<p>I am only a HS senior, so I am not actually <em>considering</em> what to do after undergrad, I know it's generally pointless and I will likely change my field of interest anyways, so this is strictly a theoretical question:</p>
<p>Let's say (hypothetically) I am extremely interested in a field like constitutional law or something like that, and I think it would be cool to be a judge or something, but I can't stand the thought of litigation/working as an attorney. Should I go to law school, or is it only a good option for people who want to be lawyers?</p>
<p>one does not become a judge without first being a practicing lawyer -- no matter how cool you think it would be.</p>
<p>being a lawyer is not synonymous with being a litagator -- the latter is merely one type of legal practice.</p>
<p>law school is very expensive. while people will talk about what a great background it is, it is a very expensive indulgence if one doesn't intend to be a lawyer.</p>
<p>go to college. see what interests you. then decide what you want to do.</p>
<p>Yes, you can't become a judge without having years of experience as a certain type of lawyer. It is expensive and it would be a waste of time and money going if you're not going to use it. Unless you get a full ride scholarship, and it would be a waste of money and time applying just to see if you could get one. Matter of fact, it may be a hindrance depending on what type of career you're going after.</p>
<p>Dear mephist0:</p>
<ol>
<li>I don't recommend going to law school unless one wants to be a lawyer.</li>
<li> Chances are that you don't really know what a lawyer does. Hint: it's extremely rarely like what one sees on TV or in the movies.</li>
<li> At this point of your life, you're in high school. Your focus should be on what you want to do in college, and not bypass that.<br></li>
<li>It's possible to become a judge without having been a lawyer. You have to be either heavily involved in politics or be a law professor. If you really are interested in constitutional law, you could major in political science and study the Constitution and legal decisions affecting it.</li>
</ol>
<p>Don't want to be a lawyer? Don't go to law school.</p>
<p>Hey,
I understand where you are comming from. And from what I have herd people say, going to law school and not praticing law is not such a bad idea. Like I said though, it all depends on what you are going to do. First I recomend going to a highly accredited public university than a private one. This will make tuition alot cheaper. Secondly, you need to find a field that really needs a JD. I would recommend doubling up like MBA/JD if construction intrest you. Like I said it all depends on what you are going to do. Double up is hard and time consuming.</p>
<p>Almost all law schools offer LLM degrees that are designed to give you a strong academic foundation for teaching or academic legal research. An LLM program is the JD curriculum plus another year of study (four years total instead of three). You can also obtain S.J.D's from institutions like Harvard and Stanford which are considered to be terminal degrees for the legal profession. </p>
<p>I know that the University of Pennsylvania offers an LLM that is focused on constitutional law if that's your thing.</p>