Should I go to Law School? Premature question...?

<p>I came across this article: <a href="http://lawandletters.blogspot.com/2007/11/why-you-shouldnt-go-to-law-school.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://lawandletters.blogspot.com/2007/11/why-you-shouldnt-go-to-law-school.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Very interesting read and the comments posted in response to the blog are even more interesting.</p>

<p>I'm going to UCLA for undergrad (95%) sure and I've always wanted to attend law school. My dream is to get appointed as a supreme court justice (crap shoot, I know).</p>

<p>I realize how hard it is to get into law school, graduate, get a job, and actually like it. But even after reading the article, I still want to be a lawyer. I want to help people, especially with international human rights issues, etc. Work with the UN perhaps? I feel that even though I don't want to go into big law or do public interest law I want to work with government agencies and in the international sector...I'm not sure if any of that makes sense.</p>

<p>These are the majors that interest me at UCLA:
International Development Studies Major
Economics/International Area Studies
Global Studies Major</p>

<p>Should I triple major? I love learning about international stuff in general and I'm especially interested in foreign languages. The requirements for all three majors overlap a lot so I think it wouldn't be difficult, unless I wanted to enter an honors program or do an honors thesis.</p>

<p>So this is my question: Is it realistic to believe that going to law school will give me the knowledge to help with international human rights issues? (I'm an Amnesty International person) Is it a waste of money to get a law degree and not to be a big law lawyer? </p>

<p>My parents are paying for my undergraduate and law school education so I don't need to worry about debt. They understand that they are looking at $80,000 (min for undergrad) and $150,000 (min for law school). The only problem I have with my parents paying for this is that my dad really wants me to become one of those only-care-about-the-money-jerk lawyers working in a big firm... How would I even explain to him where my undergraduate majors will lead me? Let's say I get into a top 5-14 law school and do international law. I don't really understand what job prospects would be out there for me. Can someone please elaborate?</p>

<p>The information/questions in this post are random/scattered and I apologize for that.</p>

<p>1.) Top law schools, yes.
2.) Not always.
3.) ... probably best to cross this bridge when we come to it.</p>

<p>hmmm what exactly do lawyers do in those "government agencies and in the international sector" and Amnesty international?</p>

<p>OP, the blog you linked to is obviously biased. try to get some balanced opinions.</p>

<p>To answer some of your questions: </p>

<p>"Is it realistic to believe that going to law school will give me the knowledge to help with international human rights issues? (I'm an Amnesty International person)" </p>

<p>It is realistic to believe that there are international human rights jobs which require a law degree and the knowledge acquired in law school. However, these jobs are exceedingly hard to come by--a lot of people go into law school wanting to do "international human rights work" so there's a lot of competition. If you want to work for Amnesty or a similar organization, I'd look at their employment pages and see what qualifications are required for the jobs you'd like--the answer may surprise you, because it may not be a law degree! (oh, and just by the way, working for Amnesty is definitely NOT a great way to smooth your path to becoming a judge. you might want to look into what supreme and circuit court judges were doing prior to their nominations).</p>

<p>"Is it a waste of money to get a law degree and not to be a big law lawyer?"</p>

<p>Well, yes, in the sense that there are shorter/cheaper educational programs that will prepare you for jobs that pay just as much as being a lawyer at a small firm or nonprofit. But people make decisions that "waste" money all the time: not everyone goes into the field that could maximize their earning potential. They have kids (HUGE waste of money ;) or buy a fancy car or take up scuba diving. Why? Because they get some joy or status out of it that is worth more to them than having the money in their bank account. If, in your mind, non-firm job + the constraints of a lower salary > firm job + opportunities provided by a higher salary, then it may make sense to take a job elsewhere. Plus, it's not an either-or thing...people switch among firms, in-house, government, non-profit jobs throughout their careers.</p>