Why would anybody want to be a lawyer?

[Anonymous]

Are there people out there who truly love the law like people love medicine? I think it is one of the worst most soul crushing jobs on earth. You go to law school and take out a zillion dollars in loans (if you aren’t lucky for scholarships or parents) then you either get a low paying job and can never pay back the loans or you get a big law job and are crushed to death by billable and work. Who would want to do that for a living?!?

I say this as someone whose dh has been in. It law for 8 years. It’s the worst. I will never let my kids go into law.

[Anonymous]

Dang, my kid is starting GW law school. You think it is a mistake? Not that there's anything I can do...

[Anonymous]

Most jobs are sole sucking. The difference is big law get paid very well and they are making a choice for the lifestyle and money. Your husband can take a lower paying job but will you be ok without the fancy cars, big house, and the lifestyle that comes with it? Apparently they like it or they wouldn't be doing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most jobs are sole sucking. The difference is big law get paid very well and they are making a choice for the lifestyle and money. Your husband can take a lower paying job but will you be ok without the fancy cars, big house, and the lifestyle that comes with it? Apparently they like it or they wouldn't be doing it.

I agree I lost my feet to the law.

[Anonymous]

I’ve been a lawyer for 18 years, and I mostly like it. I was in private practice, then a federal prosecutor, now in-house. I like problem solving. I like the rigor of making and responding to logical arguments. But I’ve been lucky that I’ve never been stuck doing doc review for very long or reviewing contracts or any of the legal jobs that I think I would hate. I agree that I wouldn’t encourage it as a profession in which any random person is likely to end up happy because I think the interesting and fulfilling jobs are harder and harder to get.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most jobs are sole sucking. The difference is big law get paid very well and they are making a choice for the lifestyle and money. Your husband can take a lower paying job but will you be ok without the fancy cars, big house, and the lifestyle that comes with it? Apparently they like it or they wouldn't be doing it.

Op here - yes I would be fine with it. The majority of our debt after our mortgage are law school loans. So we can’t really do anything until we pay them off.

And yes I have asked dh and he actually does like his job most of the time. He knew what he was getting into. He worked as a paralegal for a number of years in big law prior to going to law school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are there people out there who truly love the law like people love medicine? I think it is one of the worst most soul crushing jobs on earth. You go to law school and take out a zillion dollars in loans (if you aren’t lucky for scholarships or parents) then you either get a low paying job and can never pay back the loans or you get a big law job and are crushed to death by billable and work. Who would want to do that for a living?!?

I say this as someone whose dh has been in. It law for 8 years. It’s the worst. I will never let my kids go into law.

Have you ever thought about being a lawyer for Uncle Sam? You won't make big law money, but you can still make mid $100s. I know a lawyer who retired from the FDA. He had a millllllion interesting and shocking stories to tell. No way could that have been a boring career. Plus if you have a zillion dollars in student loans you could get them forgiven.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most jobs are sole sucking. The difference is big law get paid very well and they are making a choice for the lifestyle and money. Your husband can take a lower paying job but will you be ok without the fancy cars, big house, and the lifestyle that comes with it? Apparently they like it or they wouldn't be doing it.

I agree I lost my feet to the law.

Mine too! My soles have been sucked right off!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dang, my kid is starting GW law school. You think it is a mistake? Not that there's anything I can do...

Consider maybe sturdy boots to prevent the sole from being sucked.

[Anonymous]

I graduated in '09 and law school tuition was somewhat more reasonable then. UVA was around $33K per year ($30K when I started and small increases each year) and now I think it is around $50K+ to attend for tuition alone although that is the nominal cost, not sure how much that is offset by scholarships for some/most.

Biglaw was tough but it was only for a few years and I was able to pay off all of my loans plus accumulate savings so I was in a good position to buy a house. Now, in govt my hours are reasonable and my comp isn't amazing but still not bad. The job is somewhat boring but I think most people have boring jobs.

I think going to law school makes sense if you can go to a handful of schools that at least give you the biglaw option or if your parents are wealthy and will pay for it.

[Anonymous]

I love being a lawyer. I love writing and making points based on reasoned analysis. I love arguing.

There are a million different ways to be a lawyer, and there are good law jobs and bad law jobs. I've had both.

[Anonymous]

I have two friends who married lawyers and then went to law school after deciding it sounded really interesting. One of them has a federal government oversight type job she really loves and feels is important. (I fell out of touch with the other a couple years back.)

One thing i have seen in my agency is that lawyers get hired at, and vault up to, higher grade levels than PhDs and MBAs, which means they get paid more and get to solve higher level problems. That's the only thing that makes me sort of wish I'd gone the law school route instead of PhD. But we're not a lawyer heavy agency as these things go, so maybe taking on debt wouldn't have been worth I if i didn't actually get one of those jobs.

[Anonymous]

It suits some people (many of them good people, despite popular opinion). DH obtained other degrees and worked before law school, and that enabled him to pay for a top law school without taking out loans, then to settle in a lucrative niche since he already had expertise in a technical field. No sole sucking anything- his feet, and his work/life balance- are just fine.

I think one of our kids would make an excellent lawyer if that’s what she wants, but I would definitely encourage her to do it as a second act after gaining expertise and perspective elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

I love being a lawyer. It is interesting and fast paced and I constantly learn new things. And it pays very well.

[Anonymous]

Much better to go to grad school to major in gender studies. Much more free time since you'll be unemployed!