2013년 10월 28일 월요일

Joseph Stembridge's blog ::Law firm jobs not the golden ticket anymore Tom Smith






Joseph Stembridge's blog ::Law firm jobs not the golden ticket anymore Tom Smith










1)               Why               are               you               considering               law               school?

Before               you               answer               this               question,               keep               in               mind               that               this               is               not               an               interview.

No               one               can               hear               you,               so               be               completely               and               utterly               honest.

There               are               many               reasons               why               a               person               might               consider               law               school.

For               me,               it               was               prestige,               salary,               excitement               and               escape.

After               college               graduation               I               had               no               job               prospects               and               wound               up               temping               in               New               York               City               (making               far               less               money               than               my               cost               of               living).

This               got               me               thinking,               "What               should               I               do               now?"               I               was               watching               CourtTV               one               day               when               it               dawned               on               me,               "I               should               be               a               lawyer!"               Those               attorneys               on               the               television               looked               all               fancy               and               important.

They               had               real               careers,               they               were               not               schlepping               from               temp               job               to               temp               job               like               me.

No,               these               were               really               "together"               people               with               exciting               careers               and               big               paychecks.

"I'm               smart,               I               could               do               that!"               I               told               myself.


               
               Does               any               of               this               resonate               with               you?

If               so,               you               may               want               to               reconsider               law               school               before               you               make               a               huge               mistake               (like               me).

There               are               good               reasons               for               wanting               to               attend               law               school,               but               none               of               them               are               in               the               previous               paragraph.

The               "right"               reasons               to               attend               law               school               are:               genuine               interest               in               legal               matters               and               genuine               interest               in               legal               matters.

Okay,               so               maybe               there               is               only               one               good               reason               to               attend               law               school.

The               point               is,               whether               or               not               you               should               attend               law               school               can               be               answered               the               same               way               as               whether               or               not               you               should               attend               medical/electrical/computer/anything               else               school.

Those               who               have               a               real               interest               in               legal               matters               will               benefit               from               the               degree               the               most.


               
               2)               Can               you               realistically               expect               to               gain               admission               to               an               ivy               league               school?
               This               is               relevant               (oh               God,               did               I               just               say               "relevant"               ...

my               evidence               class               is               replaying               in               my               head),               because               most               schools               outside               the               Top               10               ("T-10")               do               not               have               the               connections               needed               to               ensure               that               all               law               grads               have               decent               job               opportunities               after               graduation.

Nathan               Koppel               of               the               Wall               Street               Journal               writes,               "Law               firms               of               all               sizes...have               had               to               fire               lawyers,               reduce               hiring               and               defer               the               start               dates               of               the               law               graduates               who               did               receive               job               offers."               Meanwhile,               the               average               law               grad               will               have               about               $100,000               of               debt               and               "no               foreseeable               way               to               pay               that               back,"               said               Allan               Tanaenbaum,               chairman               of               an               American               Bar               Association               commission.


               
               Personally,               I               attended               a               law               school               that               did               not               have               a               numerical               ranking,               rather               it               was               simply               considered               "third               tier"               -               just               as               useless               as               "fourth               tier."               I               can               honestly               say               that               whoever               graduated               #1               in               my               class               would               have               0%               chance               of               getting               a               job               interview               over               the               kid               who               graduated               last               place               at               Harvard.

The               one               and               only               exception               to               this               rule               is:               having               excellent               connections.

This               means,               knowing               someone               at               BigLaw               who               will               help               you               get               a               job.
               3)               Are               you               a               good               writer,               quick               reader               and               confident               public               speaker?


               
               Law               school               is               really               just               three               years               of               reading               wordy               text               that               hardly               makes               sense.

(Once               it               starts               making               sense,               consider               yourself               effectively               brainwashed.)               You               will               be               expected               to               read               (and               master)               loads               of               text,               your               professors               will               call               on               you               at               random               ("tag,               your               it"               mentality),               and               any               sign               of               weakness               in               your               response               will               be               thoroughly               preyed               on               (publicly).

This               is               not               for               naught,               I               actually               defend               this               practice.

The               reason               being,               you               will               face               this               very               scenario               in               court               (where               real               clients               and               real               money               are               involved)               -               so               you               had               better               learn               sooner               than               later               how               to               deal               with               this               kind               of               pressure.


               
               At               my               little               hum               drum               third               tier               school               I               personally               saw               students               get               ripped               to               shreds,               I               can               only               imagine               what               the               T-10s               are               like.

Also,               you               will               be               expected               to               write               your               own               arguments               in               moot               court               and               defend               them               vigorously.

If               you               are               a               type               A               personality               who               thrives               on               intensity               and               pressure,               law               school               might               be               a               good               fit.

If,               on               the               other               hand,               you               are               a               type               B               personality               who               enjoys               a               sense               of               peaceful               calm               and               delayed               decision               making,               law               school               will               be               a               tougher               environment.

Think               twice.


               
               4)               Are               you               a               good               test               taker?
               This               question               has               three               parts:               before,               during               and               after.

Before               law               school,               you               will               need               to               take               the               LSAT               and               score               very               well               to               get               into               a               T-10               school.

During               law               school,               you               will               essentially               be               graded               solely               on               your               final               exam               (typically               there               is               no               credit               for               homework,               quizzes,               attendance               or               anything               else).

It               all               comes               down               to               your               one               and               only               final               exam.

The               exams               are               typically               essay               based,               time               constrained,               and               "all               or               nothing"               results.

Again,               type               As               have               the               upper               hand.

Finally,               three               months               after               you               graduate               you               will               sit               for               the               bar               exam,               and               if               you               fail               the               bar               exam               you               will               have               to               wait               6               months               to               retake               it.


               
               5)               Will               anyone               help               you               financially?


               
               This               is               a               serious               consideration.

If               you               are               fortunate               enough               to               have               your               family               pay               your               way               then               you               can               relax               about               financial               pressures               and               focus               on               classes               (unless,               of               course,               your               family               will               be               strained               by               this               expense).

Otherwise,               you               will               have               to               accept               the               fact               that               you               will               be               paying               back               loans               for               a               long,               long               time.

Student               loans               are               not               dischargeable               through               bankruptcy.

It               will               be               years               before               you               break               even.

Only               you               know               whether               or               not               you               can               be               okay               with               that.


               
               While               there               are               plenty               more               questions               I               could               list,               I               think               these               are               the               most               important               ones.

I               cannot               stress               enough               how               important               it               is               to               do               thorough               research               on               any               law               school               you               are               considering               attending.


               
               Sources:               
               Nathan               Koppel,               "Bar               Raised               for               Law               Grad               Jobs",               http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704866204575224350917718446.html               
               
               http://www.bankruptcyhome.com/studentloans.htm               





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