re: Interested in Law School? Employment Numbers

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Just as a preface we're not going to see eye to eye on this simply based on your username. A 10 hour day, every day, is nothing to you? That's wild to me. I like to do things with my life other than work. What's another hour? It's one less hour that I can come home in the afternoon and go fishing in my back yard. You and I must have a very different definition of what big law firms are, because my friends working for "big" firms are not working 9-7. 8-8 is much more common.

I also don't buy into the "especially when you're young" idea just because I want to do more (traveling, etc.) while I'm young and still can. My girlfriend just got a great job in the city that offers her the same flexibility. 7 hour days are an illusion. My issue is freedom. Smaller firms give me that, and I know younger guys at both of the firms I've been looking at who have the quality of life that I want. I'm just not trying to slave over billing hours to make partner in 6-7 years. Again, I understand why people do that. It's just not for me.

Big firms just don't do it for me. I like a smaller, more personal working environment anyways. I also have absolutely zero desire to live in New Orleans.

Bottom line: money is cool, but it's not the most important thing in my life. Pow pow used to say if you spend your life chasing a dollar you'll always be behind it, and I think that's pretty accurate. That being said, some people like that. I just don't.

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Fair enough. Do what is best for you, obviously. A 10 hour day is not nothing to me. I typically don't like to be at the office until 7 or later, but I do when I have to. That said, a 10 hour day in corporate America is pretty average. I know very few people who are in positions of power or in a position that will net them a large income who work 9 to 5 every day. Even engineers don't.

The bottom line is that the practice of law is typically less flexible than a lot of people think. I joined a smaller firm based on the sales pitch that I would have a "better work-life balance" than the bigger firms. I bill less hours, that's the truth, but I'm still at the office from around 9 to 6 or 7 every night because shite randomly pops up. I have been at work until 2 or 3 in the morning. A trial is a trial. A closing is a closing. These are inevitable. It will be the same way in a small firm. Just go in with your eyes open is all.

But I'm sure you'll figure it out once you start. And I agree with you, I would have no desire to live in New Orleans either.

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Loyola

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Grad here. Been employed since three months pre-Bar exam.

Life is peachy.

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The one at LSU got hired by Exxon Corp. But he really is an extraordinary individual.

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Is your friend a 2L at LSU with initials RB?

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racking up 200k+ in debt for law school is crazy talk

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I think Loyola NOLA costs about that much from what they told me. I laughed. I laughed a lot when they told me that.

One thinks he can pay it off in one case.

The others I'm pretty sure plan on hoping Obama cancels all their debt with public service.

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For instance, if I was going into law school right now I'd specialize in tax law, IP law or some other niche that a large portion never specializes in.

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Most people don't figure this out until they are in too deep. Additionally, it is near impossible to know what niche you want to practice in law school. Very few people are exposed to all the different areas of law in their clerkships or classes. And classes are much different than clerkships. I thought I'd like being a litigator. The practice of litigation is far different than what I learned in the classroom. I never would have thought I would rather be a deal lawyer. But here I am and I would much rather be a deal lawyer than a litigator.

So, yeah, if you know what you want to do within law, you'll have a leg up. IP and Tax are good niches to be in right now. But they aren't for everyone.

Going to an Ivy League school for law school is probably better in terms of job security after law school, but the debt is far greater coming out of Harvard than it is LSU (typically), so you have to take that into consideration as well. There are dozens of other factors to consider, as well, which I won't get into, but as a general proposition, you aren't wrong.

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Loyola NOLA costs

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I could be wrong, but isn't Tulane more expensive?

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Going to an Ivy League school for law school is probably better in terms of job security after law school, but the debt is far greater coming out of Harvard than it is LSU (typically), so you have to take that into consideration as well.

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Good point. This is really a question of risk aversion.

You can go to a Ivy, take out 250k debt, and have a very good chance at BigLaw (where you can pay down the debt at 3 years). Another good route is state school, where you can easily escape under 100k debt but are unlikely to get BigLaw making 160k right off the bat.

The people in the truly worst position are those who take out full debt for schools without great BigLaw placement. Beyond the top 10 schools, it's a huge risk to take out 250k debt. If you're not near the top of your class (a sliding scale based on your school's prestige), have fun with that debt.

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That just seems like priority No. 1 before I even took the LSAT. But I'm 28. Not 23. So maybe that's a maturity difference.

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Big difference there.

A lot of my friends are 2Ls and still have no idea, but they'll be fine. It's tough to find a niche in law school.

Law school and practicing law =/= gloom and doom.

Goddammit I'm late to a law school threat again!

Was I late because I was working? Impossible, no 2013 grads have jobs.

Ok, let's get this shite started:

You'll never find a job, too much debt, SULC aka Swaguars aka flawyers are the best students in the state, bar is too hard, Feb 2014 results getting posted in 2 days, Joe Bockrath parties, learned con law from wikipedia and everything else from Sally, lawyers are crooks.

There. That about cover it?

Has my ni66a theronswanson made it in yet??



ETA: HE HAS! Rock on.

I'd pay $$$ to see ron swanson's face when he sees an OT law school thread