In terms of what a career in law is like: in almost all practice areas, your life will be dictated by hard deadlines—deadlines that, if missed, would lead to bar complaints and genuine malpractice lawsuits. You also typically are dealing with people in the worst moments of their lives.
Being accepted into law school (or college really) is funny. It’s like “Congratulations!”, and you celebrate for a second followed by “Ok, now pays us 200-800 dollars for a seat deposit, take out thousands in loans and here is your grueling and stressful schedule.
Plenty of attorneys are content working in the legal field outside of it. My bosses are criminal defense attorneys, and they keep a M-F 9-5 schedule and vacation regularly. Law students and lawyers bitch endlessly, and love to exaggerate how miserable their work schedules are.
Another thing to think about is the type of law you are thinking of practicing. The average work day of a public defender or criminal lawyer would be much different than specializing in contract law. Law (outside becoming a lawyer) gives you an excellent education in persuasive argument. This can be very valuable in many different careers. 2
ER nurses have very stressful jobs. Americans that own small businesses can spend 12 hours a day running their business. Engineers took the hardest classes to become engineers and im sure their job is challenging. I have a cousin that owns a daycare. She makes a lot of money as it is in an affluent area.
You cannot catch fish without bait in the water. You cannot get a job if you don't apply. Yes, firms say they want the top X%. My buddy, very much not in that top X%, is working his dream job because he applied and whoever was reviewing his resume went to the same undergrad.
Lawyers are in the unusual position of actually being better at their jobs if they have a pessimistic mindset rather than a rosy outlook, according to the ABA. A lawyer’s ability to see everything that could possibly go wrong comes in handy when they’re building an airtight case against the opposition.
1. The challenging years of law school. The process of becoming a lawyer isn’t for the faint of heart. The BLS reports that it typically takes seven years of full-time postsecondary education to become a lawyer. This breaks down to four years for a Bachelor’s degree, followed by three years of law school.
Non-billable hours are all those other aspects of a job, like checking e-mail, attending meetings and participating in continuing education.
Is being a lawyer worth it? That’s something only you can decide. Becoming a lawyer definitely isn’t for everyone. If you decide that the risks don’t outweigh the rewards, you don’t necessarily have to give up your dream of working in the legal field. There are plenty of other career options that may better suit your skills and interests.