I'm thinking about going to law school

[Philosophy]

I've decided I might as well give up trying to get a computer job after being unemployed for three years - it's just not going to happen. I figure that if I sell everything I own and live out of my car for a couple of years while working at a menial job which is all I can get, combined with some financial aid that I obviously qualify for, I will have enough money for an inexpensive state law school. My college GPA was 3.5, and LSAT should be no sweat - I've seen some sample ones that don't look too hard - heck, I already do those kind of logic puzzles just for fun; I got a 1420 on my SATs and I don't think I've lost too much intelligence since then. The only problem is going to be recommendations - I just don't think a letter from my manager at McD's is going to cut it.

I've always had an interest in law, and people often say I write and speak like a lawyer already. I'm logical to a fault. But most of all I'm damn sick and tired of being dirt poor and eating peanut butter sandwiches for every meal.

Any thoughts, words of encouragement, or advice?

[PurpHaze69]

1. Yeah, stay out of law school.

If you don't go to a top tier law school, you'll come out shuffling papers for 35 thousand a year. Believe me, everybody thinks their gonna come out of law school and go around like Perry Mason or something. It just doesn't work that way. Too many damn lawyers on the planet anyway. Their only one step above a politician, who is only one step above a common criminal.

[Doctor Pedantic]

4. Don't!

I went to a top tier law school, and although I can't complain about the money, the fact is there's just nothing personally fulfilling about what I do. The people of my generation (late 30s) and younger who are happy practicing law tend to be those who work for public interest groups or for the government (as D.A.s, U.S. attorneys, or public defenders).

This is a personal choice for you, and you'll need to weigh all the factors, pro and con. But I don't think you'll find a lot of happy young lawyers out there working for private firms.

Best of luck with your decision.

[Philosophy]

7. $35,000/yr doesn't sound too bad to start

It's almost as much as I was making in my old computer programming job. And it's 10 times as much as I made the last three years.

[PurpHaze69]

13. Yeah but when you're making 35k

and you have to live somewhere other than your car so you don't look like a slob when you roll into work each morning, and then you have to pay the loans from school back, that 35k goes pretty quick.

[JohnyCanuck]

2. With Patriot Acts 1 and 2 in place

who's gonna need lawyers any more?

[PurpHaze69]

3. Here's some better advice,

Screw school all together. Their only their to fill your head with empty promises about how well off you're gonna be after you graduate, and take your money. Get yourself a government job, cop, fireman, etc.. retire after 20 years with a fat pension and have no worries for the rest of your life.

[trof]

5. Same here

I've always been fascinated by the law. Half-way planned to go to law school at one time and then my life took a different turn. My favorite uncle and my son-in-law are attorneys. If you think you'd like it go for it.
Also, there are a lot of other things you can do with a law degree beside be a lawyer.
Living out of your car doesn't sound so hot though.

[GumboYaYa]

6. I am a lawyer and I love my job.

I work with a lot of small businesses and business owners. It is very rewarding. People who need my help, generally really need my help and they are very grateful for the work I do.

I could not survive at a big firm pushing paper for giant corporations. That is the perception that most people have of lawyers. There are lots of us small office guys also who are very liberal and do not fit stereotype promoted of lawyers.

I was a philosophy major in undergrad (as it appears you were also). After philosophy, law school was a joke. I cruised through law school and graduated second in my class with substantially less effort than my fellow students. You should have the same experience based on your background.

As for making $35,000 a year, any lawyers working for that right now should give me a call. I am hiring and if I could find someone willing to work for $35,000 a year I would hire them on the spot. Wherever that number came from, it clearly was not from someone in the legal business. Trust me, you can make a very good salary as a lawyer and you don't have to sell your soul to do it.

[PurpHaze69]

8. Yeah great,

you spend 3 years in law school and then spend the next 10 paying that school off. I know cops and fireman in my area who started out making 40k their first year and by their 3rd year they were up to 72k, base and that's without overtime pay. When they retire in 20 years they get 80% of their final base pay until they die. As a lawyer in a small office, you'll be working until you're 80. I'm not just talking out of my ass either, I used to be a cop, until I went back to school and became a CPA and a Fraud Examiner.

[GumboYaYa]

14. I'm sorry, but you do not know of what you speak.

I have zero student loans. Zero, nada, nothing.

As for working until I am eighty, no way. You have a gross misperception of the legal prfoession. Sure there are plenty of hacks who struggle to get by, but a good attorney can make a whole lot more money in a small firm than in a big firm once you build a good base of clients. Sorry, but $72,000 a year is really not much compared to what a good lawyer can earn and I don't have people shooting at me. My best friend is a fireman and he despises his job. He is scared that every call may be his last.

[trof]

9. Finally some straight poop.

Got a situation I'd like your advice on career-wise.
I'll send you a PM if that's OK.

[GumboYaYa]

15. No problem.

[trof]

18. done

I don't think purp likes lawyers.
:shrug:

[Raven]

10. I hated law school but loved practicing law.

Here is the trick, however...build on your existing skills...if you are a computer wiz then think about that field of law. Also, consider what you want your life style to be. If you want to pull down 200K a year, go to Harvard, learn nothing, join a big white shoe law firm and become a slave. If you want a life, pick something that you really love and be sure you have time to do pro bono work. I had a wonderful legal career because I built my legal skills on skills I already had, practiced in an area that fascinated me and had the time and the freedom to work without charging the clent when they couldn't pay. If you decide to go, put your life in escrow for three years!

[bif]

11. "If law school's so hard, why are there so many lawyers?"

Don't remember who said it, but I love that quote.

[PurpHaze69]

12. Yeah,

I know lawyers who practice tax law and are also CPA's like myself, and they have all said the bar exam was a breeze after taking the CPA exam.

[curse10]

16. I'm going to law school right now

it's not a decision to be made lightly. It's a lot of money and a lot of time. The LSATS are cake. The application process is expensive and tedious. So far, although I've only been here a week, law school is pretty easy. Just bulky. Lots of reading.

And really, there is no "speaking like a lawyer" Every lawyer I've met and every law student I've met comes from a different background and doesn't "speak" a certain way. Heck, there are even a few dumbasses in class. I have no idea how they got there, but I doubt they will be there for very long.

[MediumBrownDog]

17. A state law school is more than fine, I went to one

and I have had a successful and rewarding career, one that means something to me. I work in-house at a large, research-oriented academic medical center. It has a medical school and a strong commitment to indigent care. I worked in a firm for a couple of years (which I would recommend, just for the experience and to appreciate your quality of life once you no longer work for one). It paid more, but meant less. Point being, you can do anything with a law degree. In my mind it simply opens doors.

I don't think you'd have trouble getting in. I graduated near the top of my law school class (big fish/little pond scenario) and your undergrad GPA is higher than mine was. Sounds like your LSATs would rock. Many law schools value after college life experiences as much as a recommendation. I agree with other posts on this topic that you should use law to facilitate your other interests. Anything connected with computers or technology -- intellectual property, patents, copyrights, etc etc. The internet itself is a hot, developing area of law. Good luck!

[DoveTurnedHawk]

19. Some Older Threads for You

I think that, smartly done, law school and the legal profession can be very rewarding (in many ways). I love my job, it's basically my dream job, and I was out-of-debt within two-three years after law school, IIRC.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=55965

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=60697

DTH