<p>i didn’t initially want to go into all of this, but i’ve decided to go ahead and do so. please remember, just because you may not like something you are told does not mean it isn’t worthwhile input. you asked for people to share their experiences, so i will – but i sincerely hope that the conclusion you reach is that you should be paying more attention to those of us who have been telling you it is way too early for you to be focusing on this.</p>
<p>i “knew” all thru high school and college that i wanted to be a lawyer. i took a “law” elective in high school in which we not only discussed important cases in american history, but through which i got to sit in on trials, meet with a judge and did legal research at a law library. i found it really interesting. when i got to college i took 4-5 “law” courses – again, really interesting. NOTHING I DID IN ANY OF THOSE COURSES BORE ANY RELATIONSHIP TO WHAT EITHER THE STUDY OF LAW IN LAW SCHOOL WAS LIKE NOR WHAT THE PRACTICE OF LAW WAS LIKE.</p>
<p>i went to a top law school, where i found that MANY of my classmates were not recent college graduates. their range of experiences was vast. i don’t think it necessarily gave them an advantage in the classroom – i did just fine compared with any of them. but i did notice that many with very varied backgrounds did very well in the hiring practice. this was a number of years ago when law firms were hiring and paying obscene amounts of money and everyone at my law school was able to find both summer and permanent employment without too much trouble – but still those students who were older and had prior work experience often seemed to do best in the hiring process. i think i got a better understanding of why that was true when i worked as an associate at a law firm and sat in on interviews – these more experienced students were often much better at presenting themselves. they were more interesting, they knew better what to ask about, they better understood what was involved in working. they were able to talk about more than just having “always” wanted to practice law – and when they did talk about why they wanted to practice law, they had articulate well thought out reasons.</p>
<p>i enjoyed law school and found it intellectually interesting. IT HOWEVR BORE NO RELATION TO WHAT THE PRACTICE OF LAW WAS ACTUALLY LIKE. i am now a former lawyer.</p>
<p>students who are smart and good at debate are often encouraged to go to law school. students who find legal issues interesting think that they will find the practice of law interesting. but most students simply don’t know what it is really like to practice law. but that doesn’t mean the answer is to start researching in middle school – there are issues you simply can’t fully appreciate.</p>
<p>there are 3 key issues about the practice of law that i think most people considering the profession simply don’t appreciate – and i don’t know how easy it is for anyone to truly understand them without having been involved in the practice of law:</p>
<p>1) the hours are awful – everyone considering law will respond to this by saying they know that and they’ve worked hard before. its more than that. most people may be used to working hard and feeling a sense of conclusion and reward. working at a law firm is working in a meritocracy where the reward for good work is more work. you often can’t plan ahead to accommodate your personal life. no, the hours don’t get better the longer you are there – the type of work may change, but those who are successful get there because they thrive on the work and the responsibility. its not a matter of being willing to put up with the hours – you have to understand that they are a part of the job and thrive on it. </p>
<p>2) your life as a lawyer is dictated by your clients – whether you are in private practice or work for the government, a corporation or a not for profit, you have a client, ie generally a non-lawyer who is setting the agenda for what you are expected to do. and law is a business – getting clients, keeping clients is essential. and its a service industry – you are there to do what the client pays you to do (within the bounds of law and ethics). what you find intellectually interesting isn’t the issue – the clients’ needs are. </p>
<p>3) many people who are argumentative or “debate” are attracted to law – they often are encouraged to enter the field. it means that fellow lawyers you deal with often like to argue. not to be obnoxious, not even because they are on the opposing side – it happens with the lawyers you work with. its just the way lawyers are. so when a prior poster said that these threads shouldn’t be about “bickering” the first thing i thought was anyone who can’t take the type of “bickering” that has been taking place on this thread (which in all honesty has been pretty mild compared to what i’ve seen elsewhere on CC) should seriously consider whether they would want to work with a lot of lawyers. </p>
<p>OP – please just take away from this that there is a lot to learn before anyone decides to pursue a career in law. BUT PLEASE also take away that you will do yourself a much greater favor to simply gain more life experience before you start worrying about issues related to whether you should or shouldn’t go to law school.</p>