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Information provided
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Before moving on to a
more specific discussion of how to choose the right law school for you,
let's dismiss some bad, but all-too-common reasons for wanting to go to law
school.
1."I've got
nothing better to do with my history, English, or political science
degree."
This is a very bad reason to go to law school. There are better career
moves than spending three very hard years in grad school, going heavily
into debt, and then emerging with a degree in a field in which you have
very little interest. Moreover, several law schools have surveyed attitudes
of entering law students and later compared the responses to the same
students' grades. The studies showed that those who had the least desire to
be in law school in the first place usually performed rather poorly. These
students, in turn, had the most problems getting jobs because of their
mediocre performance.
2."I'm good at
arguing. Ever since I began to argue my points forcefully at the dinner
table at the age of eight, everyone in my family has said that I'd make a
great attorney."
Unfortunately for you, oral argument is a very small part of law school
life and, for the vast majority of lawyers, it's a
fairly small part of their practice. Additionally, a legal oral argument is
quite different from the average debate with your housemate over who gets
to choose the video to watch.
3."I'll be
making six figures before I hit 30."
Just as job security and a lucrative profession can be good reasons for
wanting to go to law school, the financial lure can also be a trap. Many
attorneys do make six-figure incomes, especially in large, urban firms. But
don't be deceived; they earn every cent. Seventy to eighty-hour weeks,
mounting pressure to bill more hours, and a lot of boring research work (at
least for the first five or six years) are usually part of the deal. Even
if you decide that you're willing to accept the challenge, there's no guarantee
that you'll be able to get a high-paying job. Large firms see hundreds of
resumes a month. Every year they have their pick of the top students at the
top schools. To make matters worse, many firms are now cutting back instead
of hiring. If you think you want to be a lawyer because all lawyers are
well paid, think again. Even if you decide you're willing to do the hard
work, the opportunities to make big bucks are not always there.
4."My family
always wanted me to be a lawyer."
If you really don't want to practice law, three years of study plus the
span of a career is a long time to fulfill someone else's expectations. If
your parents are so gung-ho on the idea, maybe they should go to law school
themselves! Age is no limitation on the feasibility of practicing law.
This article was adapted
from Kaplan and Newsweek's Law School Admissions Advisor.
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