Do NOT go to law school (a sincere warning)

[cooleylawstudent]

ok, I can see through this like its a glass window. Other hicks offer to let you represent them? That's great but not the 100K jobs these guys are talking about. Plus I see hotassed undergrad all the time getting talked to by lawyers with their fingers behind their back, have fun monicka...

I do not even start to school until August and I already have a job waiting for me and other offers and I didn't even apply for any.  Maybe you just aren't impressive enough.  My offers come from just placing myself in the right circles.  And I'm a poor country girl, so it was my networking that paid off.  It didn't come from being related to the right people or from my parents friends.  Network more.  There are jobs.

[TheCause]

That's a good post from PSUDSL08.

All of you law school defenders should read that post a couple times, then take a breath, and then decide whether you want to respond.

No one here is saying that some students should not be allowed to go to law school.  But there are some posters on this board who are offering an honest perspective.  My school's career services office (I graduated in December) just told me that only 39% of current 3Ls have something lined up.  Graduation is in 3 weeks!   And this is info from a strong T2 school that is well respected in the region. 

Can members of classes '10-'14 succeed?  Absolutely.
Does the data in the US news rankings accurately reflect your chances?  Absolutely not.

My advice to students planning on entering law school this fall: (Particularly students without scholarships)
Try hard to get a full-time job before August, and think about working for a few years before you go for the JD. 
Or go to pharmacy school if you can get in. 
 

[cooleylawstudent]

How is being a pharmacist better than a lawyer?

That's a good post from PSUDSL08.

All of you law school defenders should read that post a couple times, then take a breath, and then decide whether you want to respond.

No one here is saying that some students should not be allowed to go to law school.  But there are some posters on this board who are offering an honest perspective.  My school's career services office (I graduated in December) just told me that only 39% of current 3Ls have something lined up.  Graduation is in 3 weeks!   And this is info from a strong T2 school that is well respected in the region. 

Can members of classes '10-'14 succeed?  Absolutely.
Does the data in the US news rankings accurately reflect your chances?  Absolutely not.

My advice to students planning on entering law school this fall: (Particularly students without scholarships)
Try hard to get a full-time job before August, and think about working for a few years before you go for the JD. 
Or go to pharmacy school if you can get in. 
 

[CJScalia]

I do not even start to school until August and I already have a job waiting for me and other offers and I didn't even apply for any.

And on today's episode of "Stories Nobody Believes In", we have Jemma!

Maybe you just aren't impressive enough.  My offers come from just placing myself in the right circles.  And I'm a poor country girl, so it was my networking that paid off.  It didn't come from being related to the right people or from my parents friends.  Network more.  There are jobs.

You do understand that there are people here who are already in law school, and even already lawyers, so we can pretty easily call you out on your bull, right?

Mind you, if your daddy has a 3 lawyer office down the street, I'm sure he can give you a job, but that's not what we're generally talking about.

[TheCause]

How is being a pharmacist better than a lawyer?

I don't think it is.  But the job prospects are much better right now.  My cousin just graduated from pharmacy school and his starting salary at a grocery store pharmacy was $102,000.  He works four ten-hour shifts and that's it.  Not bad at all.
I think I'd die of boredom, but still.

[Jemma]

I didn't say it was a permanent job.  It is a summer position.   If there are summer positions available, does that not indicate there are jobs in general.  I'm also not saying that every person who goes to law school will get a job.  I was saying that perhaps you didn't network enough. 

Also, if it's so unbelievable that I have a summer job before beginning school, I guess that speaks pretty well for me.  What is so difficult to believe about it, really?

[cooleylawstudent]

OMG what an idiot! That is not what these guys mean by work, do you even read at all before you post? Yes, there is work out there. Yes, your gig will help with experience on a resume, but it is NOT even close to what they mean by "real" work.

I didn't say it was a permanent job.  It is a summer position.   If there are summer positions available, does that not indicate there are jobs in general.  I'm also not saying that every person who goes to law school will get a job.  I was saying that perhaps you didn't network enough. 

Also, if it's so unbelievable that I have a summer job before beginning school, I guess that speaks pretty well for me.  What is so difficult to believe about it, really?

[no name]

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

It really isn't exaggerated.  Going to a law school that's not one of absolute best is a bad idea right now.  Unless you don't pay for any of it, or you have family or friends who'll give you a job. 

Going to T2 and below school with 100K+ of expected debt is not smart, simple as that.

[charlow]

I hope I can provide a different perspective.  I am a small business owner.  I have worked my butt off to get the business to a point where it can run pretty much on it's own with minimal oversight. 

Why don't you unemployed law school grads hang your own shingle?  Create a job.  Stop looking for someone else to take care of you. 

[therewillbeblood]

I hope I can provide a different perspective.  I am a small business owner.  I have worked my butt off to get the business to a point where it can run pretty much on it's own with minimal oversight. 

Why don't you unemployed law school grads hang your own shingle?  Create a job.  Stop looking for someone else to take care of you. 

I hope I can offer a different perspective too.  I am a law school graduate.  I have a job.  It's a fairly well-paying job, not Biglaw but enough to pay my loans off, live on, and still save a fair amount of money per month.  I am not looking for someone to take care of me. 

Yet I will tell all of you law is a TERRIBLE idea in terms of job security for 80-90% of the people entering law school right now.  You have no idea how bad it is until you're put in the position of looking for a job afterwards. Plus if you're right out of law school you are not really qualified to practice law.  You don't have the necessary skills to do anything practical.