jefhatfield said:
he he...then what about the next thirty years that follow that?
They suck too.
Here's one practicing attorney's thoughts (this could get long):
Law School: It really isn't that bad. I tend to agree with the comments by NBS2 that the administration sucks, the profs are arrogant fools (with a few exceptions) , and most of your classmates will make you puke. Its a TON of reading and a TON of writing (this doesn't change once you're in practice). I found that the people who had the hardest time with law school were the people who had never gotten a grade lower than an A in their life. Remember most schools have forced curves in classes above some number of students (all of your first year classes will fit here). This means that there will be people who get D's and C's. Many people will tell you that the stress of law school will give you nightmares for the rest of your life. In all, it will be three of the worst years of your life -- not because the subject matter is difficult, but because of the people and the stress it places you under.
LSAT: In most cases its your ticket to a good school. I would recommend taking an old version and see how you do. If you do fine on that, you probably don't need to study. I took an old one and scored 165, didn't study after that and got a 169 on the actual test. YMMV.
Specialization: Don't make the mistake of specializing in law school. Too many of my classmates specialized in business law and have had a hard time finding jobs. The job market right now sucks, and specializing hurts your ability to find jobs. Plus, you never know when a concept for one area of law might make for an interesting argument in another. Exception: IP law.
Life as an Attorney: One of the partners in my firm says that the practice of law is "a hard way to make a good living." And remember that in many cases your "good living" really isn't much better than it would be if you were in any other profession. Yes, there are people who makes millions in contingent fee cases, and big forms will pay hundreds of thousands a year, but if you look at the median income for lawyers -- it isn't as impressive as you might expect. Also, take some time and talk to attorneys. The vast majority of them will tell you that they probably would not go to law school if they did it all again. This should tell you something.
Final thought: NBS2 is absolutely correct. If you are thinking about law school I strongly suggest entering a joint degree program that will give you something other than a law degree when you're done. Marquette (my school) offered a JD/MBA joint program that took 4 years. The extra year would be worth it to have some more flexibility once you're in the real world.
If you have any specific questions, I'm happy to answer them here, or in a PM.
