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  #21  
Old 11-09-2007, 02:50 PM
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  #22  
Old 11-09-2007, 03:08 PM
joker122 joker122 is offline
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Default Re: so i\'ll have a law degree soon...

so far i don't have a class that is more practical than contracts. indeed, much of law school curriculum is designed to prepare you for a career practicing law (hence the dillema).

that is not to say the other classes don't have practical value outside of being a lawyer. Torts (another first year class) is pretty relevant to everyday life in the sense that it teaches you what you can be sued for/how to conduct yourself in certain scenarios so that you won't be sued/what you can sue other people for. that, to me, is a pretty powerful tool - to be in a comprimising situation and have the knowledge to do exactly what you should be doing to cover your as$.

i haven't taken Property yet but I would imagine that would be extremely practical.

civil procedure (again, a 1L class) informs you of all your rights in court (suing or being sued). that isn't much practical value though because you would have an attorney that would be taking care of all of that, but i can't help but feel like i'm learning very important information when i'm sitting in that class.

i can't really comment alot on this because i don't even have an entire semester under my belt. maybe some actual lawyers can add something or disillusion me.
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  #23  
Old 11-09-2007, 03:13 PM
Somnius Somnius is offline
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Default Re: so i\'ll have a law degree soon...

[ QUOTE ]
"If you like law and want to make a career out of it, then stick with it. If you are doing it just so you can write J.D. behind your name, have a diploma on the wall to impress your friends or justify the other things in you are doing in your life, then get out now.
"

yeah this is a large reason i entertained the notion of law school years back, but that has since evolved into much more "genuine" reasons (mostly).

[/ QUOTE ]

Most intelligent, successful, spirited people will learn to like...or at least appreciate what they are doing, and derive satisfaction and pleasure from it or what it represents, just the way it is.

Traditionally law was one of those things you just do and be happy about, whether things are just changing drastically and/or it's easier to get information about other opportunities etc, it is really clear that many people would be better off in other fields.

Some people will give you the "might-as-well's" considering you are already in the mix, others will tell u to stop now and go down the other path. Honestly, I really don't think there's an easy answer, you really will have to analyze your near future as best as possible for both decisions, and see what provides the greatest overall utility, happiness and ev...in the end, I really don't think it friggin matters if you have a law degree or not, you can deal, negotiate, etc etc without it. Not only is the information easily accessible, but you can always pay people to do it for you instead of spending 3 years and x money. Then again any way you look at it things are done for satisfication in one way or another, if you want this, and now that you're in it see that it is very much a great benefit for your future plans to at least have it, or have the ability to fall back on it considering...well then, it might be a "might as well".
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  #24  
Old 11-09-2007, 03:20 PM
Somnius Somnius is offline
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Default Re: so i\'ll have a law degree soon...

Not sure if I'm allowed to post this here and I apologize if not...you probably know about it anyway but www.lawschooldiscussion.org has a lot of great information. Plenty of students and lawyers with a wealth of insight and information about situations like yours. You would surely find it useful if you haven't already.
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  #25  
Old 11-09-2007, 03:26 PM
joker122 joker122 is offline
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Default Re: so i\'ll have a law degree soon...

yeah, good board except it's all law students/lawyers - i wanted to post on this board to probe some people who are out there doing things without a law degree and have noticed a law degree would help them do X.
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  #26  
Old 11-12-2007, 06:54 PM
Gamblor Gamblor is offline
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Default Re: so i\'ll have a law degree soon...

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Flashback to 1999 and I'm basically in the same situation as OP. I could take an articling position at a Bay St firm or keep doing the sports betting / poker. Given I had already summered at a firm 2nd year I knew I did not like law. The practise of law represented 70-90 hour week for a tiny fraction of my income as a law student / gambler. The decision was easy I stayed in school accumulating more degrees I'd never use.

My advise would be finish the law degree. I have found it useful in that it gives me a certain level of credibility. Saying "I went to law school but now I bet on sports / play poker for a living" just seems to go over much better than just "I bet on sports / play poker". Mind you that was 99 and poker has gained a lot of legitimacy since then.

You are in first year now. I'd try to get good enough grades that you would get a summer position after 2nd year. That way you have your own first hand impression of what working in a major firm is like. That way you can make an informed decision at the end of year 3.

Other things that I'd take into consideration is the fact that 18 months is not a long time. I'd research how hard it would be and what you'd have to do to return to the practise of law should poker not work out for you. It might be very hard to impossible to get into a major firm after an absence.

[/ QUOTE ]

great advice. thanks.

also, 18 months may not sound like alot but i still have 600k hands that say i poker will "work out for me" should i decide to go back to it. that is what is making the decision so hard...i wish i never played a hand of poker in my life.

[/ QUOTE ]

Flashback to 2006 and I am in the exact same position as the OP and henry (minus the sports betting).

I graduate Osgoode Hall in 6 months and I don't have an articling position, I don't care much for poker anymore beyond the odd tournament, and plan to quit playing as soon as I finish school (it basically paid for all my tuition, beer, car, etc etc through law school, and I'm happy to graduate debt free, but at this point I need something more).

I have about 100k in capital saved up.

ADVICE PLZ.
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  #27  
Old 11-12-2007, 06:55 PM
Gamblor Gamblor is offline
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Default Re: so i\'ll have a law degree soon...

[ QUOTE ]
so far i don't have a class that is more practical than contracts. indeed, much of law school curriculum is designed to prepare you for a career practicing law (hence the dillema).

that is not to say the other classes don't have practical value outside of being a lawyer. Torts (another first year class) is pretty relevant to everyday life in the sense that it teaches you what you can be sued for/how to conduct yourself in certain scenarios so that you won't be sued/what you can sue other people for. that, to me, is a pretty powerful tool - to be in a comprimising situation and have the knowledge to do exactly what you should be doing to cover your as$.

i haven't taken Property yet but I would imagine that would be extremely practical.

civil procedure (again, a 1L class) informs you of all your rights in court (suing or being sued). that isn't much practical value though because you would have an attorney that would be taking care of all of that, but i can't help but feel like i'm learning very important information when i'm sitting in that class.

i can't really comment alot on this because i don't even have an entire semester under my belt. maybe some actual lawyers can add something or disillusion me.

[/ QUOTE ]

You sound like an Ontario law student, these courses are all mandatory in 1L in Ontario.
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  #28  
Old 11-12-2007, 06:58 PM
Gamblor Gamblor is offline
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Default Re: so i\'ll have a law degree soon...

[ QUOTE ]
i like learning about it but if i want to actually apply it to a career i'd have to wade through a bunch of BS before i could actually do the stuff i want (e.g. have my own clients and litigate their cases myself)

[/ QUOTE ]

Not necessarily.

Find a smaller litigation boutique firm. The big firms won't let you touch the important [censored] with a 10-meter pole, but network and find a small firm with 6 lawyers that doesn't do OCIs in 2nd year and you'll get loads of person-to-person interaction...

At least, that's what Ive been told by other lawyers all the way through.
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  #29  
Old 11-12-2007, 07:00 PM
Gamblor Gamblor is offline
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Default Re: so i\'ll have a law degree soon...

[ QUOTE ]
If you are doing it just so you can write J.D. behind your name, have a diploma on the wall to impress your friends or justify the other things in you are doing in your life, then get out now.

[/ QUOTE ]

Bingo.

But in Canada (except U of Toronto which may as well be an American school anyway) we call it an LL.B.. It's a 50% better degree. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]
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  #30  
Old 11-12-2007, 07:09 PM
Henry17 Henry17 is offline
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Default Re: so i\'ll have a law degree soon...

[ QUOTE ]
Find a smaller litigation boutique firm. The big firms won't let you touch the important [censored] with a 10-meter pole, but network and find a small firm with 6 lawyers that doesn't do OCIs in 2nd year and you'll get loads of person-to-person interaction...

[/ QUOTE ]

The problem with small firms is that the pay sucks.
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