0L Question

[lawguy09]

Since deciding to go to law school, people have been asking me what type of law I'd like to practice. I tell them, "It's too early to decide, I hope to find something I like."

Now, I'd like to say I'm going to law school to make the world a better place, but mostly I'm going to find a good job and make good money.

I know criminal law isn't the money maker...so, what type of law is?

[Advocate]

Lawyers at the top of any field make lots of money -- even in criminal law (remember OJ's lawyers).

You want a more specific answer though. I've been told Patent law is very profitable. Although, you can only take the patent bar if you have an undergrad degree in Science or Engineering).  You could still do copyright law, but I'm not sure if that is equally profitable.

[Matthies]

Since deciding to go to law school, people have been asking me what type of law I'd like to practice. I tell them, "It's too early to decide, I hope to find something I like."

Now, I'd like to say I'm going to law school to make the world a better place, but mostly I'm going to find a good job and make good money.

I know criminal law isn't the money maker...so, what type of law is?

Criminal defense is a big money maker, its just done mostly by small firms and solos so no real salery data. My classmate started her own pratice right out of law school (she was a criminal defese paralgegal and knows a bunch of crimnal defense lawyer who feed her work) and has been averaging 12k a month since she got lic last Aug. Don't worry if you don't know what you want to do right now, most don't even know by 3L and most folks will end up doing whatvere the firm that hires them has open. Very few people know what kind of law they want to do before law school, but a few do.

[CTL]

Personal injury.  You have to live in a bad city like Utica, NY though.

[I am the Lorax]

Hauling people into court is not the way to make the world a better place.  If that's as clear as you can get with why you want to go to law school, you should take some time off before you invest $100,000.00 in something you may not want in the end.

[CTL]

Hauling people into court is not the way to make the world a better place.  If that's as clear as you can get with why you want to go to law school, you should take some time off before you invest $100,000.00 in something you may not want in the end.

That's not necessarily true.  When a court rewards damages to a plaintiff, it is because they are wronged.  Doesn't the restitution of a wrong go toward 'making the world a better place'?

[EdinTally]

Hauling people into court is not the way to make the world a better place.  If that's as clear as you can get with why you want to go to law school, you should take some time off before you invest $100,000.00 in something you may not want in the end.

That's not necessarily true.  When a court rewards damages to a plaintiff, it is because they are wronged.  Doesn't the restitution of a wrong go toward 'making the world a better place'?

Aren't damages meant to make "someone" whole again?  If so, the answer is no.

But given that "making the world a better place" is like urinating in the ocean, then hauling people into court seems as good a way as any.

[RobWreck]

Now, I'd like to say I'm going to law school to make the world a better place, but mostly I'm going to find a good job and make good money.

Dude... you're so heading into the wrong field. Depending on your grades & LSAT score, if you get into a top school (T-14), then you'll do fine... but if you're outside the top 50 schools, you've got less than a 50/50 chance of 'making good money' in comparison to the debt you'll incur. You want to make the world a better place and make good money with a good job? Go to phramacy school... average starting salary of over $100k and no stupid Shakespearean quotes about 'killing all the pharmacists'...
Rob

[nealric]

Criminal defense is a big money maker, its just done mostly by small firms and solos so no real salery data.

From everything I've observed, I get the impression that criminal law (like many practice areas dominated by small firms) can be all over the place money wise. There are public defenders making $30k a year and there are big shots making $1M+.

[CTL]

Hauling people into court is not the way to make the world a better place.  If that's as clear as you can get with why you want to go to law school, you should take some time off before you invest $100,000.00 in something you may not want in the end.

That's not necessarily true.  When a court rewards damages to a plaintiff, it is because they are wronged.  Doesn't the restitution of a wrong go toward 'making the world a better place'?

Aren't damages meant to make "someone" whole again?  If so, the answer is no.

But given that "making the world a better place" is like urinating in the ocean, then hauling people into court seems as good a way as any.

The process of making someone whole seems wholly positive, hence 'making the world a better place'.  I think that phrase, 'making the world a better place', is a little vague and wishy-washy anyway.