Do NOT go to law school (a sincere warning)

[IAmMultipleBooks]

I have the inside view from a T14. MOST of my fellow graduating 3Ls do not have job offers. ANY offers. This is not simply a lack of BigLaw jobs but a structural problem in the legal community in general. Don't be fooled into thinking, "Well, I never wanted to be making $160k working at a stifling corporate law firm anyway." The job market is pure crap across the board. There is stunningly high unemployment at these elite schools.

However, the school is rehiring many of us to work at the library or in part-time research assistant positions so that we do not drag down the employment rate.

You are a fool if you think law school is a decent place to "ride out the recession."

Even Harvard Law grads are having problems finding jobs. So if the T14 grads are in danger, then what about the rest of the schools (from first tier to TTT to fourth tier)?

I hope this post is not deleted. It could save people hundreds of thousands of dollars. If you got into a law school and paid a deposit, you must still think about what I am saying and make a wise decision.

[nealric]

I'm not going to delete your post, but I think you exaggerate just a bit.

[cooleylawstudent]

Actually the lower T's aren't that bad off, lots come back as adjuct professors and tell stories of doing just fine.

I have the inside view from a T14. MOST of my fellow graduating 3Ls do not have job offers. ANY offers. This is not simply a lack of BigLaw jobs but a structural problem in the legal community in general. Don't be fooled into thinking, "Well, I never wanted to be making $160k working at a stifling corporate law firm anyway." The job market is pure crap across the board. There is stunningly high unemployment at these elite schools.

However, the school is rehiring many of us to work at the library or in part-time research assistant positions so that we do not drag down the employment rate.

You are a fool if you think law school is a decent place to "ride out the recession."

Even Harvard Law grads are having problems finding jobs. So if the T14 grads are in danger, then what about the rest of the schools (from first tier to TTT to fourth tier)?

I hope this post is not deleted. It could save people hundreds of thousands of dollars. If you got into a law school and paid a deposit, you must still think about what I am saying and make a wise decision.

[Haynes7]

I understand your frustration.  My whole life I was told that going to college would get you a good job.  I did what all the adults in my life told me and went to college.  Now I cannot find a job to save my life. 

My question for you is...do you honestly think your comment is going to change anyone's mind?

  Im broke and facing having to default on my loans from my undergraduate degree.  If law school does nothing else it buys me three more years.  I feel like  law school is the ONLY thing my undergrad degree has gotten me and you are telling me to give that up?  What is the worst that could happen?  I end up unemployed and homeless...well that is gonna happen even if I don't go to law school.  At least if I have a law education I will be a homeless person with a darn good understand of the law.   

[cooleylawstudent]

Ok, I'm tired of all the lies behind the idea of being forced to default on a student loan. Its a lie, always was a lie, always will be a lie. There are options, just ones that people don't want to take.
1) Join the military(if your handicap not an option, but if a coward then get over it)
2) Join the Americorps or PeaceCorps to at least push back those loans untill you can get work.
3) Try to get studnet loan forgivness(not easy to get, but if you cant get at least one of these then there is always suicide)

Seriously, if you can't get a "real" job and don't have the energy to do the first two options up there, then you have only yourself to blame. Period.

I understand your frustration.  My whole life I was told that going to college would get you a good job.  I did what all the adults in my life told me and went to college.  Now I cannot find a job to save my life. 

My question for you is...do you honestly think your comment is going to change anyone's mind?

  Im broke and facing having to default on my loans from my undergraduate degree.  If law school does nothing else it buys me three more years.  I feel like  law school is the ONLY thing my undergrad degree has gotten me and you are telling me to give that up?  What is the worst that could happen?  I end up unemployed and homeless...well that is gonna happen even if I don't go to law school.  At least if I have a law education I will be a homeless person with a darn good understand of the law.   

[the white rabbit]

Many people in many fields are having a hard time finding jobs no matter what the pedigree or field. 

On the other hand, many of those fields don't involve $200k of student loans.  That's probably the more important point.

[TheCause]

Okay, Okay... I've got the answer.

EVERYONE GO TO LAW SCHOOL!!!

Just wait to go until you've saved up $50,000-$100,000 first.

Problem Solved.

[cooleylawstudent]

Honestly the state could pay for it, and it wouldn't be that hard. When I started in undergrad there must have been half the room in 100 level courses that had some sort of pell  grant or "now worker left behind" funding, most of those A-holes failed out(trailer park homeschooling didn't prepare them as much as they had hoped) or just quit for some reason like "my teachers are mean...give me SSI....waaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Point being, if they lumped all that into a pile they could pay off a shitload of studentloans for Grad students, but they won't. Long live the trailer park GED!

Okay, Okay... I've got the answer.

EVERYONE GO TO LAW SCHOOL!!!

Just wait to go until you've saved up $50,000-$100,000 first.

Problem Solved.

[IAmMultipleBooks]

Why are people so f'ing stupid GLOBAL RECESSION GLOBALnot law school recession. Many people in many fields are having a hard time finding jobs no matter what the pedigree or field.  Hence the word GLOBAL recession.

To be honest it is not surprising someone who complains on an internet forum how hard it is to find a job is having trouble.  Go out and do something about it apply to jobs rather than complain on here about how hard it is.

OP have you ever had a job I am just curious?

From your post I am assuming you have never really worked before and probably went straight from undergrad to law school and as a result you never had the realization that getting a degree does not make you special. No offense to you I had that same feeling when I got out of undergrad and I was baffled that I actually had to go out and find a job and a lot of people even turned me down or ignored that is the real world though. Honestly, compmlaining on an internet forum about how tough your life is will not help you and that attitude could be why you are having trouble aside from the GLOBAL RESCISSION.

Exactly. It's a GLOBAL recession. That means these prospective students are not going to "hide" from it by spending $100,000 to attend law school.

The way I see it is like this:

If you do not have the money (and even if you do, then why waste it?) AND
If you do not have a close relative, business connection or friend in the legal profession,
THEN do not attend. [Possible exception if you get into Harvard, Yale, or Stanford because of the enormous prestige of those schools].

Yes, I have had a job before, and I don't expect anyone to bail me out. Spare me the Glenn Beck-style nonsense. I am not complaining about my life. I am only getting the message out through the thick cobwebs of lies and statistics manipulation. Do most of my colleagues have full-time jobs lined up? No. Am I in a Top 14? Yes. Are we being offered temporary part-time jobs at the school? Yes. Is it to boost the employment numbers? I think so. You judge for yourself.

There are many blogs where you can find information from people who have actually attended (apart from the isolated cheerleaders on this board).

I recommend:
http://lawschoolscam.blogspot.com
http://bigdebtsmalllaw.wordpress.com/
http://butidideverythingrightorsoithought.blogspot.com/
http://thirdtierreality.blogspot.com/
http://www.notolawschool.com/

Most of these blogs are from people who attended second-rate schools. These schools are called "Third Tier Toilet," although many, like Cardozo, Brooklyn Law, and Villanova, are not officially in the US News' Third Tier. However, I am here from the first tier to give you a dose of reality. Yes, I am a good student with a good resume. Yes, I have journal experience (and then some...). Everything I have said so far has been true.

[cooleylawstudent]

For whatever it's worth, I knew a lot of guys a few years older than myself who took out student loans to get masters degrees in the 80's, none of them even cared to use them to find work(they had professional licenses but had trouble finding work during the recession of the 1980's) They did it ONLY to use the student loans to pay rent and utilities. Period. Yeah they paid it back with interest(those who didnt get it "written off" before they changed the bankruptcy rules in regards to studentloans(f#in' A-hole Clinton) ) but they paid the bills while "in school" and the masters degrees helped make it a bit easier to climb the corporate ranks once they refound work latter on.

Caveat, Survive today......the future will deal with itself.

Besides those who don't "waste" money on student loans still get even worse in debt by useing creditcards, cash advances, etc to buy what they need but with a 30%APR instead of single digit on student loans(which can be defered with nominal effort)