What's good about being an attorney?

[Choop]

It seems a lot of people complain that law school and life as an attorney involves a lot stress, long hours, and depression.  I got a decent LSAT score but I've lately been thinking I would rather be a paralegal because I can still work in law but I would also have time to do other stuff like play with my future kids, sit on the couch and drink beer, and read mystery novels, etc.

So, I'm wondering what the draw is for you current students.  Besides high salaries, what about working as a lawyer attracts you to the career despite the negatives?  A ton of people go to law school, so there must be some good things I haven't thought of yet.

[zemog]

The potential good that you can do.  Ever seen Ford Coppola's "The Rain Maker?" Great movie and inspiration. I'm actually interested in law and want to fight for the little guy and can care less of the money (especially since I don't care I attend a third tier toilet).  I know you have actually heard this a million times, but my reason is genuine as I've been working for over ten years now in a successful corp job (and still do through LS) and will give up salary when I switch careers. 

Most people in my PT program are alot older with successful careers and I'd say the older they are, the chances they are in school is to just learn law. To pursue something they are actually interested in and not chasing the dollars.  It seems that the younger wipper snappers are the ones that are in it for the money.  And of course there is nothing wrong with that.   

[lincolnsgrandson]

You're asking the wrong people.  We're not lawyers. 

[LostMyMonkeys]

This is me, almost exactly. Working professional, etc etc. Except I'm not making a whole lot of money right now. And I plan to do so once I become a lawyer. I have worked in the public sector for much of my professional life and I am done with it. Show me the money.
This is also my second go around at law school (left halfway through the first time to join my husband overseas). So going back, and having to repeat everything, I damn well be sure this is what I want to do, especially with as much debt as I will be in after it's all said and done.

For me it's about what I can do for other people. How I can solve their probelms and help them live a betetr life.

The potential good that you can do.  Ever seen Ford Coppola's "The Rain Maker?" Great movie and inspiration. I'm actually interested in law and want to fight for the little guy and can care less of the money (especially since I don't care I attend a third tier toilet).  I know you have actually heard this a million times, but my reason is genuine as I've been working for over ten years now in a successful corp job (and still do through LS) and will give up salary when I switch careers. 

Most people in my PT program are alot older with successful careers and I'd say the older they are, the chances they are in school is to just learn law. To pursue something they are actually interested in and not chasing the dollars.  It seems that the younger wipper snappers are the ones that are in it for the money.  And of course there is nothing wrong with that.   

[Wild Jack Maverick]

It seems a lot of people complain that law school and life as an attorney involves a lot stress, long hours, and depression.  I got a decent LSAT score but I've lately been thinking I would rather be a paralegal because I can still work in law but I would also have time to do other stuff like play with my future kids, sit on the couch and drink beer, and read mystery novels, etc.

So, I'm wondering what the draw is for you current students.  Besides high salaries, what about working as a lawyer attracts you to the career despite the negatives?  A ton of people go to law school, so there must be some good things I haven't thought of yet.

Law and Chess are very similar.

Why lawyers aren’t normal
http://www.legalweekstudent.net/ViewItem.asp?id=19311

[giraffe205]

Law and Chess are very similar.

Why lawyers aren’t normal
http://www.legalweekstudent.net/ViewItem.asp?id=19311

I haven't checked out the link yet, but I think that the most common characteristic found among law students is that we are all over achievers. We'll do whatever it takes, w/in the bounds of ethics, to win or make the deal go through. We're politely aggressive.

[LostMyMonkeys]

I go to a TTT yet my professor is quoted in that article. Does that make my school more legit?
Or the article less so?

[VCartman]

Great article. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is actually really well-founded and is a useful tool.

What's your type? http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp

Vivian, INFJ 

[dft]

Great article. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is actually really well-founded and is a useful tool.

What's your type? http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp

Vivian, INFJ 

I came out as an ISTJ, which is the most common type for lawyers according to that article.

I'm barely in the "S" (sensing) category -- borderline "N" (intuitive).

  ISTJ
Introverted   Sensing      Thinking   Judging
Strength of the preferences %
56             1              50            78
 
You are:

    * moderately expressed introvert
    * slightly expressed sensing personality
    * moderately expressed thinking personality
    * very expressed judging personality

[Mimimimi]

It seems a lot of people complain that law school and life as an attorney involves a lot stress, long hours, and depression.  I got a decent LSAT score but I've lately been thinking I would rather be a paralegal because I can still work in law but I would also have time to do other stuff like play with my future kids, sit on the couch and drink beer, and read mystery novels, etc.

So, I'm wondering what the draw is for you current students.  Besides high salaries, what about working as a lawyer attracts you to the career despite the negatives?  A ton of people go to law school, so there must be some good things I haven't thought of yet.

If you're a paralegal, you're going to absorb all the stress of a law firm and in addition to that be sh*t on by the lawyers.  If you want to work in law, may as well go balls out unless you think you'll feel ok with forever being pretty much an assistant in your field.  I had sort of a secretarial job after college, thinking it wouldn't be so bad to just work 9-5, enjoy my outside life, etc.  Frankly, even 9-5 takes a lot out of you and I'd rather spend 60 hrs a week being a lawyer than 40 hrs a week being a paralegal.  I will admit that I am somewhat prestige-driven, though. 

But even if you aren't prestige driven, I don't think being a paralegal would be much less stressful than being a lawyer.  When the lawyers are working late, who do you think is helping them?  However, you would save yourself the law school debt, I guess.