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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