Even if you don't become a lawyer, is law school still worth it?
I will be honest with you, I hated the idea of law school. It was like a guillotine to me, waiting to chop me in half. But my parents insisted that I had to attend law school. Mainly because they wanted the power associated with barristers (lawyers in the UK who can present a case in court). And to appease them, I packed my bag and headed to the boring law school. Read more: Is law school intrinsically worth it? Even if you don't become a lawyer, is it worth it to go through the process of law school? Hoor Ibrahim, L.L.B Law, University of Law (2020). Answered July 31, 2019. www.quora.com/Is-law-school-intrinsically-worth-it-Even-if-you-dont-become-a-lawyer-is-it-worth-it-to-go-through-the-process-of-law-school.Turns out, law school is nothing close to boring. Sure I yawned endlessly during my European Union Law lectures, but I found it interesting nonetheless. It is incredible to be familiar with one of the arms of the state. To know what you can and cannot do. And of course, how to save yourself if you are ever found doing what you really should not be doing.
Breaking down the whole procedure of actually bringing an action against someone in the court of law is incredible. Especially if it is the state bringing an action against someone in the criminal court. The whole procedure from the police investigation to sentencing is going to leave you teetering on the edge of your seat. Like a fine movie that is nothing short of thrilling.
Most importantly, you know your rights. You know the limitations of police powers. You understand what action you can take if someone wrongs you. And if bringing such a claim would even be successful or just a hindrance.
Besides, what is it that law school focuses on? Polishing the basic skills of researching, reading, writing and communicating. Aren't those the skills one would need anyways to be successful at many careers? Plus how could it ever hurt to dress sharp and be surrounded by dashing men in suits?
And to those who think that lawyers do not make a difference, they actually do if they want to. You can do good in any profession no matter what. In the past few months that I have been doing an internship at an immigration law firm, I have helped several people.
I have helped members of a family extend their visas so they can stay with their families. I am currently ensuring a client who suffered domestic abuse by her partner does not have to leave the UK and her daughters behind. In a small way, I am helping those families. I may not change the world but I am doing my part of it.
Lastly, I would like to admit that law is quite a complex subject so I would not recommend it to everyone. I would say it is good to have a basic understanding of it but law school has a way of sucking away your social life before you even enter it. So only go to a law school if you are willing to see it through to the end. I have had many of my colleagues quit midway just because they could not take the pressure.
So do your research, but it will definitely be worth the hard work if you decide to go for it. Read more: Is law school intrinsically worth it? Even if you don't become a lawyer, is it worth it to go through the process of law school? Hoor Ibrahim, L.L.B Law, University of Law (2020). Answered July 31, 2019. www.quora.com/Is-law-school-intrinsically-worth-it-Even-if-you-dont-become-a-lawyer-is-it-worth-it-to-go-through-the-process-of-law-school.
I looked for and found this question after answering a related question about alternative career paths for law school graduates and noticing that a recurring motif in the other answers was the refrain, "Dude, seriously. Don't go to law school. It ain't worth it." The truth is, it depends . . . on who you ask. Law school is definitely not for everyone. Read more: Is law school intrinsically worth it? Even if you don't become a lawyer, is it worth it to go through the process of law school? David F. Prenatt Jr., Internet consultant with a law degree, not a lawyer, but I may work for yours. Updated August 7, 2018 · Upvoted by Robert L. Lamoreaux, JD Law, George Mason University School of Law (1987) and Pamela Pearl, J.D. Law. www.quora.com/Is-law-school-intrinsically-worth-it-Even-if-you-dont-become-a-lawyer-is-it-worth-it-to-go-through-the-process-of-law-school.
I found myself in law school, even though the biggest thing that I got out of law school was that I did not want to be a lawyer. Even so, I don't regret going, and I have mentored many other people who were contemplating law school through the application process, and through their first year of law school. Not one of them regrets going to law school either. However, both they and I had the benefit of learning from the hardships of others without having to actually experience many of those hardships for ourselves.
First and foremost, law school is a hardship, at least it is for most people, and I can honestly say that it was a hardship for me, although not to the degree that it was for most of my colleagues. Virtually all law students must commit themselves for three years to a full time academic program that is meant to be intentionally burdensome. Whether they realize it or not, these people have other opportunities, and they must forego most of those other opportunities and put their lives on hold if they hope to succeed in law school. On a related note, at least half of the people whom I know who were married or in a long term exclusive relationship when they started law school were single by the end of their first year of study.
Once you make the decision to go to law school, you enter a theater of competition where virtually all of your competitors are bright, hardworking, and ambitious. Many, if not most of them have never had a B grade in their lives, and a substantial number of these people have already had a remarkable degree of success in life. My class included no less than one MD, a biochemist with a PhD from an Ivy League school, a successful clinical psychologist, retired military officers, etc., etc., etc., out of an entering class of some 120 students. Even so, gone were any beliefs of personal exceptionalism, as all of us were pressing the reset button at this point in our lives and voyaging into the undiscovered country.
During your first year of law school, you typically find yourself unable to talk to anyone about anything unless they are also a law student or lawyer. Other people just don't get it, and as a first year law student you just don't yet have the wherewithal or the patience to explain to everyone else why all of them are all so wrong about everything. (This may be one of the reasons why so few romantic entanglements survive the first year of law school.) Many lawyers never get over this newfound exceptionalism, but most of them get over it to a certain degree when they get their first semester grades.
A dark cloud settled over my law school after first semester grades came out, as most of the people who had never had a B grade in their lives now found that they had one or more Cs on their transcripts. Suddenly, these people, who had been raising their hands and participating in class oh-so-frequently, had now fallen silent. On this note, with a small handful of exceptions, most law students suffer a crisis of self-esteem when they get their first semester grades. At schools like mine, a small number choose to drop out at this point; at other law schools, a third of the class flunks out and is cut loose by the powers that be, with nothing to show for their efforts but tens of thousands of dollars in student debt.
Those who survive their first year of law school with their self-esteem not completely destroyed are those who finished in the top third of their class with a B to B+ average, and they typically start looking for work at a "big law firm." Once again, self-esteem is tested, as these people are pitted against God knows how many other candidates looking for a chance to get one of their feet in the door at a big law firm so they can work 100 hours a week, with most of the "successful" candidates burning out in a few short years without any chance of ever making partner. It's not unlike pledging a fraternity, but with hell week lasting three to five years. This is where it really pays off to have a degree from an Ivy League School.
As a general rule, the education you get in law school does not prepare you to be an attorney. It usually prepares you to pass the bar exam and be a first year associate at a law firm. If you are aware of this fact, you can take a clinical in law school that teaches you the nuts and bolts of legal practice. Even then, you will have very little knowledge of how to find clients, or how to get those clients to pay you. These are entrepreneurial skills that are typically taught at the School of Hard Knocks, where the tuition must be paid in full at the beginning and end of every day of instruction, and throughout the day as well.
So, is law school intrinsically worth it? Despite all the hardships I have described above, and many others I have omitted, the answer is a resounding yes, provided you attend a law school where you can actually finish your course of study and be prepared for the bar exam. The skill set you obtain in law school can be acquired nowhere else. But many get shortchanged by the experience, specifically those people who feel that their academic prowess entitles them to something, which it doesn't. No matter how bright you are, you still have to pay your dues. And you will never be done paying your dues. Read more: Is law school intrinsically worth it? Even if you don't become a lawyer, is it worth it to go through the process of law school? David F. Prenatt Jr., Internet consultant with a law degree, not a lawyer, but I may work for yours. Updated August 7, 2018 · Upvoted by Robert L. Lamoreaux, JD Law, George Mason University School of Law (1987) and Pamela Pearl, J.D. Law. www.quora.com/Is-law-school-intrinsically-worth-it-Even-if-you-dont-become-a-lawyer-is-it-worth-it-to-go-through-the-process-of-law-school.
