I know that some people want to be lawyers and have no regard for money, but this is insane. The only way I could justify a legal job at 27K was if I got a free ride through law school, and I was independently well-off/wealthy. I love the law, but I would not invest 100,000+ in an education only to make less than I could have made working as an administrative assistant, paralegal, or even a waiter. I despise third tier toilet's, but the students there are still humans. Even the guy last in his class at Cooley deserves better than 27K, seriously.
I'd agree, its not for me either. Then again, those Supreme Court law clerks are more than happy to make $45K a year, live in a bad neighborhood in DC, withstand the burden of $125K in loans, and then, a few years later, bring in the average salary of a Supreme Court law clerk upon leaving: $325,000 starting plus fast track to partner.