why go to law school if you don't want to be a lawyer

As a general rule, you should not go to law school if you do not want to become a lawyer. Law school is incredibly expensive, time consuming, and a law degree will narrow your career options down the road. There are some benefits of attending law school even with no intention of becoming a lawyer but they are outweighed by the costs.

Full Answer

Should I go to law school to be a lawyer?

And if you don’t know what “be a lawyer” really means, you should absolutely invest time and energy figuring out what that means long before you give any one of these law schools an application fee. Law schools want you to believe that you go to law school to learn how to be a lawyer. That is false. That is their great trick.

Why go to Law School?

These are the prospective students we want to encourage to go to law school, the ones who will find practicing law an exciting, challenging and rewarding career. The decision to go to law school is, in itself, not a career choice.

What if I'm Not thinking about going to Law School?

If you're not thinking about going to law school, you can skip this whole post, or just send it to your friends who are thinking about going and thank your god that you're not them. But if you are one of the many thinking about law school, start by asking yourself one simple question: "Why do I want to go to law school?"

Is it fun to be a lawyer?

Obviously, actual trials are as rare for lawyers as any other “fun” aspect of law, but at least it’s an aspect of being a lawyer you can literally see for yourself. You don’t have to watch that on T.V. or read about it. You can go see motion practice, in action!

Why do you not want to be a lawyer?

Deadlines, billing pressures, client demands, long hours, changing laws, and other demands all combine to make the practice of law one of the most stressful jobs out there. Throw in rising business pressures, evolving legal technologies, and climbing law school debt and it's no wonder lawyers are stressed.

What to do if you dont like being a lawyer?

What to Do If You Hate Being a LawyerRemember the Time Before You Went to Law School.Get Serious About Your Finances.Give Yourself Permission to Explore Your Options.Considering Getting Support.

Why is law school not a good idea?

Law school is expensive. The sheer financial burden of obtaining a law degree is enough to severely limit the number and types of jobs you can have once you graduate. You need to make sure that law is even a career option you would consider and not simply pursue it to “have the option” later.

Do lawyers regret law school?

The replies to this question varied, but the vast majority of people responding felt that they were better off having attended law school, with only about 10 of the approximately 150 lawyers responding indicating that they regretted obtaining a law degree.

Is it fun being a lawyer?

Being a lawyer can be very fun and very rewarding. But as the other posts have indicated it requires a lot of work, time, money, and attention to detail. As with most challenging things in life it can be well worth it.

Is it worth going to law school?

The highest 10% of lawyers earned median annual earnings of more than $208,000 in 2019. Some law school graduates forgo serving as a lawyer in order to have more work-life balance. There are many jobs you can do with a law degree and legal-related roles where having a J.D. may be an asset.

Is law school toxic?

0:0912:59Why is Law School so Toxic - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipI'm nubia and i'm here to talk to you about why law school is so toxic. So you might hear a lot ofMoreI'm nubia and i'm here to talk to you about why law school is so toxic. So you might hear a lot of lawyers.

Is law school harder than med school?

In short, medical school is hands-on and requires a lot of memorization. Law school requires analytical work and critical thinking. Law school requires heavy reading and writing while medical school requires learning about problems through clinical studies and hands-on training.

What is the average law school debt?

Key statistics: Law school student loan debt The average law school graduate owes approximately $165,000 in educational debt upon graduating. More than 95 percent of students take out loans to attend law school.

Should I drop out of law school?

If you have completely changed your mind on anything to do with law and can't see yourself finishing law school easily, then dropping out may be the best option for you. However, if it is just the “future lawyer” part of being in law school that you don't enjoy, there may still be a reason for you to stay in school.

Does going to a top law school matter?

Show how a law school's distinctive traits and values align with your own. While law graduates are not bound to stay in state, it can be hard to get clerkships and job openings out of state unless you graduate from a top-ranked law school. Studying law near where you plan to build a career makes sense.

Do you regret becoming a lawyer Quora?

Yes, there were many times I regretted being a lawyer. When I worked for a mega firm I hated it so much I used to cry and tell my husband I had no transferable skills. I have written on Quora about getting a really bad guy off and two days later he murdered an eight year old. I really regretted it then.

Law School is Great for Skills Development

Despite the naysayers opinions that I have seen online, I can honestly tell you that that law students learn skills that are highly applicable to a variety of fields and in your daily life outside of work. Three years of law school have done wonders for me in developing marketable skills.

A Law Degree Can Open Doors to Certain Fields

Although, a law degree is only required in a limited number of jobs (namely if you want to become a lawyer), it may open doors to other fields. Knowledge of the law can be helpful in a variety of careers from politics to business administration and management. There is a reason why so many of our nation’s politicians have a law degree.

Law School is Expensive

Law School is expensive and depending on the school you attend it may be extremely expensive. Just to give you an idea, the law school I attended charged more than $60,000 a year for tuition in 2020! That is before you consider housing and other living expenses, and before you consider the three years of lost income.

Law School is Time Intensive

Law school is significantly more time consuming than other graduate degrees. You will not have much time for hobbies, old friends or any other pursuits while you’re in law school. I had an online business that I felt I could manage during my 1L year of law school.

A Law Degree May Make it More Difficult to Find a Job

I mentioned that a JD can open some doors in the job market, but the inverse is also true. Many employers may skip over your resume believing that you are overqualified because you have a JD. One of the stereotypes about lawyers (whether it is actually true is neither here nor there) is that they tend to be risk-adverse in the extreme.

Law School is Not a General Graduate Degree

Law school in reality is a trade school that doesn’t really train students to practice the law. Students don’t learn how to practice the law, they learn various aspects of the blackletter law and to some degree learn how to “think like a lawyer”.

Conclusion

There are costs to attending law school for any student, including those who do intend to become a lawyer. For those considering law school but do not want to become a lawyer you will generally find that the costs outweigh the benefits.

Why don't I want to be a lawyer?

One benefit of realising early on that you don't want to be a lawyer is that you won't have to spend hours applying for training contracts, going to law careers fairs, doing vacation schemes and all the other things that aspiring solicitors and barristers have to do. This gives you time to figure out what career you really want ...

What is law training?

Law trains students in research, analysis, criticism and communication. You have to engage in problem solving, memory recall and wider theoretical discussions - sometimes all at the same time. These skills are useful in all kinds of professions.

What percentage of law graduates got jobs in 2009?

Data acquired by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) revealed that 54.5% of law graduates in 2009 got jobs in the professional, scientific and technical activities sector which, although including the legal profession, also covers accountancy, PR, advertising and recruitment.

Should career decisions be rushed?

Career decisions are some of the hardest you'll ever make and should never be rushed. If you're having a bad time with your degree, you should look to speak to your university's support staff before making any big decisions.

Why is it important to go to law school?

A major benefit of attending law school is that the law becomes familiar to you. If you or a loved one find themselves in a legal scenario or need to understand a contract or other legalese you come across, your knowledge will help you decipher the language.

What does law school teach you?

Law school teaches you to look at all sides of an issue, and to use data, established research and case studies to advocate for your client. Even if you want to use your law school degree for something other than being an attorney, this perspective that law school courses introduces you to can help you in your future career and in your interactions with others.

How many hours do you work as an attorney?

It's important to know that when you are a new law school graduate working as an attorney, you'll likely work 60 to 80 hours per week and at a lower starting salary than you may expect. Working as an attorney, you have the potential to earn a high salary, but you may not be able to do so right away. It's common to earn the average salary for a lawyer after you've been in the field for three to five years.

How many hours do lawyers work?

It's common to work very long hours as an attorney, sometimes as much as 80 hours per week as a recent graduate which can affect your work-life balance. You must log the hours when you perform work for clients, but a lot of your time may also be spent researching case law, creating legal documents and writing. You should also prepare to experience long hours while you're in law school, too. Law students must study hard, prepare for class, write papers and complete projects.

How does law school help you?

Law school will give you exposure to many people, from fellow students to professors. In law school, you'll have to work closely with your classmates to finish projects, study for exams and complete work-study programs. Law school graduates and your professors can be valuable contacts to have when you are looking for a job after college. Your classmates who go on to become attorneys can refer you to their clients and vice versa. You can also build your network with people you meet through internships.

Do attorneys argue?

While you may get a position as a prosecuting attorney or work in another capacity that will require you to appear in court and defend or otherwise represent a client, most attorneys do not argue as part of their job. You're more likely to spend your day writing briefs, filing paperwork, meeting with clients and recording billable hours.

Is law a good career?

Although law may be a highly sought after career choice for some, this also means that you may find a lot of competition in the field. That competition is for all kinds of law and for positions paying a range of salaries. If you're deciding to go to law school just because you think you'll have a positive employment outlook once you graduate, you may want to consider if there is a better career choice for you.

What is the life of a lawyer?

The life of most lawyers is not full of the glamour, excitement and financial regards popularly portrayed. Lawyers must tolerate, and hopefully thrive on, the adversarial nature of law practice and the hard work, long hours, and stress of juggling numerous projects and the competing demands of clients.

What is law study?

Instead, law is a field of study that offers the recipient a wide range of career options, each requiring different skills but also possessing common characteristics. The options are endless in terms of practice areas and work environments.

Do law school students have to be proactive?

And, as a result, that they must accept responsibility for a proactive, not reactive, role in their own career planning. Students must avoid making career decisions based on the same reasons underlying their decision to enter law school--for money or prestige or by default.

How long does it take to become an attorney?

Assuming you’re in the U.S., first you would need a 4-year degree. Then you would need to get a JD from an ABA-accredited school. Then you would have to pass a bar exam and get licensed as an attorney. And unless you have practiced law for at least 5 years no one will care what you think.

Do liberal arts majors go to law school?

Many liberal arts majors go to law school as a default, decide not to practice, and then go off to do interesting things — the kind of interesting things that interesting people would do with or without a law degree.

Is law a bad idea?

In the US, where law is an expensive 3 year postgraduate program, that is probably a bad idea. In the UK, where law is an undergraduate degree, it is as good as any other (and frankly better than most) at building analytical skills. It is just very hard to get in.

Does a JD help with law school?

In actuality, their law degree doesn’t help at all. Law school is a trade school. If you want the degree itself to have any potency, you have to take the bar. People who put “JD” after their names either did not take the bar or they failed the bar, so it’s actually a negative perception in this case.

Do law firms hire lawyers?

The best and simplest answer would be law firms and other legal employers hire nearly all of them to be attorneys. There will always be a percentage of lawyers whom law firms did not hire. Some of them might then start their own law firms. Some of them might be hired into jobs in which they do not.

Do law schools teach you what it's like to be a lawyer?

Law schools do nothing of the sort. A law school doesn’t teach you what it’s like to be a lawyer any more than having a niece teaches you what it’s like to be a parent. In both cases, YOU CAN GO HOME.

Can you leave your kids to someone else?

You can leave your theoretical kids or theoretical clients to someone else’s ultimate responsibility. Like an actual parent, the job of a practicing attorney involves a lot less “let’s go on an adventure,” and a lot more “oh my God, if you don’t shut up I’m going to murder you.”.

How long is a law school?

Law school is three years long. If you go to an average law school and don’t get any tuition help or scholarships, you are going to spend ~$150,000 all-in, at least. That’s three years of tuition, assorted fees, books and living expenses.

Is law school a bastion of intellectual discourse?

Make no mistake about it: Law school is not a bastion of intellectual discourse. It is a fucking TRADE SCHOOL. You are all there to be trained to think and act exactly the same way as everyone else in the profession, so you can then be a drone in the legal system. No one is interested in your opinion.

Is the legal job market drying up?

Beyond that, the overall legal job market has dried up, even the low paying jobs. They aren’t going to tell you any of this at law school recruitment receptions; in fact schools continue to tell prospective students the opposite, which is why more and more of them are being sued for fraud.

Is there a person who is interested in your opinion?

No one is interested in your opinion. The only one of those that matters is the one expressed, with a capital “O”, by the judge (s) in whatever case you are currently reading. Beyond that, to be genuinely good at legal “arguing,” you must be dispassionate, reasonable and smart.