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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]You MUST go to the highest ranked law school no matter what it costs, if you want to be in Big Law, where you WILL be miserable. You MUST get a Big Law job, though you WILL be miserable in Big Law, but you MUST stay to pay off your loans. Is this the wisdom of DCUM? I'm also confused why everyone is talking about law school loans when everyone on DCUM is wealthy and has saved enough to send their kids to both Ivy undergrads and Ivy grad schools. Also, everyone on DCUM has kids who CAN and WILL get into these schools, and WILL get Big Law offers. [/quote]

It is confusing. I work for fed and in my agency there are many GS 14 lawyers and GS 14 non lawyers doing exactly same thing. It seems to me the only career that would justify the high cost of attendance for the law school is 1) either joining a BigLaw or 2) becoming a partner at a smaller or sole practice. Otherwise going to a law school is money losing proposition.

So the advice on this thread is either go to the highest ranked law school (T14) to increase your chance to get into a big law, which is still a big gamble because T14 schools tend to be very expensive, or go to the cheap law school to minimize the downside risk. [/quote]
There's a revolving door between government and BigLaw so it's not one or the other.  You can get government experience and then go cash in by moving to a senior BigLaw role.  A senior role in BigLaw doesn't have the same drawbacks as being a junior associate--you may still work hard but will have much greater control over your schedule.

You've also entirely left out in house as a career goal.  Many in house attorneys are well paid with reasonable schedules.  You likely have to start in BigLaw to get some experience and pay off loans, but then there are options including government, in house or non-profits.[/quote]

Yes there are other legal careers. But again the only career that would make a financial sense and pay off are either working for the BigLaw or being a partner. I haven’t seen many in house counsels who didn’t start their career at BigLaw. Also how many GS14 employees moved to the senior BigLaw role?

I just don’t think attending a law school and becoming a government or non profit emplolyee is financially a wise choice. And if you don’t start in BigLaw in the first place, most likley you will never become an in house counsel and move to a senior BigLaw role. [/quote]
This is all mixed up.  I think you're confused.  [/quote]

Well, maybe.

All I am saying is that the government and non profit jobs are not lucarative enough given the cost of law school. And the in-house postions are not realistic for the graduates who didn’t get BigLaw jobs. [/quote]
You are confused.  This analysis doesn't make any sense.[/quote]

[i] 
As the law school workload does not permit most students to hold jobs, student loans represent the most common method of paying these costs. Consequently, the average law school graduate has over $145,500 in student debt.

...

Graduates of second-tier programs often settle for work outside of top law firms, where the pay is much lower. The 2018 median pay for law school graduates across the board was only $70,000. Idealistic young attorneys who choose public service fare even worse financially. Entry-level prosecuting attorneys earn a median pay of $56,200; public defenders do slightly better at $58,300. [/i]

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/082416/going-law-school-worth-it-anymore.asp
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