Why do you want to go to law school?

[smurf83]

What are your reasons for law school? What do people who want to make money, work in coporate law etc. say? How do you make yourself look good if you  simply want to pursue a good career and make moneyw ithout any "social justice" kind of aims?

[dave303]

I think my earlier response was too pretentious, I've now decided that I'm going to LS in order to save starving kittens from greedy corporate developers.

[twarga]

To make a lot of money. My family is poor so I had something other than bs public service/helping people stuff on my PS. I basically wrote my PS about wanting to be successful. I got an app fee waiver at every school I applied too even those that did not specifically say they had a waiver simply by writing a letter and asking for one.

You go Dave!  The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

[St. Shaun]

What are your reasons for law school? What do people who want to make money, work in coporate law etc. say? How do you make yourself look good if you  simply want to pursue a good career and make moneyw ithout any "social justice" kind of aims?

Just be honest and say you want to be successful.  Most people will agree that this is actually a good thing, and I'm sure a large part of the adcom committee will at least understand this answer.  Also I have read several quotes of adcom's being suspicious of people saying they are pursuing public interest/government law since a large percentage of apps they receive show interest in these area's yet only a small percentage actually go into this sort of law.

I didn't say anything about "social justice" or public good in my app, even though that is the kind of law I plan on practicing eventually.  I just said that I wanted to learn to be a good advocate for my clients.

[ImVinny!]

Hello,
I REALLY do want to go into public service/government, should I not mention this in my app? That is one of the main reasons why I want to be a lawyer, to get involved in government. What do you all think?

[jimb213]

The Best Way to Sum It Up: Fastball. They're a band from my hometown, Austin, TX. They had a huge hit in 1998, "The Way." Their album sold a million copies or so; they generated revenue of 12 to 15 million dollars (12 to 15 bucks per CD); the band made about 30 grand to split between the three of 'em of album sales.

Pile onto that the RIAA lawsuits, the music industry's refusal to jump into the 21st century, and the decades-old practice of exploiting artists, and you've got tons of legal issues I'm itching to sink my teeth into.

[Sister Funkhaus]

Thanks for posting this question. I have been milling over this myself. For me it about success, the challenge, the money, etc... I wasn't sure if I was "allowed" to say that or not.

[V00Jeff]

I'm interested in government work, especially as it deals with international relations.  I figure that I won't really be able to live on a federal salary forever, though, and I will probably bounce in and out of private practice, mainly in DC.  To me, that's the great thing about the law degree -- I can work in the government, but I can also leave if I disagree with the policy direction of a particular administration and I won't have to worry about not having skills that are not valuable in the marketplace.  I'm also interested in being a prof., but I know that it's a ridiculously competitive field.  I'd also say that there's a small chance that I'd want to go the corporate route...maybe by doing in-house counsel after a few years and then jumping into the non-law side of a particular company.  The law degree definitely gives you a ton of options!

[angelus]

I want power, and money. I also want pedophiles, child molesters, and serial killers put to death quickly and economically.

[mdd]

The Best Way to Sum It Up: Fastball. They're a band from my hometown, Austin, TX. They had a huge hit in 1998, "The Way."

I liked that song.