Whose starting law school in the fall?

[jman220]

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XXX,

BC over Columbia, really?

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El Diablo,

My Biggest Regret, having just finished law school, is that I did not go to a worse law school that offered me lots of scholarship money, instead electing for a better university to which I am now indebted 6 figures.

[jman220]

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I can't wait to be a lawyer! And this is coming from me after just finishing day 1 of the BAR.

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So how about that MBE? What the [censored] is the rule in Dumbar's case?

[jman220]

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I had offers from some schools that are "better" and people would probably think im crazy for going to bc over columbia, georgetown, etc. but i am really happy to be in boston, getting tons of free money, and going to BC.

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I just noted this forum from OOT, and the law school thread interested me.

As a practicing attorney, let me assure you that where you go means nothing if you're a good attorney. If you make connections, know your [censored], and do good work, people don't give two [censored] about your law school.

It's hard to fathom at the entry stage, but trust me, you guys will realize it one day.

Also, I'm not telling you where I went. ;-)

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I agree with this totally and it is exactly why I wish I hadn't gone to a school that put me six figures in debt (especially since I'm working as a prosecutor, and government jobs do not pay very high, although I love the job).

[SackUp]

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I can't wait to be a lawyer! And this is coming from me after just finishing day 1 of the BAR.

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So how about that MBE? What the [censored] is the rule in Dumbar's case?

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you mean Dumpor's rule?

it means you can't take a crap at another man's house unless you bring over beer first.

it is so funny that you brought up this rule. this is the same rule that 2 of my fantasy baseball message boards brought up.

[jman220]

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[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I can't wait to be a lawyer! And this is coming from me after just finishing day 1 of the BAR.

[/ QUOTE ]

So how about that MBE? What the [censored] is the rule in Dumbar's case?

[/ QUOTE ]

you mean Dumpor's rule?

it means you can't take a crap at another man's house unless you bring over beer first.

it is so funny that you brought up this rule. this is the same rule that 2 of my fantasy baseball message boards brought up.

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Yeah, I just assumed it was a wrong answer and crossed it off because I had no idea what it was.

How about that question with the ridiculously unconstitutional treaty? That was another fun one.

[SackUp]

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XXX,

BC over Columbia, really?

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El Diablo,

My Biggest Regret, having just finished law school, is that I did not go to a worse law school that offered me lots of scholarship money, instead electing for a better university to which I am now indebted 6 figures.

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Funny, I feel the exact opposite as passing over a top 20 school really made it harder to get a job and I graduated fairly high in my class and had pretty legit resume.

I guess it all depends on your perspective. If you want to work at a big firm it makes a lot harder to do if you don't have the big name on the resume or are not in the top 10% of the class.

Heck it is even hard to get a government job anymore as they are getting really competitive. But there you don't make nearly as much and so all those loans don't seem worth it.

I'm still pretty happy how things worked out and I am not concerned about having a kickass career.

[DrewDevil]

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Drew, you seem very bitter at life. Sorry you made a decision that did not work out for you.

Did you ever consider working for the goverment?

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I'm a little bitter about choosing to go to law school in the first place, because I think I've experienced some of the 'golden handcuffs' problem.

And I feel a little bitter about the disparity between law school (interesting, energizing) and law practice (mind-numbing, soul-sucking, etc.)

But you do get paid well for practicing law... and I could probably support my family decently as a part-time lawyer. This is, in fact, what I hope to do after the new year (after my son is born).

But mainly, I think kids who are considering law school should be absolutely sure this is what they want, and I want them to have the benefit of knowledge from someone who's been there and learned the hard way that practicing law, for most people, is not a great way to make a living.

[miajag]

This thread is making me feel like I should already be studying for the bar, and it's a year away.

[mlagoo]

I just wanted to say that as an incoming 2L, I agree wholeheartedly with DrewDevil here.

What he said about cracking down during 1L couldn't be more true. I decided that I was going to party and have fun to the same extent that I did in college. I rarely went to class and just made friends with a few studious students so that I could keep up with what assignments were due, etc.

I thought that I could do this because I thought I was smarter than everyone. Well, as it turns out, I finished 1L with a 2.3. This doesn't sound like the end of the world, right? I mean, I've still got two years to get it up.

Except you don't. The problem is that in the fall semester of 2L, you start interviewing for jobs for the summer after 2L. And these are the firms that are going to be offering you jobs for after you graduate. So you basically have one year where you MUST get good grades, or it's going to [censored] you up for the next however many years, until you can develop a reputation/make enough contacts that your poor showing at law school no longer matters.

I underestimated 1L, and didn't realize how important the grades were, and now am in very bad shape because of it. I'm going to graduate from law school with over $100K of debt, and will be coming out of a barely-top-tier school in the middle of my class. Don't do this! Crack down on the books for at least one year. You'll be happy you did.


As far as the career, here is an interesting anecdote. The other day I went to leave work at 6 p.m. (I had been there since 9 a.m.). I clerk for a small labor/employment law firm in D.C. The attorney I work for asked me, "Where are you going?" I replied that it I'd worked 9 hours, and I was headed home. He said to me that if I thought 9 hour days were going to cut it, I should drop out of law school right now.

Think about that. The thought of never being home to spend time with my wife/family bothers me. If it bothers you as well, perhaps you should think about a different line of work.


DrewDevil,

What are my prospects for enjoying a legal career if I don't even find law school interesting?

Alternatively, anyone know of some other career paths that a guy with a J.D. can take?

[TruFloridaGator]

I'm officially going to Business School instead. Thanks guys!