<p>I've been reading a lot of research lately that claims a <em>majority</em> of practicing lawyers are dissastisfied with their work. This seems especially true of lawyers who work in "biglaw," though it is certainly not limited to them.</p>
<p>So, my question to all the practicing lawyers out there who read this board: are you happy? If you could do it all over again, would you still go to law school? Is the debt load/work load balanced out by the intellectual stimulation and prestige that is <em>assumed</em> to come with being a practicing lawyer? Or is all that just a mirage?</p>
<p>Lastly, please specify what type of law/what size practice you are in when answering. I'm curious to see if indeed the "biglaw" folks are less happy than those at smaller firms or those doing government and public interest work.</p>
<p>Do a search. This has been addressed in several threads in the not too distant past.</p>
<p>I am very satisfied. I have practicing for over 30 years- all in-house. My current company is the best yet and my work is diverse and interesting. I really like my clients. How many people can say that??? :)</p>
<p>What law school did you attend? my friend told me he knew of some harvard grads who weren't so happy after law school and some from other not so great law schools who felt better with their jobs overall. i was real interested when you said 'all in house' - what kind of law did you mostly do; i.e., entertainment; criminal; civil; international? a response back would be greatly appreciated, thanks.</p>
<p>I would have to agree with the segment that says don't go to law school. I have been a practicing attorney for about 30 years. I have worked in a medium size private law firm and I have also been in solo practice. Find something else. There are far too many lawyers and they are falling over each other looking for work. Fees have been falling while costs have risen extraordinarily. The stress and pressure is not worth the income, which frankly is not that great in general. Most of the lawyers that I know feel this way and would not do it again. There are exceptions. People who go into law with a great passion and love for a particular area, are focused and know what they want to do may be very happy. Working for the government or a successful partner in a top firm might disagree with me. But be careful. If you do go to law school, either make sure you go to a top school or graduate at the top of your class. I also feel that the institutions that are supposed to support us such as state bars and national bar associations have done a terrible job. Much worse then the health professions or other groups. They have allowed financial considerations cloud their judgment and they allowed far too many law schools to open. Furthermore, respect for lawyers has fallen dramatically, creating difficulty with the ability to get clients to listen to you and respect you, with little support from these organizations.</p>
<p>The tipping point for me to get out of private practice was when my firm was bidding for insurance work at $5/hour less than I pay my car mechanic.</p>
<p>i keep pointing people to the following thread -- from a couple of years ago in the parents forum -- you'll see a variety of opinions from both former and current lawyers -- should give you a fair overview about what people like and dislike about the practice of law and why.</p>
<p>I left my law office last night at 7:30 and was back at 7:30 this morning. I am leaving for vacation tomorrow (which I already postponed once due to work commitments) and will be taking my laptop and a box of files with me (along with swimsuit, bicycle and tennis racquet). It's difficult to have a full personal life in private practice -- too much work, client demands, many deadlines, billable hour requirements, etc. The positive side is that the money/benefits/perks are good, the work is interesting and the pace can be exciting (if you enjoy such things). Overall, I probably would still have gone to law school, but I would have thought harder about whether to continue in private practice.</p>
<p>Unbelievable, thanks for the link to that old thread from the parents forum on this topic. I found it to be very interesting and read through most of it.</p>
<p>My only concern is that the thread is from more than three years ago, and I think it's fair to say that even in that short time, things have probably changed enough to make the whole topic worth reopening. For instance, increasing oversaturation of the market, increasing law school tuitions (with even many public school in-state tuitions closing in on $30K/year), etc. </p>
<p>Whereas in the thread from three years ago, someone mentioned the average "good school" student might come out with $75K in debt, I'm guessing that's closer to $100-$125K today. Not to mention the impact the current fiscal crisis may have (or may already be having) on the number of top-paying private firm jobs.</p>
<p>So, I'm hoping we can do a part II to that older thread here and update it considering today's realities.</p>
<p>Mom, it's inetresting to read your current post vs. your posts on the thread from three years ago. You seemed decidedly less happy then. I guess you got lucky with your most recent job, and that has changed your perspective, but it sounds like it wasn't all that easy getting there. . . . </p>
<p>Even those of you who commented three years ago on this topic could benefit this new thread by sharing an updated view here, as Mom has. Let us know if your position on the topic of job satisfaction has changed, and why. And for those who'd like to, let us know: would you want your kids to go to law school today? </p>
<p>I started my career with three good jobs- one where I stayed ten years. I only left because we sold the company and went through 3 CEOs in a year. After that I was General Counsel of two terrible companies. I mean- really bad. At one my CEO was a crook- the real kind like you read about in the papers. The next company was equally dysfunctional- no one was a crook but they were all really stupid. I was pretty discouraged with corporate America. I also had a number of friends at "big law" (not NYC) who were miserable at their law firms. Yes, my current company is a gem and my management team is awesome. I'm happy again!</p>