Graduating with terrible grades (2.7 or so) from a t10 in May

[kill me]

I'm actually not even really sure I want to be a lawyer.  I've really not liked law school.  Any ideas as to what I can do?  I've thought myself a public servant, rather than someone with a "job," and I want to settle down in California, for family reasons.

I've already applied for Presidential Management Fellowship (didn't do that well on the in-person assessment; one of the reasons I don't want to be a lawyer is that I hate public speaking), State Department (rocked the FSOT, but that's just the tip of the iceberg), and another government agency.  Waiting to apply for FBI because I tried pot twice before starting law school, and FBI has a 3-year window for any drug use.  I apply regularly to federal jobs that look interesting on USAJOBS.  I'd apply for California state jobs, but there aren't any.

As a last resort, I'll consider teaching or police work, but I'd feel terrible that I've invested so much in legal education to do something that I didn't need to go to grad school for.

Please no speeches about how I pissed away a great opportunity.  I'm pretty aware of that.  I could have maintained a 3.0 with a lot more work, but I'm really just sort of not smart enough for a t10 school.  For what it's worth, I've busted my @$$ consistently since the age of 16; I just hit the wall with law school

[kill me]

Only recently, I've been thinking that doing immigration law might be satisfying, but I haven't so much as taken an immigration law class, and I'm in my last semester.

[lawstudent2011]

You could always drop off mid final semester and refuse to accept your degree. You might get part of your final semesters tuition back.

In reality though, your second post sounds like a  better idea. Just try to find an area of law that you'd enjoy. Your low GPA won't be the end of the world. Just get a job, try to enjoy it, do good, and work your way up the foodchain.

Either that, or show it off as the equivelent of DBA and get a job managering a Denny's somewhere. Your choice I guess.

[bigs5068]

Join the club of the real world. It is scary to not have school to fall back on and it would have been better to have good grades, but it is not the real world. Now you will have to choose something and you may not like it. Believe it or not there are a lot of people in this world that don't love their jobs. If you got into a T10 school and graduated I am sure you will figure something out and things will probably work out, but the real world is not as ideal as anyone wants it to be. Unfortunately, you cannot use the I think I will go to law school to get out of the situation anymore, but you will figure something, because you are going to have to. Choose a path and go down it you can always change it, but you need to make on decision whether it be police work, teaching, immigration lawyer, whatever give it a shot if it sucks you can always get out of it. You are not signing any 30 year life long commitments.

[lawstudent2011]

Bigs is it just me, or do lawstudents cry louder over a slinter than most people cry over a broken leg?

Join the club of the real world. It is scary to not have school to fall back on and it would have been better to have good grades, but it is not the real world. Now you will have to choose something and you may not like it. Believe it or not there are a lot of people in this world that don't love their jobs. If you got into a T10 school and graduated I am sure you will figure something out and things will probably work out, but the real world is not as ideal as anyone wants it to be. Unfortunately, you cannot use the I think I will go to law school to get out of the situation anymore, but you will figure something, because you are going to have to. Choose a path and go down it you can always change it, but you need to make on decision whether it be police work, teaching, immigration lawyer, whatever give it a shot if it sucks you can always get out of it. You are not signing any 30 year life long commitments.

[kill me]

Just to make it clear, I'm not complaining.  I'm asking for advice on what jobs in public service one in my position can apply for that even remotely make use of my law degree.  Thanks to those who have, or will, provide constructive advice.

[bigs5068]

There are numerous federal law enforcement agencies that would be interested. You mentioned the FBI, but there are other organizations DEA, Homeland Security, Secret Service, I am sure quite a few more would be interested to hear from you. This whole war on terror has opened up a few jobs in Federal Law enforcement.

If you want to be in California there are a lot of facilitator jobs for J.D.'s. In San Francisco the organization is called Access and it just provides free legal service to the poor. The office is in the courthouse and I have some friends doing it that seem to really like it. I believe every county in California is required to have a similar program, but I am not 100% sure. These jobs obviously don't extremely well, but you would be a court attorney and have a paycheck, which is nice.

I am sure you will figure something out despite what random people say on the internet there are plenty of ways to use a law degree.

[lawstudent2011]

These are ok options, but just so you know they all tend to require very high physical standards, eye vision, and LOTS of PT.
It's my observation that most lawstudents are FAR from those standards(glasses and use the elevator)

There are numerous federal law enforcement agencies that would be interested. You mentioned the FBI, but there are other organizations DEA, Homeland Security, Secret Service, I am sure quite a few more would be interested to hear from you. This whole war on terror has opened up a few jobs in Federal Law enforcement.

If you want to be in California there are a lot of facilitator jobs for J.D.'s. In San Francisco the organization is called Access and it just provides free legal service to the poor. The office is in the courthouse and I have some friends doing it that seem to really like it. I believe every county in California is required to have a similar program, but I am not 100% sure. These jobs obviously don't extremely well, but you would be a court attorney and have a paycheck, which is nice.

I am sure you will figure something out despite what random people say on the internet there are plenty of ways to use a law degree.

[kill me]

Thanks bigs.  I like the "facilitator" idea.  I'm a little iffy about DEA and Homeland Security, just b/c I'm ambivalent about my country's drug and immigration policies.  I was in the military before law school and don't like the idea of fighting for causes I don't believe in.

PT can be brought back to snuff in 3 months.  Eyesight standards are generally correctable to 20/20 with contact lenses.  At least, that's what it was for FBI last time I checked.

[lawstudent2011]

you don't believe in drug and immigration control? You do know that almost ALL govt jobs require urineanalysis testing and often hair folicles too right?

Thanks bigs.  I like the "facilitator" idea.  I'm a little iffy about DEA and Homeland Security, just b/c I'm ambivalent about my country's drug and immigration policies.  I was in the military before law school and don't like the idea of fighting for causes I don't believe in.

PT can be brought back to snuff in 3 months.  Eyesight standards are generally correctable to 20/20 with contact lenses.  At least, that's what it was for FBI last time I checked.