<p>Is anyone else here, who is considering law school, concerned with the apparent overall unhappiness of many in the profession?</p>
<p>I work at a law firm and do see it from those inside the profession. additionally there's a lot of press on this phenomenon. </p>
<p>i don't really understand it. the salary is very solid and the work seems very intelectually stimulating. </p>
<p>i think lawyers, in general, might work too many hours. additionally, society does not seem to value lawyers, which might decrease job satisfaction.</p>
<p>if you haven't already seen this thread, it has some great info as to what some people dislike about the practice of law as well as the perspective of people who enjoy being lawyers: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=78046%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=78046</a></p>
<p>my own dissatisfaction with the job had nothing to do with how society valued the profession. the key issue that i think most prospective lawyers fail to appreciate is that the practice of law is not some pure intellectual pursuit -- it is a service industry -- the client calls the shots -- it is the lawyer's job to do what the client wants done (unless illegal or unethical, of course) when the client wants it -- and at the prices the client is paying, they have some pretty high expectations about what it means to get their money's worth. yes, it may be your job to counsel them, but ultimately, the client dictates the lawyer's work. and that is true even if you work for the gov't or a not for profit -- the lawyer generally isn't the one deciding policy, but rather doing what some other decision maker decides needs to be done.</p>
<p>once again, I have failed to research the recent archives on the subject.</p>
<p>interesting stuff.</p>
<p>a lot of lawyers seem to lack the autonomy to allow for a real intellectually stimulating environment to arise. </p>
<p>Very good points. I know, in my personal experience clerking at a law office, the lack of autonomy seemed to really irritate some of the lawyers. Indeed, you had to represent your client, regardless of their intention. While this might seem like a worthwhile pursuit, it still bothered many of the attorneys (especially one who questioned the moral intention of his client).</p>
<p>anyways, it's a very good thread. It should be required reading for college juniors and seniors who believe that law school is their only option out of college.</p>
<p>That begs the question: in what aspect of a legal career can one be most autonomous? In government or a clerkship one is serving a "client" as well. Professorship?</p>
<p>
[quote]
anyways, it's a very good thread. It should be required reading for college juniors and seniors who believe that law school is their only option out of college.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>couldn't agree more!!! that's why i keep citing it!! ;)</p>
<p>
[quote]
That begs the question: in what aspect of a legal career can one be most autonomous? In government or a clerkship one is serving a "client" as well. Professorship?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>and your question begs the question -- if autonomy is so important to you, why would you be considering a career in law? if you look at the thread mentioned above, you see that for many who are happy in the profession, part of what they liked was the challenge of meeting the client's needs. if you want to be happy as a lawyer, i think the key is to understand what you are getting in to and see that it is in fact something that you would enjoy, not to look for some niche that is atypical of the profession.</p>
<p>
[quote]
the lack of autonomy seemed to really irritate some of the lawyers. Indeed, you had to represent your client, regardless of their intention. While this might seem like a worthwhile pursuit, it still bothered many of the attorneys (especially one who questioned the moral intention of his client).
[/quote]
</p>
<p>and when you add on to that the very long hours and the stress i think you can see why you often end up with a recipe for unhappiness. (though again - not all lawyers are unhappy - in the thread cited previously, there were lawyers who expressed great satisfaction with their work -- the important thing is for any prospective lawyer to understand what they are really getting themselves into so that they aren't setting themselves up for unhappiness -- don't just read that thread to count how many are happy or unhappy -- really read what WHY people say they are happy or unhappy and think about how you would feel in similar situations.)</p>