Hey, lawyers, is it really this awful?

Found this on the interWeb today as I weigh law vs. newspapers as a future. Depressing:

http://www.tuckermax.com/archives/entries/should_i_go_to_law_school_the_speech_text.phtml

 

I've been told by several people who have gone through law school or are going through law school not to consider it unless you really, really want to be a lawyer.

Realize that law school is hell.

 

By the way, Tucker Max is a douche bag.

 

After reading that shit, I concur with you wicked.

I wanted to go to law school for many years but I realized that my goal in life was to make a difference in people's lives and help them in any way I can. After a lot of research and thought, I realized that law school was not the avenue I wanted to take and there were many more professions where I can fufill my overall goals and aspirations.

Law school, like medical school is hell, but basically you don't need to be an absolute genius to pass law school (family, close friends and my own lawyer told me) After school, articling and passing the bar, lawyers need anywhere from 5-10 years to establish themselves in the field. Medical school is exactly the same way.

You need to consider whether you are willing to invest the time and work needed to become a lawyer. It's long hours and you need to be dedicated to the profession if you plan to succeed in it. Waylon, you need to figure out why you absolutely want to be a lawyer and if you are having any doubts, you probably should not go in the profession.

However, if you go through law school and realize while articling or practicing that it's not for you, you are not intertwined into the profession. It will open many, different doors for you.

 

See, I've heard that. But then I've also heard, "Go to law school only if you want to be a lawyer, not to 'open doors.' "

So my question is, what doors?

 

Law school teaches you how to think.

 

Sorry I put this on journalism topics. I was torn between the two places because it's about choosing between the two professions, which a lot of us get faced with in this profession, the skills being so equal.

Oh, and if it makes any difference, the schools I'm in line for are big-time, top-10 types. That's not bragging. I'm saying it because I know it makes a difference in that profession.

 

In law school now after a career in newspapers.

I didn't read the whole Tucker Max bit. Too freaking long and I just don't care that much, but I got enough of it to get the gist.

He's got some valid points. Law school is difficult, expensive and not, by any means, a golden ticket to financial reward. And a shit-ton of people come to law school because they couldn't figure out what the hell else to do with themselves. They tend to be the ones who are most miserable and deluded about career prospects.

The general conventions are that it's worth it if you go to one of the top law schools, or if you go to whatever school dominates the particular geographic market you want to work in, or if you just deep-down inside desperately know that the law is for you (this is a tiny percent of actual lawyers). Cost is a huge factor that needs to be considered carefully.

The legal sector is going through a huge crunch right now as an incidental result of the mortgage collapse, housing decline and general recession. Some people think being in school is a good way to weather a recession. Others might say it's a bad idea to go into a field that is laying people off, which several top firms have done recently.

Anyone considering law school should understand the economics of law school itself and what that can do to your potential careers. Tuition is rapidly escalating and it's not uncommon for young lawyers to graduate with $100,000+ in student loans. Schools will dangle numbers in front of you that make it seem like that's OK because you're going to get a job paying $150,000 right out of school so you'll be alright. The problem is that there is a limit to how many of those jobs exist and the next tier of jobs down pays in the $60,000-$90,000 range -- which isn't enough to make headway on your debt. And public sector jobs (gov't, prosecutor's office, public defender, city attorney, etc.) pay less.

If you have huge debt, you're forced to go after the high paying jobs. Whether or not you will be able to get one of the high paying jobs right away is a function of your grades, class standing and the ranking of the school you attend.

I personally love it and look forward to being a lawyer. I'm fortunate to attend a good state school with low tuition, so I won't have a heavy debt burden dictating what I do with my career. I see it as adding more skills to what I learned as a journalist and even if I don't ever practice law, I'll be better prepared for whatever else I decide to do.

 

Was provided with his book, I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell. Was glad that it wasn't my money that paid for it.

 

Who would write an entire blog entry of Rokski proportions about "buttsex," in graphic detail? Some of the other stuff on his site is pure trash.

 

I've a friend who recently quit practicing law and took a job with a publishing company. I think he'd agree with about everything said there. He hated it. He's one of the sharpest guys I know, but he's now starting over and basically regretting the last decade of his life.