<p>I'm starting to think about which law schools I want to apply to, but before I can do that, I should know what type of law I want to practice. I'm not too sure about what I want to do, specifically because I need more info on Job prospects, salary/earnings, and perhaps most importantly, lifestyle. Obviously, the more money and the greater chances at landing a job the better, but much of that varies--I would think. I want to know more about what lifestyle different fields of law entail.</p>
<p>I don't see a point in stressing yourself out in undergrad and for the LSAT and in law school only to earn lots of money (which we all want) only to be stressed out 24/7 in your career, and never have any free time to spend said money or enjoy the fruits of your labor. With that in mind, I'm looking for a balance of earning, job security, and job prospects and "personal/stress-free time" and I've listed some areas which I might find interesting:</p>
<p> Assault Lawyer
Auto Accident Lawyer
Criminal Lawyer
Defense Lawyer
Divorce Lawyer
DUI/DWI Lawyer
Litigation Lawyer
Personal Injury Lawyer
Medical Malpractice Lawyer
Estate/Will Lawyer
Law Professor</p>
<p>Also, I don't know about private vs government, I was perhaps thinking about working for the DA for a while and then perhaps moving into private practice. I don't know if this is a good idea or why/why not?</p>
<p>1) you do not need to know what field of law you want to practice before applying to law school. it has nothing to do with which law school you should attend. ranking and geographic considerations are, i think, the two main factors in deciding on a law school --ie, ranked high enough to maximize employment options or located in the geographic area where you want to practice – the higher the ranking, the less important the geographic factor is. you do not study a specific type of law in law school. i would probably also add cost as a factor – if you have a public option that costs less or a school offering you merit money, i think you have to weigh those in these days given how expensive law school is and how uncertain the job market has become.</p>
<p>2) beyond that i think you need to be really realistic about what you expect from being a lawyer. you have described an ideal legal job –
– ok, that describes pretty much what anyone would want in just about any job.<br>
you have to understand that a large part of why legal jobs are stressful and involve a lot of hours is because law is a service industry – your professional life is dictated by meeting the needs of your clients. PERIOD. your client can be an individual, a corporation, a not-for-profit, a government agency; you can work for a firm or work in-house (corp. or gov’t). but someone else is telling you what the agenda is and it is your job (within the bounds of law and ethics) to diligently represent your clients’ interests. so both your pay and your stress level will be determined by your clients. you can’t expect to make a lot of money and tell your clients, sorry, i have other plans, i’ll get to that next week. </p>
<p>3) i would recommend talking to as many lawyers as you possibly can to find out what they REALLY do – not just type of law they practice, but what that means they do on a daily basis and what type of demand there are on their time. this is the only way you will really learn if you in fact want to be a lawyer and ultimately what type – though you really don’t need to know what type of law now, or when you apply to law school, or even when you graduate – often what field of law you enter will simply arise from what job opportunities there are.</p>
<p>I personally think getting out there is EXTREMELY important in this field.</p>
<p>I would suggest you get a mentor that can answer every question you could possibly ask. Ask around your schools, and whenever you meet an attorney, go up and shake their hands, you’d be surprised how many will offer you a business card and lunch.</p>
<p>Making large amounts of money will definitely mean heavy hours: 70+ hours a day. You say you are not in it for money? Well then you should consider working for the government earning what many will consider a misery. However, some consider family time to be much more valuable. </p>
<p>I agree with Unbelieavablem that you should talk to more lawyers because many individuals have a pre-imposed (often erroneous) idea of what a lawyer’s work day looks like. From the way you phrased everything, it sounds to me like you will be in for a surprise.</p>
<p>Ah I think I might have been unclear. I was under the impression that law is stressful and demanding. I was asking to see which of the following fields might be more balanced, as I describe the term.</p>
<p>But yea, I should talk to more lawyers. I used to work in a law firm in high school, but they did a bit of everything, and the lawyers always seemed busy. In fact, the advice they all gave me was ‘Don’t go to law school’ lol. But that can’t be everyone’s experience, right?</p>
<p>i think you were perfectly clear – you know being a lawyer is demanding but want to know if there might be a field that isn’t quite that demanding – though still offer good earnings. but stop and think – if it was that easy to find, don’t you think you’d hear more about it when people talk about what its like to be a lawyer?</p>
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<p>truth is there are a lot of unhappy lawyers and former lawyers out there. i think some of that comes from too many people going to law school without realistically knowing what they are getting themselves into. but a part of it is also simply the nature of the job.</p>
<p>i’ve known two types of lawyers who tend to be happier. the first are the ones who really thrive on the challenge and love the intensity of the work. if that means missing evenings at home with the kids, so be it. if you find lawyers who tell you they are happy and have found the proper balance, don’t stop there – ask the follow up questions as to what exactly it means. i worked with one partner who used to like to tell recruits how wonderful his practice was because he was able to take off one month each summer to spend with the family. he didn’t mention that just about every single day of that month, he was on the phone to clients and associates and having stuff fed ex’d to him (ok i’m dating myself here – this was before email!) and he’d do work while his wife and kids went to the beach. truth was – i think he honestly thought he had found a great work/family balance.</p>
<p>the second are the solo practitioners (not all solo practioners are happy – just saying i’ve known some happy ones) - but it took them a number of years before they were able to hang out their own shingle and they tend to do the “smaller” type of law, working for individuals. BUT that also means they have times when things are leaner. they simply don’t make the type of money most people think of when they think of being a lawyer. and quite honestly, given the high cost of law school these days, this option simply may not be as available as it used to be.</p>
<p>there is an overabundance of lawyers these days – the job market may or may not improve, but even if it does, it’ll be a while before the backlog of that overabundance is reabsorbed. so if you were the managing partner at a firm – who would you want to hire/retain as an associate - the one who will work his/her rear end off and cancel personal plans at a moment’s notice, or the one who wants a more “balanced” lifestyle?</p>