Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Top 8 Reasons Not to Go to Law School
Top 8 Reasons Not to Go to Law School:
- Financial Suicide
- If You're a Creative Person, Forget It
- The "Breakup" Is Nearly 80%
- The Bar Exam Is Brutal
- Top Jobs Are Hard to Come By
- Insane Hours
- Law Professors Are A**holes
- Harassment
(Hat Tip: Robert Ambrogi, Laura Wilson.)
https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2009/07/top-8-reasons.html
Comments
I enjoy being a lawyer, I enjoy the company of lawyers, and I believe law professors are mostly harmless.
Posted by: Kerplunk | Jul 22, 2009 1:48:12 PM
I like knowing how to navigate the legal and administrative system. I wouldn't miss the brutal hours and relatively - shockingly - low compensation, the constant cajoling/collecting from/getting stiffed by clients, unrealistic client expectations no matter how I try to manage these, the constant fear of screwing something up that will get me sued by the client and/or punished by the IRS, the expensive licensing and CLE requirements, and (last but not least) the large student loan repayment checks I send every month.
The law professors were fine, but I haven't really talked to any since 2002 - maybe they've changed for the worse?
Now I'd better get back to work or pay tomorrow.
Posted by: kansas | Jul 22, 2009 3:49:40 PM
Very credited. But the reason people still go is *wait for it* . . . there aren't better options out there.
Don't blame law schools. Blame the $8/hour if you're lucky economy.
Posted by: Alex | Jul 22, 2009 6:03:30 PM
can someone please tell me how to get that great job which requires no work, pays well, doesn't require higher education, and guarantees i'll never work with assholes?
thanks in advance.
Posted by: rm | Jul 22, 2009 9:24:32 PM
1, 2, and 5 are spot-on. I was lucky enough to have mostly down-to-earth, intelligent but practical professors, though with a few arrogant pricks mixed in. The bar exam isn't nearly as brutal as it's made out to be.
Posted by: Brian | Jul 23, 2009 7:09:51 AM
1 and 5 are not true if you go to a top 14 law school.
4 isn't true.
7 isn't really true, and who cares about law profs anyway?
8? Is there really more harassment in the legal profession than anywhere else?
Posted by: blabla | Jul 23, 2009 7:30:47 AM
No 2 is spot on and would be the primary one for me (the others I can't speak to so much as I was very fortunate, went to a Top 10 school, got a good job and still have a good job with good (i.e., not insane or abusive) colleagues).
But re No 2 - I'm in my 8th year in firm practice, doing well, but now I know EXACTLY how it feels to have your soul rot and die slowly day by day, year by year. Ugh. Guess I didn't need it anyway.
Posted by: MJ | Jul 23, 2009 8:39:03 AM
9. Law students are a**holes, too.
10. So are lawyers.
Posted by: S | Jul 22, 2009 9:15:45 AM