Do you think many law students will actually become lawyers? 10 points for the best advice. Thank you?

Question

Many of my friends graduated from top law schools such as Yale, Georgetown, and GWU.

Three girls become secretaries. A girl becomes air hostress!
None of my friends are lawyers.

What do you think of this?

Thank you very much...

Answer 1

Probably not:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119040786780835602.html
.

Answer 2

I think it will happen more and more. There is an excellent article I read about how people go to law school by default, because they do not know what else to do with their life, especially liberal arts majors.
The actual practice of law has a lot of downsides to it. It is stressful, there are so many lawyers, the pay is not that much higher than other professions, and it is not what most people think, not to mention the substantial debt.
Only a small percentage of new lawyers as a total, go into big firm corporate firms, that pay a lot of money from the start. Basically, those firms wait until first semester grades come out to interview for Summer positions. If you are not in the top of the class, you do not exist, this is how my top 15 school worked. Even good grades do not guarantee a good paying job, always. I had good grades first semester, made dean's list, and got a fair amount of interviews but no offers. It seems like the so called top big firms are looking for a very narrow criteria in their selection process. I think the whole thing is stupid, but that is the way it is. According to Big Firms the best attorneys would be law professors, professors have to get high grades and be on law review, at least at the better schools. So stupid.
If you are not at the top, you get the joy to compete for the grunt positions at low pay, and even these jobs are highly contested.
Law schools keep opening and shoving more new grads on the market, they do not care as long as the school gets tuition money.

Answer 3

I frequently see information on Y!A indicating that there are no legal jobs out there.

Then I read information from sites like law.com, technolawyer.com, ABA Journal, etc. indicating that there are not enough students applying for law school, and that there is projected to be a shortage in the near future when some lawyers start retiring.

I know that a lot of law students go on to become lawyers, but I have no clue what percentage it is. There are those that drop out, and those that choose to pursue a different profession. However, many will become a lawyer and THEN move to a different profession.

IF I had to hazard a guess, I would guess that 50% of incoming (L1) law school students will graduate and become a lawyer for at least 2 years.

I think that anyone who makes it into law school has the capability of making it as a lawyer, as long as they choose to put in the effort and time to get the RIGHT education - not just passing their classes, but choosing a track that is of interest to them, in their areas of greatest strengths, and look beyond the classes into what actually matters -- helping people out.

Answer 4

I don't see how this is a question that leads to "advice"...sounds like you're asking for an opinion.

I'm finishing up law school now and can tell you whether or not someone becomes a lawyer has nothing to do with how hard they work and some of these other answers people give. I don't want to be a lawyer after this experience. One of my good friends doesn't want to be a lawyer after this experience. Many people I've talked to are already saying that if they practice law it won't be for long. The simple fact is, for many of us, if we could find a job that would allow us to pay off the loans without too many problems, no, we wouldn't become lawyers after graduating from law school. Practicing law is boring. And don't be a woman or a racial minority. This field is not for women or minorities; it's very much a white male culture. It's not welcoming to women or minorities. That deters even more people who attend law school from wanting to be lawyers when they graduate or staying in the profession once they start working as a lawyer. Very interesting that the three/four people you mention who went to law school and opted out of the profession are females, wouldn't you say?

Then there's the fact that a lot of law school grads can't get jobs, or, rather, struggle with it. I have, for sure. It's not so much the job market is bad. It's not. It's the fact that legal employers, particularly law firms, all want the same kind of law student--top half of the class if you're at a top law school, top 1/3rd or top 20% if you're at other law schools. A law firm can need new lawyers like a soldier who has had his leg blown off needs a new leg, and the firm will choose to go without as opposed to hiring someone who didn't attend the right school and obtained a certain class ranking. I attend a top 10 law school and have only gotten summer job offers from employers who don't request transcripts (I have bad grades). None of those were law firms, either; they were low-paying public interest employers. So, if you get down to your choice being between low-paying legal employment when you have over $100000 to pay off vs finding something else to do...you might very well find something else to do, especially if you're like me and find the practice of law boring to begin with. If I can get a job working in business or anything else that interests me and will pay enough for me to make a living, you better believe I'm taking. I'm far from the only law student who feels this way, either--I know *many* law students who do.

When you get down to it, if employers only want people from top schools and/or in the top of the class, that's going to leave more law students than not who aren't desirable to legal employers. So, of course a lot of us won't become lawyers.

Answer 5

There are more law students than lawyers and it has been that way for years. Many of my classmates always intended to go into business, not the law. Some couldn't pass the Bar. Others worked for a few years, decided they didn't like it, and took new jobs in a different field.

Answer 6

From what i read i am not very surprised on this. Many lawers end up with not a very good job. There is not a market for lawyers right now. Unless you finish in the top 5 percentile at a very good school like the ones you listed you are not guranteed a well paying job.

Answer 7

Your friends may be exceptions. Most graduates from law schools go on to take the bar exam and become lawyers. They may not practice law but go on to other fields, but most get work that uses their education. Some eventually go into politics, some get jobs as judges. Law school provide a good background for many law-related fields. Banks, accounting firms, and many corporations hire lawyers.

Answer 8

When I was going off to law school long ago, someone bought me Black's Law Dictionary. I still use it and I still think of her every time I use it. Not the paperback, but the real thing.

Answer 9

some might drop out because of stress

Answer 10

if you try really hard yes now if you're lazy then no so you have to be confident