outside of law. Any business front office role you get with a JD could’ve been much more easily obtained before committing three years to rote study.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Agree! Very few of my daughter's Princeton class went to law school compared to consulting, IB and FinTech.

[Anonymous]

Law has always been popular for risk averse liberal arts majors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did well in biglaw. Son is attending now. Entering Law, is, still the best upward mobility vehicle I know of aside from med school, which takes much longer. After clerking, he'll enter DC or New York firms making $246K or better. Yes, he knows how mindboggling boring it can be. He's heard it from me and all of my friends. Itis what it is. But it will get him set financially for life and after being an associate, he can find a better path should he want it. There are many other things that law graduates can do. Many

A law degree closes doors outside of law. Any business front office role you get with a JD could’ve been much more easily obtained before committing three years to rote study.

You could not be more wrong. Google “careers with a JD”.