Which type of law?

[louiebstef]

Not at all a bad choice.

Just speaking from my own experience, keep your grades pristine.  For the best law school opportunities, you will want to be
as close to an "A" student as possible.

If you are interested in law school, I urge you to look up the following book on Amazon and buy it:  Law School: Getting In, Getting Good, Getting the Gold by Thane Messinger. Thane is a practicing attorney who posts often here. The book will give you a bunch of information about law school, and making the legal career choice in general.  Keep participating here and read through the threads.  You will learn quite a bit.

The most important thing to glean is to make VERY sure that the law really is your calling.  It is a very costly, difficult and professionally risky choice.  BUT---if it is for you, there are many folks who will cheer you on.

Check out the following site:
http://officialguide.lsac.org/release/OfficialGuide_Default.aspx

LSAC are the folks who manage the LSAT, and act as a "middle man" in the law school admissions process.

ALSO..On the front page of the LSAC site is a calculator in which you can plug in your undergrad GPA and LSAT score.  The program will then tell you your "approximate" chances for admission to most of the ABA law schools.  Check it out.

It'll be a good reminder to crank that GPA.

Best wishes in your quest!

[Angelvoice]

Thank you so much!

[USC313]

Angelvoice,

Aside from all the flowery advice you've been given on this thread about the pros and cons of attending law school, a major CON left out (which this entire site systematically ignores) is that the employment prospects and salary expectations for most current law students are dismal. I encourage you to do a little investigation to get a better picture of what awaits law school graudates with outrageous student loan debt and little to no job prospects. Please have a look at what other legal message boards are talking about (which are a little more in tune with reality):

http://www.jdunderground.com
http://thirdtierreality.blogspot.com
http://shillingmesoftly.blogspot.com (see the right hand column for further links)
http://www.nationaljurist.com (see the recent article "Law Grads are Angry", left hand column
See also, Brian Tamanaham's (law professor at Washington University) letter to his piers: http://www.nationaljurist.com/content/prospective-students-deserve-straightforward-law-school-data

The sad reality is that for the majority of people, law school has a horrible return-on-investement. Unless your admitted into a TOP school and will not be putting yourself into serious debt, I encourage you NOT to attend. It'll save you time, money, heartache, and stress that is not worth the $45K a year job that awaits you.

[louiebstef]

Aside from all the flowery advice you've been given on this thread about the pros and cons of attending law school, a major CON left out (which this entire site systematically ignores) is that the employment prospects and salary expectations for most current law students are dismal.............it'll save you time, money, heartache, and stress that is not worth the $45K a year job that awaits you.

Flowery advice?  Not everyone interested in law school is a naive dreamer, USC.  I refuse to discourage folks from pursuing their passion.  While the ROI calculation is vital, not everyone's life is governed by a better solution to that ratio.

It is highly advisable to face the realities of debt and employment possibilities.  You also should realize that some folks, especially non-trads, have years of networking experience under our collective belts.  We know that we will not have the OCI Fairy dropping a six figure position in our (wider) laps.  I am making about as much money as a summer associate in my current (UNDERGRAD) internship, and performing those research tasks normally delegated to one.  If I passed the bar tomorrow, I would have a position in my current firm.  The key is that I refuse to go into massive debt, and I have resources that the typical 22 year old grad does not.

I am absolutely not "tooting" the proverbial horn.  My point is that NOT everyone feels the doom and gloom.  If the law is not your passion, and you need to fold "the Benjamins," an MBA is a much better ROI.  THAT is what we should be telling those who ask.

Caveat emptor, eh? 

[Angelvoice]

Thank you all for posting all of your advice.  The point is, if I want to go to law school, I am going to go. That's that.  Regardless of employment prospects and ROI and any of that.  Expecially if I get the scholarships that I hope to get.  And I do not think that anyone should be discourgaed from going after their dreams.  I have three years to pray about it and let God tell me what He wants me to do. 

[USC313]

The point is, if I want to go to law school, I am going to go. That's that.  Regardless of employment prospects and ROI and any of that.

I'm sorry Angelvoice but that is one of the stupidest things I think I've read on here in a long time. Aside from the "I love the law" and "it's my dream to be a lawyer" rationalizations, why would you attend law school "regardless" of employment prospects and ROI? You're saying you would attend law school--despite the massive commitment of time and money--even if you knew you wouldn't be practicing law after you graduate? I thought the point of law school was to become a lawyer. Am I wrong?

[bigs5068]

I think if nobody ever got a job period he would use common sense. However, people do get jobs as lawyers or utilizing their degree in some way. Why there is so much bitter hostility from people is beyond me. Law school is a risk and something you should really think about before committing to it. However, people no matter what you do love to criticize and say don't do that and don't do this, while they sit and do nothing. You got one life to live and if you have taken time to determine that the law is for you don't let anybody stop you.

There are naysayers along the way for everyone and all you can do is utilize your common sense, work hard, and hope for the best. Things might not work out perfectly you might even fail miserably that risk is inherent in anything worth doing. However, if you used common sense, worked hard, and gave everything you had to something I don't think you can ever consider it a failure. I hope law school goes well for Angelvoice if they end up going.

[Morten Lund]

You're saying you would attend law school--despite the massive commitment of time and money--even if you knew you wouldn't be practicing law after you graduate? I thought the point of law school was to become a lawyer. Am I wrong?

While practicing law is certainly the most common goal for incoming law students, it is far from universal.  In fact, I would guesstimate that a good quarter of my law school class never practiced law at all, and many of those never had any intent of practicing law.  Several more practiced law only briefly as stepping-stones to other careers.  There are many paths.

[louiebstef]

&*(^!!@#

Finally!  Another experienced attorney weighs in.  Morten has never been one to blow sunshine here.  That said, he makes an extremely valid point to all of the naysayers. There are indeed niches out there.  Thane Messinger also has consistently dispensed cautionary, yet encouraging advice.

I still think that some of you here just do not understand some of the motivations of nontrads.  Many older folks have been keenly interested in the law for quite a few years.  For some of us that means longer than you have been alive.  I personally shouldered the responsibilities of federal service, raising a family and putting my children (close to your ages) through college.  The result was that I put my own dreams on hold.

The idea of a bucket list may be foreign to you.  I can assure you that one thing that an intelligent, motivated and mature person does not want is regret.  I have met far too many people who have looked at their lives and said, "coulda, shoulda, woulda." 

News bulletin for some of you sharp young turks:  Not every non-trad is an irrational idiot.  Your posts, at times, have been downright patronizing and offensive.  Please try to be a bit more courteous.   That courtesy is a sure sign of professionalism.








 

[USC313]

My point is simply this. If you plan, ahead of time, on attending law school and not practicing law, then that is a waste of time and money. I can understand those that attend law school with the intent of practicing law but end up taking a "non-traditional" path, as you call it, because some sort of opportunity came along (or, more likely in today's legal market, because they couldn't get hired as an attorney). But to go into law school without ever planning on practicing law is absolutely a bad choice. Why would such a person take the time to study torts, or civil procedure, or criminal procedure/criminal law, or countless subjects for that matter? And you can't even argue that taking "business-related" law classes makes sense, because there is a complete disconnect between being a "business person" and being a lawyer that practices commerical law. If law interests you that much but you do not plan on practicing law, then audit a class or something. Don't enroll in law school because you think a law degree is super-transferable to other fields. It's not. Law is a speciality and is best utilized by those who want to practice it. If this sounds like you, please save your time/money and allow a person that actually wants to practice your would-be seat in law school.