| Topic Name: |
SAD but TRUE facts about the legal profession |
| Message Name: |
I agree |
| Date Posted: |
06/22/2001 |
| In Reply To: |
<<>>
I never posted that a law degree 'guaranteed' a goddamn thing. What I WROTE was that it ALLOWED you to sit for the bar exam. Why is that a good thing?
BECAUSE AN ATTORNEY CAN PRACTICE LAW, WHEREAS SOMEONE W/O A JD CANNOT. I don't even have a law degree, and I can see the obvious economic benefit.
After that, though, it's all brute aggression. Successful careers don't just fall into peoples' laps. Successful careers are the product of A) Hard work (sometimes schooling, most times not) B) Strategically choosing your battles; and C)Taking advantage of opportunities.
Note that posting 'woe is me' shit on Vault message boards does not constitute any of the above.
I suggest you get off your ass and think about how you can put your VERY VALUABLE to WORK. |
| Message: |
Well said, altough the anal types will pick endlessly at your typo in the title. A good number of lawyers, especially BIGLAW lawyers, want life to be like school. A paved, easy, path for everything. It goes like this:
1) Nursery school
2)Elementery school
3)Middle school
4)High school
5)College
6)Law School
7)BIGLAW -- Big structured orginization where you engage in intellectual pursuits. It has the utmost (perceieved) security. You apply. They recruit. You accept or decline. They accept or reject (hired or not hired). Most have a cafeteira but without the lunch ladies. Sounds a lot like school except they pay you and demand your unyielding allegiance to The Firm.
When BIGLAW isn't an option, the "give me my pre-determined life on a platter" people go into a tizzy. Its like, "the real world, oh no. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!".
People should focus on their whole career and not on starting salaries, or where they are working. They should focus on getting experience instead of gettig the highest salary. They should focus on what will make them happy in the long run instead of how much money they can make the first year out of law school. They would be better off considering themselves free agents instead of having a law firm name branded on their ass. They become less and less John Smith, and more and more, Mr. (place BIGLAW firm name here).
Seems like most would jump at an offer of $100k a year, even if the job description was to spend 70 hours a week laying on a bed of nails. For those wanting to be in the most structured of environments their whole life, or at least until they realize they won't make partner, this might be the right path if it is available to them. Anyone who is a free spirit, take life by the horns kind of person will cringe at this route.
Also, you can make loan payments commensurate with what you are earning so don't give me the, "I have loans" bull crap.
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