re: OT lawyers. ..Ever think about hanging it up?

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I'm going to law school next year at LSU or loyola, should I know what speciality I want to go in by now? I really don't know except I'm pretty sure I don't want to do criminal

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I don't think it's a particularly good idea to go into law school with any pre-conceived notions about what you DON'T want to do. And you definitely shouldn't try and pigeon-hole yourself before you even take your first class.

Every fricking day now. Too old to do it now thought I am stuck.

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OT lawyers. ..Ever think about hanging it up? quote: But, I don't answer to anyone This is the ticket. The risks in starting your own gig are very, very real but I'd imagine it would be incredibly fulfilling.

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Yes. I am a solo practitioner. Have a loose group of partners on certain mass torts/ class actions.

And your right, when its good, it's real good. When it's bad, can be frightening. But I go home at night (most of the time) and don't wanna kick the dog. So by my calculations, that a win.

For the folks in law school, don't do it for the money. If your good at what you do, the money will follow. But they don't give you a 7 series BMW with the diploma.

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Going to California...

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Just took CA Bar. It was a bitch...as bad as or worse than La Bar. The weather over there sure is nice though.

My dad told me not to become a lawyer. He was a small town practitioner, and hated the profession. I had to prove him wrong. There are certainly some rewarding aspects, but lots of frustration.

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Everyone acts like you can just walk into this job but I've seen quite the opposite.

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I didn't mean to sound like one of those people. Before I landed my job I heard from friends in the industry that I could waltz into an E&P company, show them my JD and they would give me a corner office and $150k/year. Did not find that to be accurate. But there are good recruiters for land jobs in Texas and Colorado (Kevin Clemons - he didn't find me a job but he gave me good advice), groups you can join on LinkedIn, and newsletters to subscribe (Paul Nielson's LandNews) that will help a lot. The problem I faced was that I was looking for an in-house job fresh out of school with no experience. Even a couple years practicing law would be exponentially better on the ole resume.

I can't say I love the practice of law, but I like my job. I need more money, but as long as the money keeps progressing, I'm alright.

I want an in house gig. I just started a project with a pharma company that should last about 2 years. I spent a lot of time with the current in house counsel who said that I would be a great in house candidate after this project. Fingers crossed.

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I don't think it's a particularly good idea to go into law school with any pre-conceived notions about what you DON'T want to do.

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except family law

it's perfectly acceptable to understand that you do not want to touch that with a 100 ft pole

*ETA: the opposite is true, though. family law has this hallowed status for people in law school

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I'll never be OT rich but I'm happy and have zero work stress.

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Good man. Unbelievable how many people don't see this as a priority until it's too late...

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i think that financial expectations, especially early, are what leads to the major stress issues of young lawyerhood

here is one of the amazing things about being a lawyer that young lawyers forget: we can do this until we're 80 in most cases

now don't make that you're retirement plan or anything, and i get how if you have a family really young (note: i do not b/c of the financial issues involved. i also haven't gotten a mortgage on a house for similar reasons) it can be stressful, but relax. even if you only do a part-time practice in your old age, you can still easily bank 30-40k/year in profits if you have built up even a decent reputation in your geographical/skill area

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OT lawyers. ..Ever think about hanging it up?
If so...

Why?
What is stopping you?

For me:

Yes.

Tired of dealing with idiots.

Can't think of how to transfer skills to something that can pull in similar income.

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All of this and more. I don't care for the courtroom. I don't care for the other attorneys. I basically work to make money, which will only take me so far. What's stopping me is a new house and a wife.

If I were on my own, I would probably up and quit and write like I want to with a decent savings account to fall back on. I'd probably get a part-time job or freelance job to pay the bills as a journalist/copywriter/real estate agent if I could, then just write the rest of the time.