Is Cooley Law School That Bad?

[cooleylawstudent]

that and the fact you'd leave in a wheelchair.....

I am sure it is rough. It is always good to have people that are family in the business because you're a shoe-in at a good firm.

On topic, you will never see me step foot into Cooley law. I do believe it is that bad.

[the white rabbit]

I think if you want to be lawyer you should go to law school, jobs are not easy to find in any industry. 

Disagree for the same reasons I've stated elsewhere: your decision should not be based solely based on what you want. 

And it may be true about jobs not being easy to find in any industry, but not every industry requires for entry the kind of money that law schools require.

[the white rabbit]

...working 30-40 years as an attorney will likely cover the 100K debt you go into....

This is assuming you are able to find employment as a lawyer (or manage to run your own practice) for 30-40 years.  No small feat, depending on where you start out.

[cooleylawstudent]

even if you dont get a job as a lawyer, even if you bomb the bar and never get licensed. You get can get jobs with a JD that you couldnt without it.

...working 30-40 years as an attorney will likely cover the 100K debt you go into....

This is assuming you are able to find employment as a lawyer (or manage to run your own practice) for 30-40 years.  No small feat, depending on where you start out.

[the white rabbit]

even if you dont get a job as a lawyer, even if you bomb the bar and never get licensed. You get can get jobs with a JD that you couldnt without it.

Substantiate this.

Yep there is a chance it might go terribly for you certainly.

You make it sound like failing to have a 30-40 year career as a lawyer is a freak occurrence.

The majority of people with J.D.'s used their degree in some capacity in the legal profession and the majority of law school graduates end up working as lawyers somewhere. Are there law school graduates that don't pass the bar or even if they do pass the bar never get a job. Sure of course there are as in any profession. 

I didn't say anything about using their degree "in some capacity in the legal profession" or "end up working as lawyers somewhere" (although even that is something that you're throwing out there without any data to back it up).  I said that a 30-40 year career as a lawyer is no small feat.  There are large numbers of lawyers who leave the profession well before that.

[cooleylawstudent]

BL,  its not that hard man. I've seen junior college and even 4year university profs who had JD/MD,etc who never practiced a day in their life teaching the basic prereq courses relative to their degrees.

Plus if someone wants a BA in BusAdmin,HR,etc for a managment gig and you show up with a JD.......yeah I think they'll find you qualified.

[cvtheis]

THAT is a VERY small category of jobs (personally I am having trouble thinking of any) and probably not even worth considering in the equation unless ones greatest aspiration is to be a paralegal...

even if you dont get a job as a lawyer, even if you bomb the bar and never get licensed. You get can get jobs with a JD that you couldnt without it.

[cvtheis]

Bottom line:
1) yes it is difficult to find a job anywhere, JD or not.
2) arguably JDs are having a more difficult time finding JD-type work compared with non-JDs looking for non-JD work.
3) Regardless of number 2 - (generally speaking) why put yourself 150K in debt if you are not going to improve chances of getting a job?  Obviously if you have a worthless humanities degree but get yourself into a Tier 1 school this rule would not apply -- but why do it for a T3 or T4 degree?

I WANT a Mercedes Benz SL.  I COULD put myself in an unreasonable debt situation to get it... does that mean I SHOULD?

[cooleylawstudent]

anything that you can do with an MBA you do (and be prefered over) with a JD.

THAT is a VERY small category of jobs (personally I am having trouble thinking of any) and probably not even worth considering in the equation unless ones greatest aspiration is to be a paralegal...

even if you dont get a job as a lawyer, even if you bomb the bar and never get licensed. You get can get jobs with a JD that you couldnt without it.

[cvtheis]

An MBA is MUCH cheaper to get and more versatile.  Still cannot think of a non-legal profession where a JD in-and-of-itself clearly serves one better than an MBA - especially a T3 JD.

anything that you can do with an MBA you do (and be prefered over) with a JD.

THAT is a VERY small category of jobs (personally I am having trouble thinking of any) and probably not even worth considering in the equation unless ones greatest aspiration is to be a paralegal...

even if you dont get a job as a lawyer, even if you bomb the bar and never get licensed. You get can get jobs with a JD that you couldnt without it.