Community Discussions
Explore the latest discussions and community conversations related to this domain.
Should I go to law school?
Main Post:
I am currently 25 years old and I am set to start law school next month. I have gotten a free ride at a low ranked law school (Pace Elisabeth Haub School of law in White Plains ranked 141). I am however not that enthusiastic about it. I am not a combative person and the thought of arguing with people every day does not appeal to me. I also do not want to be struggling in maintaining a solo practice. I am going to law school because I do not know what else to do and I feel like law school is the last chance for me to obtain a professional job that will allow me to have an upper middle class life. I don't have that much professional experience because the law two years I was focusing on the LSAT and working on getting into law school. What should I do?
Top Comment: I mean I certainly wouldn't recommend it.
Thoughts on r/LawSchoolAdmissions as a 2025 Law School Grad
Main Post: Thoughts on r/LawSchoolAdmissions as a 2025 Law School Grad
Top Comment: Just want to add... if money is truly the goal, consider other career options. I think most law students are dishonest about their motivations. Prestige is what drives them the most. Which is silly considering this is a service profession.
Serious Question - Should YOU go to Law School?
Main Post:
Congratulations, if you're in the process of applying to law school! I'm sure you're excited, and - although it's been years now - I can remember doing the same and I have never regretted it. Believe me when I say that I have no wish to rain on anyone's parade, but I have a serious question for you. Is law school really right for you? Should YOU really go?
I worked for many years in complex litigation as the head of a multi-attorney firm, handling multi-million dollar cases, both in federal and state court. During this time, I hired (and fired) many associates, and I'm just going to say this; for most of you, being an attorney is nothing like the fantasy rolling around in your heads. I can tell you, as a person who has always loved the practice of law and being an attorney, the overwhelming majority of those who go to law school, later regret it.
When new lawyers enter a firm and lack the work ethic (60 - 80 hours per week), lack the constitution, or lack the desire to actually engage in what can sometimes be "the grueling practice of law in the adversarial system" - they either leave or are fired. This results in a serious cost to these firms, who spend considerable sums often in hiring these new lawyers and to these new lawyers themselves who just spent three years in law school and a small fortune, only to find they either don't want to or physically and mentally cannot practice law.
My advice? DO NOT be one those individuals that puts more time into preparing for the LSAT and filling out applications than they did into simply investigating what the practice of law is actually like, in the real world (and no - watching "Legally Blonde" doesn't count).
If you want to get some idea whether or not the practice of law is actually for you, you need to understand some of the reasons it turned out not to be for some new attorneys. I.e., why did they spend all that time going to law school, passing the bar, only to quit or be fired? To find out, watch the one hour forty-five minute lecture/video podcast at this link: https://youtu.be/PGeopX7_pgs
D.L. Hoffa
Top Comment: 0Ls, don't let yourselves ignore or gloss over this post. It's absolutely crucial to approach admissions this way. Law school is not the goal. It's a means to an end. Your career is the goal. An unfortunate number of posts on here are about whether someone should go to Michigan State over Duke because they liked the campus "vibe" more at Michigan State. And there could not be a worse way to go about choosing a law school. One caveat to the OP: Not all law is civil litigation, and not every practice area involves 60-80 hour weeks. There are lots of career tracks that involve fewer hours, lead to more morally rewarding work, etc., depending on your goals and preferences. But you need to identify those goals and preferences before you apply to law schools.
Should I go to law school?
Main Post:
I’ve seen many people on Reddit warn against going to law school unless you’re absolutely sure you want to be a lawyer. Well, I’m still a bit unsure and was hoping someone could give me a little feedback if law seems like a good fit for me.
A little background info: I have a bachelor’s in history and have been working an entry level finance job for about a year. It was a position that opened up shortly after I graduated at the company I worked part-time to pay my way through undergrad. I don’t hate it, but I don’t think working up the ladder in finance is for me.
My original plan was to become a librarian which would require a masters degree. Unfortunately the job market does not look good, it seems to take a few years post-degree to find a full time job and I would be making a comparable salary to what I am now, which is just enough to scrape by in this HCOL area (NJ).
I’m not counting on a big law salary, I just want a financially secure future, the ability to become a homeowner and retire.
My favorite parts of undergrad, and what initially inspired me to want to go into library science, was doing research and academic writing. I loved spending hours finding and reading through documents, and I have experience reading through dense legal/political documents.
I enjoyed being able to take heaps of documents, which would likely be difficult for the average person to read through and understand, and to compile the significant points into paper that made history accessible to the average person. I figured becoming a lawyer and interpreting the law for people would be a similar and fulfilling use of my skills that would also be able to provide me with a financially secure future.
Law school is both huge financial and time commitment and I want to be sure this is something that I will actually enjoy. I don’t want to be one of those people who regret going because they just didn’t know what else to do with their lives.
Top Comment: Try being a paralegal/legal assistant first. I was pretty sure I wanted to be a lawyer, but I worked as a paralegal for two years before jumping in to law school. Your interests align with the law, for sure, but you'd want a practice area that lets you do that sort of thing. For instance, I think kind of like you - I can take a pile of crap and synthesize it, and I enjoy it, the process, and the hunt for sources. I'm in aviation law (regulatory) so I'm always hunting up old DOT orders, even Civil Aeronautics Board stuff, to make points. Also, you don't need to practice law to use the skills you learn in law school. However, law school for me was more theory and the practical skills they tried to teach were baloney for the "real world."
How to pick Law Schools?
Main Post:
Hello fellows, I hope you are doing well. I will be migrating to US in the start of Aug 2024. I am a foreign law degree holder ( did my LLB from UK) and I am also a lower court licensed lawyer in my home country (Pakistan). I have decided to enroll in a JD program in the US. However, I am confused with the university choices. I have the option to either settle in San Diego, California or Providence, Rhode Island. Currently I am faced with 3 issues and I would really appreciate if anyone of you can guide/assist me.
The issues are:
- How does one pick and choose a law school? What do we need to see in universities? What should we compare between the different universities?
- How does one prepare for an lsat? I went over few logical questions and honestly, I was not able to even complete one.
- What are the timelines for applying to a JD program?
Top Comment: Get the US News and World reports rankings. Attend the highest ranked school to which you can gain admittance and can afford to pay for.
Does it really matter where you go to law school?
Main Post:
Does it really matter where you end up going to law school? Especially if you do not want to work in big law?
Top Comment: Saul Goodman went to the university of american samoa and it turned out ok for him.
For the lawyers here. How difficult is law school actually?
Main Post:
I've never gotten a chance to ask a lawyer. But I've always wondered how difficult it is.
Top Comment: I'll add an altrrnate opinion that I though law school was fun/enjoyable and less work then my undergrad degree. Went into law school treating it "as a job" and essentially "worked" from 9-5. On any given day only had about 3 hours of class so that gave me 5 hours of read/prep time.