Should You Go to Law School?

How to Decide if You Should Go to Law School

Applying to law school is a huge step. Lots of people do it without fully

Should You Go to Law School? A Slightly Weird Technique to Help You

understanding what theyre getting into. Many of these people end up unhappy.

Decide

Since I dont want you to end up being an unhappy lawyer, here are a few different

OCTOBER 26, 2011 BY ALISON MONAHAN 16 COMMENTS

techniques Ive found useful in making important, far-reaching decisions.

If youre thinking about applying to law school, youve probably done some research
Each one taps into a slightly different type of knowledge, so try them all!

into the profession, carefully considered the pros and cons of becoming a lawyer,
and, hopefully, talked to a few attorneys about how they like the profession.

How to Decide if You Should Go to Law School

Thats all useful and good, and I encourage you to continue those modes of analysis.

Should You Go to Law School? A Slightly Weird Technique to Help You Decide

Should You Go to Law School? Well, What Do You Like to Do?

Should You Go to Law School? Whats Your Motivation?

The Danger of Doing Things Because Youre Good at Them

What Do I Think About Whether You Should Go to Law School?

Personally, I think you should only go to law school if you want to be a lawyer.

Heres a different approach:

Scenario One: The Imaginary Dinner Party
Imagine youre at a dinner party several years from now, and the person next to you
asks: What do you do? You reply, Im a lawyer.
Your dinner companion seems interested, and asks you what type of work you do
specifically, and how you like it.
What do you tell him?

Seems straightforward enough, but lots of people apply without even knowing what
type of lawyer they want to be. Dont let this be you!

As you imagine having this conversation, how do you feel? Are you excited to talk
about your career, or do you try to extract yourself as soon as possible from this line

Finally, in answer to the question everyone always asks me: Do I think you should go
to law school?
Default answer no.
Disagree if you must!

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of questioning?

Scenario Two: There Goes the Weekend

What is the Point of This Exercise?!?

Imagine now that youre working as a lawyer, and youve just left the office to

Your immediate, gut-level reaction to the scenarios above can shed some light on

meet friends for drinks after work. Its been a long week, and youre looking

whether the legal profession is your calling.

forward to the weekend, when you can catch up on sleep and spend some quality
time with your new puppy.

Scenario One
If you envision yourself happily describing your work as a lawyer in a social setting,

Your BlackBerry buzzes. Its your boss, telling you that youve been selected to

thats a good sign that youll ultimately be able to get yourself to that position. If,

attend a special deposition training workshop next week. Its a big honor, but it

instead, you see yourself mumbling, I work for a corporate law firm. Its fine, and

means you have to work on your cases for several hours this weekend.

immediately changing the subject to something more interesting, things may not
end so well.

Whats your reaction?

Scenario Two
Are you annoyed at the imposition on your time, or are you excited to learn

Similarly, if you feel like youd be enthusiastic about working all weekend for a

something thats going to advance your career?

chance to improve your deposition skills, law might be a good fit for you. If your
reaction was more, Ugh, really? I have to do extra work?, proceed with caution.

Scenario Three: You Own This

Its hard to avoid working a lot as a lawyer, particularly when youre just starting
out in the profession. The reality is that your job is likely to intrude on your

Finally, imagine that youre working as a lawyer, and your boss brings you along to a

personal life quite frequently. If this isnt a trade off youre willing to make, its

client meeting.

better to realize this now, rather than after youve invested the time and money
required to become a lawyer.

Youre not sure why youre there exactly, because everyone was too busy to discuss
it beforehand, but you do your best to follow along and take notes about

Scenario Three

whatevers going on. It becomes apparent that theres an M&A deal being

The final scenario is going to happen to you at some point early in your legal career,

contemplated, but the details are a little fuzzy.

in one guise or another. It might be Youre going to take this deposition tomorrow
rather than Youre going to be in charge of this deal, but the reality is that you

As youre walking out of the meeting, your boss turns to you and says, You seem

will be thrown into the deep end on a moments notice, and it will be sink-or-swim

competent enough to handle this, you own this deal. In other words, your boss

time. If the thought of being in this position fills you with abject terror, and youre

wants you to run the entire thing, working directly with the client.

not sure youd be able to overcome the feeling to take charge of the situation, a

Whats your reaction?

different career path might be more suitable for you.

Theres nothing wrong with acknowledging that youd prefer a job where youre not
routinely thrown to the wolves. Youre going to feel like youre way over your head

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a lot as a lawyer, and for many people, thats not a pleasant feeling. Certain people

thrive on it, and, if youre one of those people, you may enjoy being a lawyer.

Imagine walking into a bookstore, with no particular goal in mind other

than to purchase a book to read for fun. What sections do you gravitate
towards?

For everyone else, this aspect of being a lawyer is unpleasant, stressful, and

ultimately demoralizing.
The Bottom Line

Take a look at your bookshelf. What types of books are there, and which
ones do you find yourself reaching for over and over again?

What type of books did you like to read as a child?

Think about the websites or newspapers youve read in the last few days
simply because you found them interesting. Are there particular types of

Being a lawyer isnt for everyone. It requires a certain type of personality, and a
willingness to make some pretty serious work/life tradeoffs.

articles you find yourself reading routinely?

Do you recall high school or college classes where you eagerly did the
reading, maybe even reading things that werent specifically assigned? What

Before you decide to apply to law school, consult your gut. If its telling you that
laws not right for you, LISTEN.
Trust me, youll be glad you did.

topics did these classes cover?

How would you describe the material you routinely read for pleasure?

Are any of your favorite areas related to the law?

Youre Telling Me People Read About the Law For Fun?

=====================
If this question makes you recoil in horror (Read about the law for fun? Are you
Should You Go to Law School? Well, What Do You Like?
OCTOBER 27, 2011 BY ALISON MONAHAN 1 COMMENT
Career coaches are fond of telling everyone to Do what you love!
Im not entirely convinced thats the right approach what if what you love is
sleeping late and puttering around the house? but you should, at a minimum, like
what you do.
Fair enough, but whats the best way to figure out what you actually like, when
most people have been conditioned from childhood to do what they were told?
Heres one approach:

3 | Page- WEA DIONISIO

kidding?!?), I promise you there are people who do, indeed, read law-related books
for pleasure. Some of these people may be your law school classmates.
Who do you think is going to be happier and more successful in law school? My guess
is that its the person whos actually interested in the material.
If you have little interest in the law, as demonstrated by what youve chosen to
read and study over the course of your life, this is the time to admit it. You have my
permission to stop reading right now, and go live a very happy life working on
something youre actually interested in.
Trust me, its a good decision!

HumI Appear to Be a Natural Lawyer

NOVEMBER 2, 2011 BY ALISON MONAHAN 9 COMMENTS

If you look over your list and see that youve been devouring Perry Mason books

Thinking about law school? Lets talk about your motivations.

since you were a child, that your favorite classes were US Government and Politics,
European Legal History, and Internet Policy, and that youve recently read and
enjoyed A Peoples History of the Supreme Court and an article on privacy laws in
the European Union, law might be a natural fit for you.
You still need to make sure this is the right time for you to go to law school, and
think about whether its financially feasible, but chances are good youre on the
right path.
Magic 8 Ball Says Ask Again
What if youre in the middle? Maybe you preferred mystery books as a child, and
found a couple of political theory courses mildly interesting, but not fascinating.
Youve got a copy of the Constitution on your bookshelf, but you cant remember if
you ever read the whole thing. However, you enjoy reading stories about what goes
on behind the scenes at a trial, and you love watching television shows about
lawyers.
Youre in the maybe category. Youre not repelled by the idea of the law, but
youre not totally gung ho, either.
This is the trickiest category to be in. Your interest is worth exploring further, but,
in the end, you might reasonably decide that there are other things youd rather
spend your time doing.

Which of the following statements resonate for you?

1.

If I go to a good law school, my parents will be happy

2.

If I go to a good law school, my friends will be impressed

3.

If I go to a good law school, Ill make lots of money

4.

If I go to a good law school, Ill get an impressive job

5.

If I go to a good law school, Ill learn lots of interesting things

6.

If I go to a good law school, Ill meet people who share my interests

7.

If I go to a good law school, Ill be in a position to help other people

8.

If I go to a good law school, Ill be able to advance causes I believe in

9.

If I go a good law school, Ill be happy

Eh? What does this have to do with anything?

Motivation Matters
Studies consistently show that certain types of motivation are more likely to lead
to happiness and contentment than other types of motivations.
Specifically:

external motivators (money, prestige, power, admiration) are inversely

correlated with happiness

intrinsic motivators (personal growth, close relationships, helping

others) are positively correlated with happiness

===================
Should You Go to Law School? Whats Your Motivation?

What does this have to do with deciding to go to law school (or choosing a school)?
It suggests that youd be well served to be careful about choosing a school primarily
because its highly ranked and impressive to other people. A better path might be to

4 | Page- WEA DIONISIO

select a school that will support and encourage your personal goals, even if its not

Why, sure, you say, what else would I do?

the most prestigious school you can get into.

Its Not that Easy
Are Your Motivations Intrinsic or Extrinsic?
This is a question Ive struggled with for a long time (see a three year detour into
As for the statements above, if the first four sum up why youre applying to law

architecture school so I could try something hard), but I dont think its so

school, be wary. These are classic external motivations, which are unlikely to lead

straightforward.

to happiness in the long run.

For example, I went to law school for three main reasons:
If youre applying to law school because other people want you to, or because you
want to make a lot of money or be successful, be careful. Its unlikely youre

1.

I wanted to live in NYC for a few years.

going to be happy with your life at the end of the process.

2.

I thought Id be good at it.

3.

I wanted to be able to support myself.

If the next four resonate for you, however, try and hold onto these as you move
forward.

As it turned out, I was quite good at law school, and at being a lawyer.

Theyre intrinsic motivations, which are valuable for finding contentment, but are

There was only one problem I hated it!

easy to lose track of once classes begin.

I was very good at being a litigator, but I hated the constant fighting (and the firm
As for happiness? Who can say? There are lots of miserable lawyers in the world, but

lifestyle, but thats a separate issue). To be honest, I even detest the pro

it remains a noble calling. If you play your cards right, you could end up being one

bono case Im still working on. Every time I have to deal with it, I get tense and

of the lucky ones.

wish Id never gotten involved!

Pay Attention to Context

=======================
Its easy to let yourself get pulled onto a seemingly lucrative and stable career
The Danger of Doing Things Because Youre Good at Them

path, if youre good at many of the job requirements: Youve always been good at
writing and public speaking? Fantastic, go to law school!

MARCH 20, 2012 BY ALISON MONAHAN 2 COMMENTS

But its not enough just to be good at these things. You have to enjoy using these
Let me ask you a question:

skills in the context in which youll be working.

Should you aim to make a career out of doing things youre good at?

And I think, for a lot of lawyers, thats where matters fall apart.

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The reasons for dissatisfaction differ:

the Constitution is pretty inspiring (at least the parts Ive read), I think Ill

become a Supreme Court litigator

For some people, its ethical concerns (I dont feel good about the
clients Im representing).

For others, its some unrelated detail of the work environment (I hate
everyone I work with).

For others, its another aspect of the job (Im a good writer, but Im not
detail oriented enough to do this job).

my current job sucks, so anything would be better

a law degree is really flexible, I can do lots of things when I graduate

I need a path, any path!

my parents always wanted me to be a lawyer

I love to argue

what else am I supposed to do with a Poli Sci degree when I hate science?

Do NOT Go to Law School Unless You Think Youll Be Happy as a Lawyer

Its hard to pin down why so many lawyers end up unhappy, but I think a lot of it has
to do with the fallacy that youre required to do the things youre good at.

Lets get real.

You dont. Do the things you want to do instead!

It makes no sense to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars, and several years of
Youll be a lot happier in the end.

your life, attending law school unless youre fairly certain youll be happy as a
lawyer.

What Do I Think About Whether You Should Go to Law School?

Law school is not a place for exploring your options. Its a very expensive and
time-consuming professional degree program that enables you to practice law.

Dont Go to Law School Unless You Want to Be a Lawyer

OCTOBER 13, 2011 BY ALISON MONAHAN LEAVE A COMMENT
If youre considering law school, you may have a variety of ideas floating around in
your mind.
Typically, these include one or more of the following:

law is glamorous and exciting, just look at all those TV shows about hot
lawyers

lawyers are really rich

if Im a lawyer, I can help people

maybe Ill become a legal academic, that seems cool

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Yeah, Well What About John Grisham?

Are there lots of people trained as lawyers who quit and did something else? Yes.
Why?
In most cases, its because they were smart people to begin with, and could have
done whatever else they ended up doing from the start, without getting a law
degree.
In short, dont give law school serious thought unless you plan to be a lawyer.

Surely Some People Should Become Lawyers!

And you might tell me, Sure, but thats not going to be me. Ill work for a small
firm and see my kids every night for dinner, and Ill help people. And maybe you

Do I think no one should ever go to law school? No.

would, and that could work out. But most likely you wont, and youll either find
yourself in a crazy law firm job where you work all the time, and someone else

For some subset of the people who apply, its the right choice. Theyre committed

owns your life, or youll find yourself in excruciating debt, and youll only wish you

to the profession, theyve explored the reality of working as a lawyer, and they

had one of those crazy law firm jobs.

understand exactly what they want out of the experience.

Knowing what I know now, heres what Id say:
For many others, however, its a very expensive and time-consuming mistake, one
that negatively shapes their lives for years to come.

If youre playing the odds, law schools not a good bet.

Is there a chance that youll find yourself well-compensated with a life you enjoy,

================

twenty years after law school? Sure. Theres also a chance youll walk into a Vegas
casino, sit down at a slot machine, and hit the jackpot.

Do I Think You Should Go to Law School?

Neither one of these scenarios is all that likely, and, in any case, it pays to do your
OCTOBER 19, 2011 BY ALISON MONAHAN 3 COMMENTS

homework. Or to learn to count cards.

Lets be clear about this. If you came to me and asked if I thought you should go to

Law School Myths Debunked

law school, Id probably say No.

Frankly, I have no idea what you should do, but Id still say No. Why? Because I
dont want to be too encouraging. If you really, really, deep-down really want to be
a lawyer, me telling you not to go to law school isnt going to stop you. And thats a
good thing.
But if youre on the fence, and you havent talked to at least a handful of lawyers
about what they do all day, and you havent figured out where you fit into the
profession (and not in some wishful thinking kind of way), you shouldnt even

People say all kinds of crazy things about law school (and about being a lawyer).
Most are well-meaning, but that doesnt mean they know what theyre talking
about!
Be careful who you trust, and always do your own research.
Common Law School Myths

consider going to law school. Seriously, just dont do it.

Without further ado, some common law school myths, debunked:
We could talk all day about how much debt youll have to take on, and about how
legal job prospects are uncertain, and about how much lawyers actually make, and
about how unhappy many of them are.

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Law School Myth #1: Lawyers Make a Lot of Money

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011 BY ALISON MONAHAN 14 COMMENTS

Law School Myth #2: Student Loan Debt is Good Debt

To put it charitably, one reason people consider joining the legal profession is to

SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 BY ALISON MONAHAN 23 COMMENTS

cash in lawyers make lots of money, right? Sure, maybe they work all the time
and arent always happy, but theyre rich! Totally worth it.

People often say you shouldnt worry about student loan debt that its good
debt. In some cases, this might be true.

Reality check: Most lawyers dont make all that much money, given the time and
cost required to become one.

Taking out student loans is an investment in your human capital.

Most Young Lawyers Arent Making Bank

To the extent they enable you to do something you couldnt otherwise do, i.e.,
afford to pay for law school so you can become an attorney, student loans might be

The starting salary distribution in law is odd, in that its bimodal. In other words,

justifiable.

you dont see an even distribution of starting salaries from low to high. Instead,
there are two distinct humps.

However, it depends on the specifics:

The Mean Starting Salary is Meaningless

what kind of loan

However, almost no one makes the mean salary. Instead, a small number, about

how much you borrow

18%, make BigLaw money thats the peak at $160,000. Far more make around

what interest rate

$50,000. Youll find 48% of 2010 graduates, most of them in debt up to their ears,

making between $40,000 and $65,000.

Is Law School Worth It?
Some people can live comfortably on a salary of $50,000. Those people probably

and, critically, what sort of economic and personal payback youll get
when you graduate.

Types of Student Loans

In a nutshell, there are two primary types of student loans: federal and private.

dont live in an expensive city, work a job that requires court clothing, and have

There are also currently two types of federal loans: subsidized and unsubsidized,

$1000+ in student loan payments every month.

butsubsidized graduate loans will cease to exist as of July 2012.

If your starting salary is in the first hump, you really have to start asking some

What Kind of Student Loan Should You Get?

hard questions about whether the payoff is worth it.

To the extent possible, avoid private loans because theyre often more expensive
and offer few of the protections that are standard with federal loans. (Obviously
==================

8 | Page- WEA DIONISIO

you should evaluate this for yourself, and make your own decision based on your
own circumstances. This is not legal advice.)

Subsidized federal loans should generally be your first choice with these, the

What Are the Monthly Payments on $100,000 in Loans?

government pays the interest while youre in school, so it doesnt accumulate.

Unsubsidized federal loans are usually the next best choice but interest does

What does this mean? If youre a typical law student, youre going to be making

accumulate while youre in school, unless you pay it as you go.

student loan payments of approximately $1,150 a month, for ten years after
graduation. Thats $13,800 per year of after tax earnings.

Private student loans, which are offered by a variety of banks and specialized
companies, vary widely in their terms, but, in general, youll have fewer

(Yes, I know there are income dependent repayment plans, and that you might

protections than you will with a federal loan of any type, so these should be your

qualify for loan repayment programs from your school or from the government. I

last option and you need to be sure you understand what youre signing up for.

encourage you to investigate these options. However, at least for the sake of
argument, consider the possibility that no ones going to save you, and you have to

Warning: Student Loans Are Not Dischargeable in Bankruptcy!

pay all the money you borrow back on your own.)

Its extremely important to understand that student loans are not dischargeable in

Wow! Thats a Lot. How Much Do I Need To Earn to Pay That Comfortably?

bankruptcy. This means that if you sign on the dotted line and take loan money,
youre stuck with it. Even if you cant find a job, cant pay your bills, and declare

How much money do you need to earn every year to afford these payments? About

bankruptcy, youre still going to have to pay your student loans off.

$140,000.

Even if you die, your loan debt might not disappear. If someone co-signed your loans

Think about that. The mean starting salary for law school graduates is somewhere

(which is often required with private loans), that person may have to continue

around $85,000. Even if this were truly an average salary, youd still have well over

paying your loan back, even if youve ceased to exist.

50% of recent graduates struggling to make their loan payments. But the storys
much worse, since almost no one makes the mean salary. Instead, a large

This is serious business, people.

percentage of recent graduates will make around $50,000.

The Average Law School Debt Load is Astronomically High

Thats about a third of what they need to comfortably pay their student loans!

What does a typical law school debt load look like? The Law School Admissions
Council reports that over 80% of law students rely on student loans as their primary
source of funding during law school. The average law school indebtedness is
$100,000. This is in addition to any funds borrowed for prior educational expenses.

9 | Page- WEA DIONISIO

How Does Anyone Pay This Much?

When you really look at these numbers, you start to understand why competition is
so fierce for law firm jobs these are the only jobs that allow young attorneys to
pay off their law school loans.

Like it or not, most firm lawyers are signing up for years and years of essentially

Summer Jobs Are Critical

indentured servitude, where they work a job they dont like very much in order to
pay for the education that enabled them to get that job to begin with.

Why? Because your summer jobs are critical in law school, and you can apply for
your 1L summer job starting in December of your first year.

Does this seem like a good idea? Probably not.

Arguably your 1L summer job is somewhat flexible. You can use it to explore a
Help! I Cant Get a BigLaw Job.

different area of the country or a practice area youre not entirely committed to.

But the alternative, for the 80% of recent graduates who dont get high paying firm

Your 2L summer job, however, is absolutely critical, and you will interview for this

jobs, is worse.

job at the end of your 1L summer. Let me repeat that. You will interview for your 2L
summer position, the position that hopefully leads to a permanent offer after you

These people lost three years of earning power, and acquired $100,000 of debt,

graduate, before you even start your second year of law school!

only to graduate and find themselves devoting a completely unsustainable

percentage of their take home pay to their law school loans.

If youre not interested in working in the sort of environment that hires summer
associates, you have a little more flexibility, since smaller firms and public interest

The Bottom Line

organizations dont generally hire quite so far in advance, but, even here, your
summer jobs will strongly influence the job you can get when you graduate.

Good debt? Think twice.

The more experience you gain in the location and field you want to work in from
the start, the better.
Know Why Youre There

Law School Myth #3: Law School Gives You Three More Years to Decide
What to Do With Your Life

The point is a basic one you need to have a pretty good idea what youre planning
to do when you graduate, before showing up for your first law school class.

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011 BY ALISON MONAHAN 3 COMMENTS

Youre not going to have much time to explore your options before you have to
Are you applying to law school because you want three more years to figure out

start making some far-reaching, life-changing decisions.

what to do with your life? Guess what. Thats not the way this works.
You need to know where you want to work geographically, andwhat kind of work
you want to do, well before graduation.

Law School Myth #4: Life as a Lawyer is Exciting and Intellectually

Challenging

In fact, its helpful to know both of these things before the end of your first
semester.

10 | P a g e - W E A D I O N I S I O

SEPTEMBER 14, 2011 BY ALISON MONAHAN 10 COMMENTS

If you believe pop culture, life as a lawyer is pretty exciting.

The Reality of Life as a Corporate Lawyer

Jury trials take half an hour and theres an ongoing highlight reel of witty cross-

Similarly, if you decide to go the corporate route, and have visions of yourself

examination and bombshell surprise evidence. Sadly, thats not the way things work

jetting around the world closing deals, keep in mind that youre basically the hired

in reality.

help.

At best, a career as a lawyer is comprised of long periods of tediumpunctuated

The real action belongs to the businesspeople, who regard their lawyers as a

with moments of excitement, or sheer terror, depending on your constitution.

necessary evil, at best.

The Reality of Life as a Litigator

While your litigator friends stress out over discovery disputes and document review,
youll find yourself pouring over tedious contracts and other due diligence

If youre a litigator, most of your time will be spent in the discovery phase, where

materials, or at the printers for days on end (literally), making sure every I is

youll face hundreds of remarkably similar requests for documents, admissions, etc.

dotted and every T is crossed in a three hundred page document thats been revised

each of which is designed to trip you up and get you to admit something that will

thirty-seven times in the last twenty-four hours.

damage your clients case.

The Bottom Line
By the time you get to trial, there are no bombshells. Youll probably be able to put
on your opponents case for them, because it will come down to a handful of

Is this to say that laws never exciting? No, of course not.

documents and statements, culled from hundreds of hours of tedious deposition

testimony and the thousands of documents eventually exchanged, after the

Sometimes interesting questions arise, or exciting things take place. You just need a

frustrated judge told the lawyers to sort it out and stop bothering her.

reallyhigh tolerance for boredom to survive much of the day-to-day work.

Jury selection alone may take days, and much of the trial itself will be about as
exciting as watching paint dry.
If you think criminal cases have to be interesting, try sitting through the third day
in a row of evidence about the procedures of the crime lab that determined the

Law School Myth #5: Getting a Law Degree Opens Lots of Doors

white powder in front of the jury is indeed cocaine, and youll be rapidly disabused
of that notion.

OCTOBER 12, 2011 BY ALISON MONAHAN 19 COMMENTS

A law degree is really flexible! It opens lots of doors. Do not believe this
statement. Hearing it makes me want to scream.

11 | P a g e - W E A D I O N I S I O

While its true that huge numbers of lawyers simply quit the profession entirely, it

factual evidence, and parse large amounts of information to extract key principles.

DOES NOT FOLLOW that the reason theyre no longer lawyers is because their law

These are skills that can be applied outside of the legal profession.

degree opened lots of other doors.

You Might Meet Useful People
The reason they quit being lawyers is because working as a lawyer can be pretty
miserable, and they decided to cut their losses and move on. Cause, meet effect.

Third, you might meet some useful people.

Benefits of a Law Degree if You Stop Being a Lawyer

If youre going to raise funding for your dream business, its helpful to know people
with money to burn (or people who know those people). Likewise, when you start

In the interest of fairness, however, lets try to figure out what good a law degree

looking for a new job, its useful to have some high-powered, driven friends to call.

does you, if you dont end up practicing.

Some of those people might be your law school classmates.

What benefits can a law degree offer you?

The Downside of Having a Law Degree and Applying for Non-Law Jobs

Credibility

Theres a flip side to all of these benefits, however.

First, it can give you credibility (personally, I think this is particularly true for

You Wasted How Much Time and Money on This?

women).
Maybe getting a law degree signals that youre smart and hard working, but
Having graduated from law school and passed the bar exam signals several things:

applying for a job that doesnt require a law degree begs the question:

youre reasonably intelligent

Why did you bother going to law school at all? Are you really so clueless about what

you have a decent work ethic

you want to do with your life that youd waste three years and tens or hundreds of

youre capable of sticking with a task until its completed

thousands of dollars getting an education youre not even planning to use?

These are generally traits that businesses are looking for when they hire new

This may sound harsh, but its what every interviewer will be thinking.

employees.
Why Would I Trust You Now?
You Might Learn Something
Many will also question your commitment to your current course of action.
Second, you might actually learn something.

Whats to say you wont decide the job youre interviewing for isnt right either,
and leave after a few months? You can overcome these objections, but they are

There are many problems with the legal education process, but, at its best, it can
encourage students to see all sides of an issue, make logical arguments, evaluate

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valid. Why go to law school, if you dont want to be a lawyer?

Thinking Like a Lawyer is a Real Downer

Weigh the pros and cons for yourself, but, please, I beg you, dont say that a law
degree opens lots of doors in my presence! Thanks.

Similarly, theres a downside to being trained to think as a lawyer.

Whereas business people tend to see the upside potential of an idea (yes, this will
be the next big thing!), lawyers are trained to see the hole in the argument, the

Law School Myth #6: You Can Trust a Law Schools Employment Numbers

flaw in the logic. This can be paralyzing, and extremely annoying. Sure, theres a
0.0001% chance that this new idea has the potential to destroy the world, but

OCTOBER 31, 2011 BY ALISON MONAHAN 6 COMMENTS

everyone else wants to be excited about it. When youre the wet blanket, thats no
fun. And it means nothing gets done.

Law schools release a decent amount of information about their graduates

prospects, so its easy to think youre getting the full story.

Consequently, people may be leery of hiring an ex-lawyer for their (hopefully)

productive enterprise.

Youre probably not.

Your Classmates Probably Wont Help You

Schools fudge data in a variety of ways, but the most common approach is simply
not to report unflattering information on graduates salaries.

Finally, if you find yourself in the ex-lawyer camp, theres a decent chance you
couldnt stand most of your law school classmates to begin with, making it

How Law Schools Fudge Their Employment Numbers

unlikely theyre going to help you out when you come calling (assuming you even
have anyones number).

For example, if a school reports a 98% employment rate nine months after
graduation, and a median starting salary of $145,000, that looks pretty impressive,

Furthermore, once you stand up and say this just isnt really for me, Im getting

right? The average applicant might assume they were almost guaranteed a job

out, you have to expect some degree of ostracization. A lot of people would like

paying around $145,000 within nine months of graduation.

to get out of the legal profession, but they feel trapped. When you decide to leave,
there may be some resentment.

Not so fast. Lets read the fine print:

The Bottom Line

Employment statistics include full-time and part-time jobs. Salary statistics are fulltime only for those who reported salary information.

Are there benefits to having gotten a law degree if you dont end up practicing?
Yes, probably. Are those benefits so great that you should go to law school if you

Hum, what does this mean? Two things, both of which make the median staring

dont think you want to be a lawyer? I dont think so, particularly if youre paying

salary data essentially worthless.

to go.

First, only graduates with full-time jobs are included in the starting
salary data. So, if youve managed to cobble together a part-time minimum

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wage job or two, or if youre participating in a post graduate fellowship

You could try asking the school, but theyre unlikely to refer you to anyone who will

created by the school to provide 20 hours per week of work for a few months,

give you an objective opinion.

the school is counting you as employed for the purposes of their 98%

employment rate. However, theyre not letting your crummy salary drag down

A better approach is to locate current students on your own, using the information

their median starting salary data.

on student groups that most schools post on their websites. Many of these

Second, the median starting salary data only includes people who

organizations have their own web pages, with contact information. Voila! These

reported salary information. This might seem like a harmless statement of

student leaders probably have a pretty good handle on their employment prospects,

the blindingly obvious, but its not. At school after school, the number of

and those of their classmates.

graduates reporting salary data is much lower than the number of people
reporting employment information. So, the $145,000 median starting salary

Another option is to find recent graduates on your own, using the search

might be based on data from half, or fewer, of the graduates. Who do you think

functionality onMartindale-Hubbell or LinkedIn.

is more likely to report their starting salary someone whos working at a large
firm for $160,000 and feels pretty pleased with themselves, or someone whos

However you find your targets, a simple email saying youre considering applying to

doing contract work in a basement for $20/hour? Chances are good its the

the law school they attended and wanted to get some on-the-ground information

former, and rumor has it that schools arent exactly going out of their way to

about their experience is likely to yield useful feedback fairly quickly.

ensure 100% participation from less well-paid graduates.

Keep in mind, however, that employment prospects are closely linked to the overall
Unless you know that a very high percentage of a schools graduating class reported

economy and tend to by cyclical. Someone who graduated in a booming economy

their salary information (and that its been audited for accuracy), its safe to

will have a very different story to share than someone who graduated during a

assume that the actual median starting salary is lower than what the schools

recession.

reporting. (And, as you know,almost no one makes the median salary anyway.)
Gather information, but put it into context.
Similarly, unless the school provides the breakdown of part-time versus full-time
positions, and provides the type of job, its safe to assume that not all of those

Finally, educate yourself. The Law School Transparency Project is a great starting

employed are working full-time in jobs that require a law degree.

point, but theres tons of other information out there.

So What Should I Do?

Do your research, and know what youre getting into.

Basically, you cant trust the numbers. You have to actually talk to recent graduates

And trust no one. (Just kidding, sort of.)

and find out what their job prospects look like.

How do you find these people?

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