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@sandy: I don't work in a traditional law firm, I enjoy (even love) my job, and I would still probably try and talk my LO out of traditional law if she told me that is what she wanted to do
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@MrsH: I won't encourage my LOs to go to law school either. I am lucky to work part time, but it seems so few and far between to have a balance. At least for my daughters, my advice will be MBA, nurse or teacher!
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@Sparkler: my recommendation will be engineer with an MBA or veterinarian
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@MrsH: yes, engineer too
I can dream that my kids will actually take any of my advice!
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@sandy: every time we have one of these lawyer threads, I feel like you could be my twin
like you said, I think law tends to attract a certain type of personality. I was always so stressed out dealing with opposing counsel. Some were cordial and professional, but the vast majority were rude, cocky, and just generally awful to work with. I remember how much my stomach would tie up in knots whenever I had to make a phone call or have a mtg. Ugh. I'm so glad I'm out of it. Like you, I did enjoy the research and writing aspect of it, so hopefully one day I can find a job, legal or not, where I can focus on those and where my JD may come in handy.
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I tell friends not to do it unless they can do it without going into any debt OR they have a job lined up beforehand. I loved law school, and I feel like the way I learned to think will help me in life even without ever pursuing a legal career, but I would HATE myself if I had spent any money on the experience.
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@MrsH: two things that stuck out for me that really cemented that I didn't want to make it my life goal to be a partner at a law firm. One partner who was super successful said he wouldn't be a lawyer if he could do it over. He said "we bill for our time and yes your billable rate goes up and you get paid more but ultimately we make more money the more we work." He said he wished he had invented something or wrote a great book and could live off the royalties. Another thing that just really turned me off the law was how all consuming it was - I dreamed about work and would wake up all worked up about something I was working on. And even the old partners said they would wake up in the middle of the night all worked up bc maybe we forgot to include something in our brief, etc...the stress just doesn't end even as you get more experienced
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@sandy: yes, I find that the more experienced I become the more I stress about it. As a partner the added stress of running a business doesn't help me sleep at night.
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I work at a top tier law school and have a JD. First, the numbers in the article are kind of misleading. I can get behind someone making $40,000 right out of law school, but average starting salary is no where near $62K. Working at a big firm doesn't net you only $95K; first years in BigLaw make $160K. That said, first year lawyer salaries are like a reverse bell curve. You've got a bunch of people working low level gov't jobs, small firms, solos, etc. They generally make between $40-$60K. Then you've got the other end of the curve: the BigLaw associates who make $160. Hardly anyone makes the "average" first year lawyer salary. Generally, you're on one end or the other of this reverse bell.
http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2012/07/nalp-new-lawyer.html
That said, no one should go to law school because they think they'll make a lot of money. You have to do really well at really good law schools (or be well connected) to get the high paying jobs right out of school. Sure, lawyers can certainly build a book of business over time as a solo or small/mid-size firm and do quite well for themselves by the end of their careers, but they're not going to make big bucks for a while, if ever.
People should only go to law school if they really want to be lawyers. And they should know what that means before they go (so many don't).
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@pinkcupcake: Thats one of the things I hated most about my litigation job. My whole job is (was) dealing with angry people. My clients were angry. The other side was angry. Everyone thinks they're getting screwed. They're all wanting me to be as emotional about their issue as they are (which lets face it, often they're at least partially responsible for). And then they're mad about the realities of litigation and how much that whole process sucks. And if they get sick of it and settle they're pissed. And if they win they think they didn't win enough. And then you have to deal with collecting the judgment. And the client is even more mad because omg we won why didn't I get a check before I left court. Gah.
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My husband and I are both lawyers in a city in Canada. We both make six figures, and I work part time. Although at certain points we both didn't love our bosses, we are happy in our jobs now. We just finished paying off our debt (which was substantial and foolish - we overspent) last week. We have a one year old that I had a long mat leave with. While I don't care for the personalities of many lawyers and think it's a terrible way to truly make a lot of money, it's a satisfying and challenging career for us!
I can dream that my kids will actually take any of my advice!
like you said, I think law tends to attract a certain type of personality. I was always so stressed out dealing with opposing counsel. Some were cordial and professional, but the vast majority were rude, cocky, and just generally awful to work with. I remember how much my stomach would tie up in knots whenever I had to make a phone call or have a mtg. Ugh. I'm so glad I'm out of it. Like you, I did enjoy the research and writing aspect of it, so hopefully one day I can find a job, legal or not, where I can focus on those and where my JD may come in handy.
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