Let's start with a rather objective view of law school. These statements are beyond argument:
1. It is an extreme commitment of time. It takes three years to get a J.D. (I know some people that did it in 2.5 years, but they had to really apply themselves at the expense of their personal lives). Some law schools have part-time programs, but even this is a four-year commitment which demands a great deal of time when you are in law school.
2. During the time you are in law school, you cannot really do anything else. Law school takes an extreme commitment to studying and review of materials. Although the intensity of law school is somewhat overrated (I suppose a hangover from "The Paper Chase" and John Grisham novels), it is true that the study of law is very demanding. I speak as someone who received a Master's degree in a very intense program (Russian) before going to law school, so I do have some experience in this.
3. Law school is extremely competitive. Once again, although the competition in law school is somewhat overrated (once again, you can thank "The Paper Chase"), it is true that getting an A is very difficult. On the flip side, it is next to impossible to fail out of law school.
4. Unless you are independently wealthy, you will have to take out loans to attend law school. We will discuss this further in a later post, but the low end of law school debt is $30,000 (yep that's THIRTY THOUSAND dollars). Debt of $150,000.00 (yep - that's ONE HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS) is not unusual.
5. Getting into law school itself is a challenge. A good law school demands a good undergraduate GPA and a good score on the LSAT (although what the LSAT has to do with being a lawyer is beyond me). Your undergraduate program will also be evaluated. Getting a 3.0 in a field like Mechanical Engineering will be a lot more impressive than getting a 4.0 in Basket Weaving. This means that even before you set foot in law school, you will need to invest time and money in studying for the LSAT. (For my foreign readers: LSAT = Law School Admissions Test)
6. Even if you go to a good law school, the days when you can graduate assured of a high-paying job are long-gone. Just going to law school is no guarantee of future employment and that $150,000.00 in debt you may accrue will haunt you for the rest of your life, good job or not.
7. The three years you are in law school will be a strain on any relationship you have. Some marriages do not survive law school and I have heard from many people that I could be a total prick when I was in law school. Including my wife. I know several people whose marriages did not survive.
8. For the most part, law school does not prepare you for being a lawyer. It doesn't even prepare you to take the bar exam. You will learn how to be a lawyer after you graduate and work as a lawyer.
9. Speaking of the bar exam, getting your J.D. degree means nothing. You have to pass the bar exam of your state to be able to practice law. This means that AFTER you graduate, you must study for the bar (a full-time occupation in and of itself) for about three months (depending on the state) and attend bar-review classes. This means you can expect to add another $5000.00 to your debt and have another three months of being a social hermit and a general pain-in-the-ass to all of your friends and family.
It should be clear, then that deciding whether or not to attend law school is not a spur-of-the-moment decision. If you are going to go through all of the above, make damned sure you are not doing it on a coin toss.
1. It is an extreme commitment of time. It takes three years to get a J.D. (I know some people that did it in 2.5 years, but they had to really apply themselves at the expense of their personal lives). Some law schools have part-time programs, but even this is a four-year commitment which demands a great deal of time when you are in law school.
2. During the time you are in law school, you cannot really do anything else. Law school takes an extreme commitment to studying and review of materials. Although the intensity of law school is somewhat overrated (I suppose a hangover from "The Paper Chase" and John Grisham novels), it is true that the study of law is very demanding. I speak as someone who received a Master's degree in a very intense program (Russian) before going to law school, so I do have some experience in this.
3. Law school is extremely competitive. Once again, although the competition in law school is somewhat overrated (once again, you can thank "The Paper Chase"), it is true that getting an A is very difficult. On the flip side, it is next to impossible to fail out of law school.
4. Unless you are independently wealthy, you will have to take out loans to attend law school. We will discuss this further in a later post, but the low end of law school debt is $30,000 (yep that's THIRTY THOUSAND dollars). Debt of $150,000.00 (yep - that's ONE HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS) is not unusual.
5. Getting into law school itself is a challenge. A good law school demands a good undergraduate GPA and a good score on the LSAT (although what the LSAT has to do with being a lawyer is beyond me). Your undergraduate program will also be evaluated. Getting a 3.0 in a field like Mechanical Engineering will be a lot more impressive than getting a 4.0 in Basket Weaving. This means that even before you set foot in law school, you will need to invest time and money in studying for the LSAT. (For my foreign readers: LSAT = Law School Admissions Test)
6. Even if you go to a good law school, the days when you can graduate assured of a high-paying job are long-gone. Just going to law school is no guarantee of future employment and that $150,000.00 in debt you may accrue will haunt you for the rest of your life, good job or not.
7. The three years you are in law school will be a strain on any relationship you have. Some marriages do not survive law school and I have heard from many people that I could be a total prick when I was in law school. Including my wife. I know several people whose marriages did not survive.
8. For the most part, law school does not prepare you for being a lawyer. It doesn't even prepare you to take the bar exam. You will learn how to be a lawyer after you graduate and work as a lawyer.
9. Speaking of the bar exam, getting your J.D. degree means nothing. You have to pass the bar exam of your state to be able to practice law. This means that AFTER you graduate, you must study for the bar (a full-time occupation in and of itself) for about three months (depending on the state) and attend bar-review classes. This means you can expect to add another $5000.00 to your debt and have another three months of being a social hermit and a general pain-in-the-ass to all of your friends and family.
It should be clear, then that deciding whether or not to attend law school is not a spur-of-the-moment decision. If you are going to go through all of the above, make damned sure you are not doing it on a coin toss.
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