Law School Lamentation: Jobs are Scarce, like everywhere else

I agree with all the warnings about becoming a lawyer. And I'm sure it's not for everyone and can suck as bad as any job.

Still it must be nice to have "I'll sue your fucking ass!" in your back pocket whenever you get crappy service, argue with someone at work, get in a fender bender, deal with ex-girlfriend, etc.

 

The lawyer who does that would still have to hire a lawyer, lest he has a fool for a client.

Plus, whether you're a lawyer or not, being that way would identify you as a JD -- Jackass Douchebag.

 

i must have eldest boy shockey read this thread when he gets home from his sophomore year at suny-binghamton on friday. he's really come into his own this year in every way, seemingly fulfilling his potential, all while -- because of? -- having potentially-distracting relationship with a young lady attending the university of rhode island. long-distance relationships can be dicey for people their age but they both have made it work very well.

he's on the verge -- he thinks -- of his second straight semester on the dean's list. but lest you are pre-med or a business geek -- sorry to any business geeks out there -- where is any liberal arts major to turn?

like so many, he decided recently he will likely turn to law school. and all the entails, knowing the cost is all on him while we struggle to get his two kid brothers through undergrad.

but what are his other options? teaching? tough climate there, too, and also not very lucrative. i'msurely not smart enough to know how to guide him.

 

One of the problems with this country.

It was high time for this bubble to burst.

 

"I'm sorry sir, our service technician is running behind, and he won't make it to your house until after 1 p.m."

"What? I'll sue your fucking ass if he's not here by 12:30! I'm a lawyer!"

See? That would be worth it.

 

Fairly amusing to see sports journalists expressing the same kind of sympathy for laid off lawyers that many people express for laid-off sports journalists on fan message boards.

 

I'm not a sports journalist, not anymore, anyway.

No gloating here. Still, I do not know any out-of-work attorneys. Not like that corresponding number of journalists.

 

Lawyers make an easy target but in reality, there are actually very few relative to the entire population. That's what drives the price, supply and demand.

 

Sheesh, it's power and greed that drive the price.

And there's also very few people who are thriving in this economy relative to the general population. Think lawyers have a hand in that?

 

I knew an out-of-work lawyer. An old friend who was laid off from his firm in San Francisco.

He "celebrated" his unexpected vacation by going to Japan for two weeks. Not exactly an inexpensive place to travel in. He soon found another job at another sizable firm.

Law might be impacted, but it's not like journalism. The average Joe Schmo thinks they can do journalism just as well as a journalist. They're pretty aware that if they tried the same with law, it would likely be a disaster.

I started this thread because there are so many journalists who think "Hey! I can read! I can write! I can research! I can work long hours! I'll become a lawyer!"

It's like the group that says "Hey! I'll get my teaching credential and become a teacher!"

Just thought it was interesting and useful to discuss an article like this one. If I saw a similar one about teaching, or master's degrees, I would post it for discussion. It's important to be aware of all the possible pitfalls.

And I'm glad that, aside from a person or two attempting to dance gleefully at this news, this thread has been free of the small, vocal group who remain in daily journalism, and would insult those who have made the choice to leave.

 

I know two, one of which was almost forced into bankruptcy and joined the Peace Corps because she couldn't find work in two years. The other relocated from a large city to the capital in hopes of finding work but hasn't.

I know far more journalists have been laid off, though.

Two quick comments on attorneys: not all practice law and not all can write. I graded enough law school papers to figure out some are simply not capable of it.

My old, old place of business is a legal publishing company. Now that I am back in the States, I've gone back to visit them and they've had a hard time finding someone to do the legal writing involved. (Not what I did.) They don't necessarily need an attorney to do it, but that's the language involved. They've hired attorneys and law students to do it, but none have been able to develop the knack for it.

Now, if I could learn the language, that'd be a good gig.

 

I've been saying for years that if you want to get out that badly and you want to make money, learn Arabic and go work for the government. I realize not everyone has a gift for language just as everyone doesn't have an aptitude for writing, but there is tremendous demand and it pays very well. They're practically begging, for God's sake.

Every lawyer I know is living high on the hog. In a global recession at least trending toward depression. Who knows where the tipping point is for that profession, but you figure there has to be one. Japan has about 30,000 lawyers. Talk about a real supply and demand dynamic. That's not even a talented tenth sort of thing. More like a talented zillionth.