Why would anybody want to be a lawyer?

[Anonymous]

lol this is so DCUM. Whenever the topics is lawyers, the answer comes around to “hey it’s acrually pretty good!” But when the topic is educators and teachers working crazy hours lesson planning, suddenly it’s a pile on

[Anonymous]

I'm in house for a large company and love my job. I get to problem solve and counsel my clients, plus, I'm compensated pretty well, I work with smart, nice people, I am challenged and well-respected.

[Anonymous]

Patent law can be interesting. You get to see all sorts of brand new proprietary technology and to become a patent lawyer you are required to have a science or engineering degree. Patent and IP is THE lifeblood of all companies and it gives millions of people their jobs. If you have a weak patent your competition will find your flaws and it'll be fatal. Yes, there are ways to abuse patents to generate shady profits, but patent law is incredibly important to have an expert working for you

[Anonymous]

I wanted to be a lawyer.

I chased money instead. Sometimes I question that decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Being a lawyer in DCUM land has one path. Top 10 school, big law for 5-7 years, then boutique or in house. Thats just one very narrow way of looking at law. My sister lives in Ohio where she went to a state law school (U of Akron) for 21k a year while working full time. It was half paid by her employer. After graduation she transferred to said companies legal department where they pay back her loans. She makes 156k in Ohio were a 5,000 sq ft house in a great school district is 450k. I think in our area it seems like the legal profession is soul sucking because there are so many of us but there are lots of ways and places to practice law and this notion of "top tier or not worth it" s silly.

Agreed. One of the lawyers my company uses is a one-woman shop in Wisconsin. Her rates are reasonable, and she specializes in a few obscure areas of law but she's good at it. She'll never end up doing litigation, just contracts stuff. She makes a decent living for the area, and she doesn't have to work crazy hours.

And again- Wisconsin. No. That’s not a choice most of us would make since you know, we live in dc.

I would personally put a gun in my mouth over living in Wisconsin or Ohio.

One of the downsides to working in a smaller market is that there are fewer opportunities to switch jobs if you are unhappy, or if you find yourself laid off. Corporate gigs are never a sure thing. I'm in-house and I got laid off from my last in-house position when the company laid off half of the employees in the DC area. I was lucky to get another job in 3 months, but in smaller markets where there are fewer large companies that need in-house attorney's, those opportunities will be harder to come by.

[Anonymous]

I’m a lawyer — soles and soul intact. Went to a public law school first OOS then qualified for in state tuition. Graduated with some debt but it was always manageable. Always wanted to work for the govt but never did. Spent a few years in big law, many years at a boutique, now in-house.

I think the issue is that most law schools cost a small fortune today and if you take out loans for that, you are stuck for life with the grind of a law firm. I have met lawyers who openly admit they will never pay off the loans over the course of their lifetime. Young folks routinely underestimate the weight of those loans.

[Anonymous]

A great job for those with argumentative personalities that enjoy academic debates. Also great for those who are detail oriented and experts at exploiting nuance.

It's a very tough job that requires a quick mind. Those who argue in court must be very, very fast on their feet.

[Anonymous]

I have aspirations of being a lawyer and plan to take the lsat this year, if all goes well. Thanks for the posts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a prosecutor and it’s definitely my niche. I love it. I don’t want to do anything else and I don’t have to. I was fortunate to have a full undergrad scholarship, attend a reputable state school with reasonable tuition, and graduate with exactly $19,000 in student loan debt. Many of you would turn your nose up at my law school choice because it’s not an Ivy or some elitist SLAC but I was debt free three years into my career, which I’m now free to keep as a career.

\

I'm a prosecutor and I love my job. I've worked in a few different offices (state and federal) and I think prosecutors are the exception to the "all lawyers hate their jobs" rule.

+1
I work for the government handling criminal appeals now, and I like my job fine. I think that prosecutors tend to like their jobs. I know a lot of defense attorneys who do, too. Criminal law is many things, but boring isn't really one of them.

[Anonymous]

I'm a government attorney. I love my job. I basically try to solve problems all day and have a good work/life balance.

[Anonymous]

I am from the Midwest. I don't know any lawyers who hate their lives and careers the way lawyers in D.C. do. Maybe it's because you have crushing law school debt. Maybe it's because you're used and abused by Big Law and tossed out on your ears. Maybe it's because they're aren't business HQ here besides government contractors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:lol this is so DCUM. Whenever the topics is lawyers, the answer comes around to “hey it’s acrually pretty good!” But when the topic is educators and teachers working crazy hours lesson planning, suddenly it’s a pile on

This thread is supposed to be about lawyer. But you're right, nobody's got it harder than poor teachers...

[Anonymous]

My step son (17) is obviously born to be a lawyer. Everything he says and does is so exacting, careful, triple checked... nothing we say goes unchallenged. Justice is so important to him. And he will win an argument even if it means staying up too late and belaboring a point way too long. No doubt he will one day be a judge as well, though probably not a politician.

[Anonymous]

I'm fine with my career as a lawyer! I've never had a job that requires me to regularly work over 40-45hrs/week. I generally enjoy all aspects of legal practice that I have been exposed to - investigations, litigation, regulatory work, administrative law. It probably helps that I graduated from an Ivy with law review on my resume and very little debt. That allowed me to sort of have a pick of my jobs. Massive debt would really be a limiting factor.

[Anonymous]

I am a lawyer for the Government, and my job primarily involves serving as agency counsel supporting DOJ in litigation. I don't love it, but also don't mind it. It pays fairly well for the amount of hours, and aspects of the case can be interesting. At this point in my life, I don't want a job that will drain all of my time and energy, since I have two young kids. It works for me.