How do I know if law is right for me?

Graduate School Law School
1

<p>This question has popped into my head over and over for the past couple of months. As I go into my junior year at UC Berkeley, I come to understand how important it is to make up my mind some time in the near future about this. </p>

<p>My major is currently English, which I know is actually a decent major to tackle before law school... Anyway, I googled around a lot asking the question of whether law school is right for me and I got different responses and advice from different places.</p>

<p>Ultimately, they said some people know from childhood this is what they want to pursue and others -- figure it out only as a senior in undergrad.</p>

<p>Generally, the questions the websites asked me was if I liked to do research, if I liked to read and write, etc.</p>

<p>I answered yes to all of them; however, I understand there are different types of law branches, correct? Can anyone give me advice on how to determine what would be right for me or where to seek more resources?</p>

<p>The main advice given on the webs was to intern at a law firm, which is dandy and all but is that the best way to get a taste of it? Is shadowing a lawyer the best thing to do?</p>

<p>Help!</p>

<p>Thanks :)</p>

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<p>I read a statistic somewhere that over 70% of lawyers regret going into law. Many people think law is right for them but are oh so wrong.</p>

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<p>I think interning with a lawyer is a good idea. In my case, I worked for a family member who was a lawyer before deciding to go. </p>

<p>It's difficult to judge a job based on a general description of the tasks involved. Yes, being an attorney can involve a lot of reading, writing, and research. So can being a college professor. But the two professions are very different in many ways.</p>

<p>Further, different attorneys often have very different jobs, depending on their employer and the type of work they do.</p>

4

<p>Actually, a major magazine (Don't remember the specifics) actually had lawyers as the most overrated career. Another note, a lot of people seem to think that being a BIGLAW Associate in NYC is comparable to actually practicing law. For the most part, your first couple years as a BIGLAW lawyer, from what I've heard, only scratches the surface as to what being a lawyer is all about. </p>

<p>I agree with lskinner... If you really want to know, try and find a job with a lawyer, as opposed to a big firm. Being a BIGLAW Associate for the first couple years is comparable to Ibanking, again, from what I've heard. Many people want to go to big firms to see how the law really is, but, IMO, to see what law's all about, you really should intern with a lawyer.</p>

<p>Take my post with a grain of salt: I'm basing my opinion off of what I've heard from a couple in the industry. I might be wrong, just my .02.</p>

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<p>Thanks, I think I'll take this summer as an opportunity to intern/follow around a lawyer :D</p>

<p>Where can I learn more about branches of law? For ex: family law, estate law... etc.?</p>

6

<p>If you want to learn more about family law, you should try to volunteer or intern at community clinics. Some clinics, especially self-help clinics, help clients with issues such as custody and divorce. I am volunteering full time this summer at another domestic violence shelter and I can tell you I do way more here than another undergraduate intern at a big law firm. On my second day, I accompanied a client to court, went up, and was able to remind the judge of certain issues he had missed in granting the restraining order. I mostly do domestic violence restraining order work, but I'm also doing immigration work and learning how to do divorce and Visa work soon. It's a LOT of work. I have my own clients and my own cases. Living in San Jose, 80% of my clients are in Spanish so it's helped me learn a LOT of spanish considering I'm Vietnamese and have only taken 6 years. </p>

<p>In other words, don't miss out on opportunities just because they seem small like volunteering for a non-profit over the summer. Good luck to you!</p>

7

<p>
[quote]
I agree with lskinner... If you really want to know, try and find a job with a lawyer, as opposed to a big firm.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I suppose the advantage of spending time at a big firm is that you get to see what things are like there. </p>

<p>
[quote]
For the most part, your first couple years as a BIGLAW lawyer, from what I've heard, only scratches the surface as to what being a lawyer is all about.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>There's a lot of truth to that. When I was a BIG(f?)LAW, the associates used to joke about this all the time.</p>

<p>Here's an example of the difference between BIG(f?)LAW and solo practice:</p>

<p>When I was a 3rd year associate at BIG(f?)LAW, I was working on a case involving a particular building. The senior associate on the matter decided it would be a good idea to obtain the plans for the building.</p>

<p>Now, as a solo practitioner, if thought I needed the plans for a building, I would simply call the town planning board until I got the right person, send off a freedom of information request, along with a check, and wait. 20 or so minutes of work, and that's that.</p>

<p>As a BIG(f?)LAW associate, I was told to do a comprehensive memo on which agencies might have the plans on file. So I spent a few hours doing LEXIS searches and reviewing the statute books to make sure I found every last agency that might have the plans (God forbid I should miss one). So it turns out that in addition to the planning board, the local Wetlands Commission would have the plans, as well as an industry Commission. I then spend another day writing up a memo of my results, editing it, making sure that the cites were done in proper Bluebook format, making sure that no comma is out of place, and generally polishing my memo to perfection. (That's right, a BIG(f?)LAW associate spends a lot of time copy editing). So I end up spending 8 to 10 hours on this project. </p>

<p>I believe the senior associate never actually obtained the plans. I suspect he didn't have the authority to actually contact these agencies on his own and the partner on the case nixed the idea when he proposed it to him. For my part, I was congratulated on having done such an excellent job on this assignment.</p>