Should I Go to Law School?
Deciding whether or not to go to law school is a tough decision. All too often, potential law school candidates place too much emphasis on the opinions of others. While gathering information about law school from experienced individuals is helpful, asking them if you should go to law school is not. Ultimately, the only person that can truly answer this question is you.
A legal education requires both financial and educational commitment. The cost of financing a law degree will quickly add up, making it more difficult to change course the farther you get into the program. As a result, it is important to be realistic when evaluating the fit between law and your abilities, needs, and long term goals.
Setting outside pressures and vague financial goals aside, there is only ONE right reason for you to consider law school. You go to law school because you WANT to be a LAWYER!
While law school may be stimulating, exciting, and challenging, it is only a preparation for what is to come. Many students who enjoyed the law school atmosphere soon discover that being a lawyer is not what they envisioned. Unfortunately, many of these professionals feel trapped in their career as a lawyer because of the need to repay law school loans.
If you are going into law for any other reason, then you may want to reconsider your career path.
15 Reasons Why You Should NOT Go to Law School
Each year, thousands of students launch themselves into law school for the wrong reason and thousands graduate only to discover the fulfillment at the end of their law school rainbow. I know this sounds harsh, but I would rather “hurt you with the truth than mislead you with a lie”.
What follows are several WRONG reasons for going to law school:
- You have always wanted to go to law school and become a lawyer.
- You like to debate and argue.
- You are fascinated by law and find it stimulating.
- You want to make a lot of money.
- You want to change the world.
- You believe law school is versatile and propel you down other paths such as business.
- Your parents want you to go to law school.
- You come from a family of lawyers and all your friends are going to law school.
- You have a liberal arts degree and do not know what to do with it.
- You are trying to wait out a bad economy.
- You want prestige and respect.
- You think that a legal education will provide value to your everyday life.
- You want to use a law degree to run for an elected office someday.
- Everyone thinks you would make a good lawyer.
- You need a career Change.
The Truth is that:
- Most individuals who have always wanted to become a lawyer do not have any significant insight into the profession and risk entering an unsatisfying career.
- You may not get the chance to argue and debate for several years, but will spend most of your time performing research and pacifying clients.
- Too much of anything can lose its excitement and you must be prepared for long hours of tedious and focused work.
- Not all lawyers make a ton of money and those that do often work more hours and have higher student loan payments than professional in other industries. In the end, you may not make as much as you think. A professional making $40,000 per year working 40 hours per week is making just as much money per hour worked as an attorney making $80,000 per year working 80 hours per week. You are better off working two jobs you enjoy than one that you hate.
- As a lawyer, you will not likely make any significant dent in the global scheme of things. If you want to change the world, then try working for a global not-for-profit organization.
- A law degree prepares you for law and a business degree prepares you for business. The minor benefits of getting a law degree to aid you in a non-law related field will cost you much more time and money than it is worth.
- You, and not your parents, will be the one paying the consequences of choosing an unfulfilling career.
- Just because you come from a family of lawyers does not mean that you will like law or even be good at it.
- You should never enter law school because you don’t know what to do with your current degree. Think wasted time and money. You would be better off interning in different industries until you find one that you like, before committing to a graduate school program.
- Bad economies come and go, but a bad career choice can haunt you for the rest of your life.
- Prestige and respect can be found almost anywhere through hard work and integrity.
- A legal education will likely bring more stress into your everyday life than it will benefit.
- You do not have to have a law degree to run for public office.
- Just because everyone thinks you would make a good lawyer, does not mean you will. In fact, the attributes that drive this perception might actually be weaknesses that you must overcome to become a good lawyer.
- Law school is a serious commitment and should not be your career change solution without significant investigation and consideration. You may be jumping from a rut into a pit.
There are many reasons why you should not go to law school. You should seriously consider the impacts of a legal education on you personal, family, financial, and long term goals before committing to law school.
If, however, you are certain that you want to be a lawyer or learn more about law school admissions, then the pre-law articles found on this site will help you to prepare for law school and beyond.