Its not secret that tons of lawyers really hate being lawyers and wish they had done something else.

Is this the case with any law students out there? Is anyone regretting their decision to attend and to be an attorney?


I'm just super nervous about going through such an ordeal to find that I hate doing what I do. I've done the research, it seems that I'd like the work, but how do I know? I bet a lot of dissatisfied lawyers felt they know what they were doing.

I just wanted to put this out there really quick and see if anyone know why UC Hastings job placement upon graduation hovered around 65% in 2003. I haven't been able to find info for the latest grad, and the hastings website only posts the grad rate 9 months out which is much better. This is of course no mistake, since what school wants you to know that 35% of their graduates can't line up a job at grad time.

Does anyone know anything about this or career placement in general at hastings? I know most people say that to be considered for big law you need to be in the top 25% (Is this true from what you all know?). Where does one need to graduate to even have a job lined up at graduation or is it more about the contacts one has made during clinics, externships, and summer employment? In essence, how important is the networking game for graduating Hastings students?

Thanks to any who can answer some or all of my questions. Comments on the overall Hastings experience would be appreciated as well. General likes, dislikes etc...

It is a known fact that a large proportion of those seeking a law degree do, in fact, possess a political science degree as well. I will be attending, in all probability, UC Hastings which reports that something in the neighborhood of 20% of its students fall into this category, myself included.

I am an idealist, and though working hard to graduate in the top of my class in order to "earn" the right to contribute handsomely to Dewey Cheatum and Howe has its allure (specifically, about $125,000 dollars a year worth of allure), it does not speak much to my core values, beliefs or ambitions. I’ve spent the better part of a year working for corporate America doing various tasks for the illustrious Target Corporation, and know that large firms operate in the same way. It is a lonely, empty, and unfulfilling existence. I am certain that there are many others who feel much the same way.

For all the talk and time individuals spend on these boards ranting about rankings and firm placement, is there not anyone who is concerned about their law degree and how it can be used in significant and meaningful ways:  upholding and advancing civil rights, promoting legislation that furthers the interests of the impoverished, identifying and reverse practices the results of which, though not intended to be racist, are racist.

So my question is, who is with me? Where are you political science majors? Does anyone have eyes for the “greater good”, for working on legislation, and being involved one way or another in public policy? What are you doing to prepare, what avenues are you peering down, and what’s the experience you are carving out for yourself in law school to facilitate your goal?