Anyone getting scared about their decision to go to law school

[jbean29]

Thanks for the replies.

[sollicitus]

I got a "bad shake"? You have got to be kidding me, right? I really hope we meet in court someday. Since you obviously have resorted to quasi-personal attacks, and can't for the life of you back your statements up with facts, I have, in the spirit of open discourse, presented you with a random spattering of credited media outlets reporting on the oversupply of attorneys, the result of which is giving us all a "bad shake."  If all you can do is respond with an inflammatory opinion, well, actually, I am anticipating nothing less.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/business/09law.html?pagewanted=all

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afIhC1AKOQE

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/20/the-bad-news-law-schools/

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/17/business/law-school-economics-job-market-weakens-tuition-rises.html?pagewanted=all

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304692804577283691965596610.html

http://online.wsj.com/video/opinion-the-law-school-bubble/1B2D874C-CB9C-4897-9681-AA1F166ADEA1.html

In reply to my bad shake comment, you give links of bad shakes.......
You are too quick to jump for no reason, you should look into that.
Never said you were wrong (nor did I say you were right for that matter) Just summerized it. Relax, Stroke out, whatever, your choice.

[IClawstud]

This is the most depressing thread to read 12 days before seat deposits are due. I know there is a lot of negativity around attending law school, and I know there is some very accurate and reputable  information, but I still think if it's something you really want to do go out and do! Not everyone can go to Harvard and Yale, and not everyone can make it into the T14's. Remember a law degree is a long term investment. The economy isn't always going to be as bad as it is right now and who knows what it will be like in three years. As long as you aren't head deep in debt or having to put yourself 200k in debt to finance law school I think you should keep up the hard work and hit law school and your career in full stride.

 Best of luck to everyone.

One more anonymous poster.

[legend]

This thread has gotten pretty ridiculous as it usually does on anonymous internet boards. Just go to yahoo news and read what people write underneath any news story.  Generally it gets pretty ridiculous pretty fast, and that is the same as what you see on these boards and others. I wouldn't take anything you read here or top law schools, or any anonymous internet site to seriously.

If you want to be a lawyer then you should go to law school. Nobody can guarantee it will work out, but nobody can guarantee anything. Good luck to you in law school and like any big commitment it is scary.

[Hamilton]

You guys should be scared and depressed reading this thread - because it is real.  Yes, I too recommend avoiding LS unless you are going to a T1 or high T2 (no I am not a Tier snob - it is just reality).   That said, many will go to law school... just keep this info in mind and do not be afraid to walk away as you learn more and confront your reality.  The jobs and money simply are not out there and as you research you will see that that fact has moved out of the world of scamblogs and into the main stream like the WSJ and NYT.

[jack24]

Legend:
Why don't you make an argument?  Draw on your experience or statistics or something?
Go back and read my post and tell me why someone shouldn't take my advice seriously?  I did well at a T2 and I found a good job.  Now I have a good, not thrilling, job after a brutal job search along with a ton of debt.  I think a lot of people on here offer reasonable advice to consider.

Law school isn't just a big commitment, it's broken. Why are T4 schools every bit as expensive as T2 and T1 schools?  The price of law school is tied to the market, not to cost.  That means that you don't necessarily get much out of it other than the degree.  The price of tuition has shot up because of how easy it is to get federal loans.
Why are many leading firms claiming that lawyers are not graduating from school with sufficient training?

If you want to be a practicing lawyer, then you have to go to law school.  What most people are focusing on here is how it's not necessarily a good financial decision for the majority of applicants.  Instead, the decision should be based on experience with the field and job prospects in an area you will reasonably enjoy.   

This thread has gotten pretty ridiculous as it usually does on anonymous internet boards. Just go to yahoo news and read what people write underneath any news story.  Generally it gets pretty ridiculous pretty fast, and that is the same as what you see on these boards and others. I wouldn't take anything you read here or top law schools, or any anonymous internet site to seriously.

If you want to be a lawyer then you should go to law school. Nobody can guarantee it will work out, but nobody can guarantee anything. Good luck to you in law school and like any big commitment it is scary.

[legend]

Jack,

Your post was actually quite good, and I spoke to broadly. My broad post actually goes to further my point though, I am just writing on here in between breaks killing time and nothing I say should be taken to seriously. I thought some of the posters were way to overbroad themselves. I.E. Law schools take everyone with a pulse, you should be scared and depressed for considering law school so and so on. Those are very broad statements coming from anonymous people on the internet in regions and from schools the OP likely has absoultly no connection to.

Of course there is some merit to the posts, and they can get you thinking, but my main point is lawyers generally don't know what they are talking about when dealing with specific things. So certainly an anonymous internet poster with no familiarity about someone asking for advice should not be taken to seriously.

As for the system being broken I would say it is. There are numerous flaws in the law school system and the education system in America. However, I can't think of any system in the world that works flawlessly, and law school is no different. Some changes should be made and hopefully they will be, but schools are business who have uneven bargaining power against students. That is the way it is every form of education, and it's not fair, but is what it is and changes are unlikely forthcoming.

I thought your analysis of your own personal situation was great. However, my main point is that you are talking about your own personal experience in whatever location you may be referring to. I imagine the job outlook in Miami is substantially different than in North Dakota. On these boards people speak very broadly, and 0L's who don't know any better often take it far more seriously than they should.

I think you can agree if someone wants to live in North Dakota they would better off speaking to lawyers in North Dakota than obtaining advice from me, you, or any of the other posters that are likely completley unfamilar with North Dakota.

I enjoy reading your posts, and everyones, but my fear is that to many 0L's take it to literally and should realize that what is being said is not absoulte fact and far from it. One person's experience in law school is almost always drastically different than the next, and education more often than not is what you make of it.

[Anti09]

OP. save yourself and your financial future and avoid that T4 at all costs.  If you're going for free and you feel like working in the immediate area, fine, go ahead.  But otherwise, don't even think about taking out big loans to finance it.  You say you don't want to end up in debt with no job, yet if you take out loans to attend a T4, that's exactly what is going to happen.  You say you read about how terrible the market is everywhere; well, these aren't a few disgruntled graduates spouting off.  This is a widespread phenomenon.  This happens to a lot of people, and it can happen to you just as easily.

Do your research and save yourself now, while you still can.

[legend]

You can end up with debt and no job, but that is not limited to tier 4's or legal education alone. If you want to be a lawyer and T4 is your option go in with common sense, but your are by no means doomed. Plenty of T4 grads end up having better careers than T1 grads and vice versa. The name of your school matters to some extent, but the reality is your own judgment, ambition, and actual ability often play a far more important role than your pedigree.

To anyone considering law school I think this is a great quote.

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.  Theodore Roosevelt.

If you want to be lawyer you may fail and you might succeed, but if being a lawyer is your dream would rather fail or be a timid soul that never tried?


Good luck.

[oiuiuko]

This conversation about how brutal the legal market is reminds me a lot of what I heard before pursuing a career in the entertainment industry. As hard as it is, the legal field is not more competitive than entertainment.  From my experience, if you cultivate your talents, work hard and know the right people, you will most likely be marketable.  Turn that frown upside down and keep hustling