Should I quit?

[dischord]

I like how people are so willing to act like nobody goes into law for the money... or that money isn't a major motivating factor for pretty much everybody who posts here. 

I don't think anyone is saying that people don't often go to law school because of the money, although I know that some of these posters don't think that that's the best attitude to have.  No one would really care one way or another about your motivations if you had great grades -- if all you cared about was the money in that case, it wouldn't matter since Biglaw would likely be an available option.  But since you're worried about whether your grades will get you a high paying job, YOU need to ask yourself whether it's the money you're after or just any legal career, since in the former case, once Biglaw is unattainable you have no other reason to be in law school.

Anyway, all they're saying is that this is the worst case scenario you have to deal with: practicing law for not much pay.  If you don't like that prospect, then you've got your answer.  Whether or not this is a realistic scenario given your school rank and grades is another issue.

["That One"]

I like how people are so willing to act like nobody goes into law for the money... or that money isn't a major motivating factor for pretty much everybody who posts here. 

Personally, I went into it for the money.  If making 160k in my mid-20s was not a possibility then I would not have gone to law school.  Hate on me if u want.

[ISUCKATTHIS]

"if all you cared about was the money in that case, it wouldn't matter since Biglaw would likely be an available option.  But since you're worried about whether your grades will get you a high paying job, YOU need to ask yourself whether it's the money you're after or just any legal career, since in the former case, once Biglaw is unattainable you have no other reason to be in law school."

My experience doesn't jive with that - at least the last part.  I was a patent agent at a couple of firms outside of biglaw where first year associates were paid at least $145k.  Senior associates were extremely well compensated and partners were paid like rockstars.  These firms were all mediocre by LSD standards... at the tail end of the vault 100... and are considered by no one I know to be "Biglaw."

Point:  you can make a lot of money outside of biglaw.  I'm just not sure I can with my resume.

Point #2:  It's money I'm after and a satisfying career.  If that happens in law, that's great.  I like legal work.  If it happens outside of law, that's great too.  I've done many things in life and I have found something interesting and fulfilling in each of them.

I just don't get all this preachiness regarding going into law for the money. We're not talking about a career in social work or becoming a volunteer firemen.  We're all here because we want to become lawyers.  Most of us decided we wanted to become lawyers before we'd ever read a statute or a supreme court opinion.  If anything, my work as a patent agent has given me more hands-on exposure to "the law" than the vast majority of moralists here touting their own altruism.  And I still say money is the most important factor for me.

[ISUCKATTHIS]

I like how people are so willing to act like nobody goes into law for the money... or that money isn't a major motivating factor for pretty much everybody who posts here. 

Personally, I went into it for the money.  If making 160k in my mid-20s was not a possibility then I would not have gone to law school.  Hate on me if u want.

I think your honesty is refreshing. 

[M_Cool]

There's a distinction between "I want to make a lot of money" and "I want to make a lot of money right when I graduate."

It's the second part of the equation that gets people into trouble.  Calm the F down.  The world isn't going to come to an end because you can't make 160K the second you graduate from law school.

I just can't understand the entitlement that comes with your position.  Do you think you are worth 160K straight out of law school?  I almost feel embarrassed charging people $25 an hour for legal research and I sure as hell know I'm not worth the near 3K a week I'll be getting this summer.  So yeah, I went to law school partly so I can make a good living for myself, but I'm not going to freak out if I'm making (god forbid) 70k right out of law school instead of 160K.  I'll get there eventually.

[M_Cool]

P.S. what's the attrition rate after 2-3 years in a firm that starts at 160k?  Like 70%?  More than that?  So even if you do manage to land the kind of job you want, there's a very good chance you will voluntarily take a pay decrease just to get out of the soul crushing environment. 

[Netopalis]

In re: the money question, my plan is to get a job at the DOJ or as a prosecutor for 60k per year.  Not terrible income, but I could certainly do better in another field.  Why do I want to do that?  Because the practice of law itself appeals to me in a way that other jobs simply do not, and I want the better living conditions of a government job vs. a firm job.

[ISUCKATTHIS]

"I just can't understand the entitlement that comes with your position."

That's a pretty annoying comment and it proves you haven't really read what I wrote.  I never said I was "entitled" to anything.  I said I WANTED the money.  Why don't you slow down, take a deep breath and make sure you know what's going on before you make comments like that?

[ISUCKATTHIS]

In re: the money question, my plan is to get a job at the DOJ or as a prosecutor for 60k per year.  Not terrible income, but I could certainly do better in another field.  Why do I want to do that?  Because the practice of law itself appeals to me in a way that other jobs simply do not, and I want the better living conditions of a government job vs. a firm job.

That's impressive and I would accept the kind of criticism and preachiness that's on tap here from someone like you - i.e., someone who doesn't care about the money.  You're a pretty rare bird, however.  I would also guess that many of the birds of your feather will change their minds when the reality of paying off $100k+ in loans on a $60k salary hits home. 

[Matthies]

I just don't get all this preachiness regarding going into law for the money. We're not talking about a career in social work or becoming a volunteer firemen.  We're all here because we want to become lawyers.  Most of us decided we wanted to become lawyers before we'd ever read a statute or a supreme court opinion.  If anything, my work as a patent agent has given me more hands-on exposure to "the law" than the vast majority of moralists here touting their own altruism.  And I still say money is the most important factor for me.

I think the difference is most people here would be willing to be a lawyer even if it does not pay top salary. That and at the end of law school, assuming you pas the bar, you’re a lawyer guaranteed. How much you make being  a lawyer, however, is not guaranteed and its dependant on many factors outside your control. In other words law definitely equals lawyer, but lawyer does not always equal well paid lawyer. Hence the comments if you went to school just to be well paid as your primary goal, then you should be aware that is rarity not the norm, hence some dismay expressed that your reason for being disappointed is that goal may not be as easily attainable as you once thought. I don’t think anyone is attacking you for having that goal in and of itself as much as they are saying, in essence, you should have known that was going to be a long shot in the first place before you went.