If I hate law school, will I hate lawyering?

[oldseed]

cool thread. looks like we've drifted off topic into general meandering about the law, biglaw, littlelaw, outhouse, inhouse, etc.

but i think the general gist can be agreed upon: now that your'e in law school, and partway done, and fully funded, you should definitely finish. easy gain, little to lose, still young.

and there's always this little tidbit: you might end up loving law even though you began it with no intention to love it. that happened to me. kinda like falling in love with a friend who became a best friend who suddenly is making you orgasm every night. just saying.

oh, biglaw is okay. i did it for a bit. now i do personal injury in a "small" firm that probably has some of the highest margins in the business. i don't know why there's this negative perception of p.i. law. it's a well-kept secret that pi lawyers probably work the least and make the most, in my not so humbly opinion...

seed

 

[pg600rr]

Originally Posted by oldseed

cool thread. looks like we've drifted off topic into general meandering about the law, biglaw, littlelaw, outhouse, inhouse, etc.

but i think the general gist can be agreed upon: now that your'e in law school, and partway done, and fully funded, you should definitely finish. easy gain, little to lose, still young.

and there's always this little tidbit: you might end up loving law even though you began it with no intention to love it. that happened to me. kinda like falling in love with a friend who became a best friend who suddenly is making you orgasm every night. just saying.

oh, biglaw is okay. i did it for a bit. now i do personal injury in a "small" firm that probably has some of the highest margins in the business. i don't know why there's this negative perception of p.i. law. it's a well-kept secret that pi lawyers probably work the least and make the most, in my not so humbly opinion...

seed

really? what pi jobs pay well? and I am being 100% serious because I am very interested.. I have done some pi work with certain forclosure clinics and the work is very rewarding but from everyone I have talked with it is pretty much impossible to work in public interest area if you have $150k in loans.... am i wrong here?

thanks

 

[yerfdog]

Originally Posted by pg600rr

really? what pi jobs pay well? and I am being 100% serious because I am very interested.. I have done some pi work with certain forclosure clinics and the work is very rewarding but from everyone I have talked with it is pretty much impossible to work in public interest area if you have $150k in loans.... am i wrong here? thanks
by PI, oldseed meant Personal Injury, not Public Interest. actually i've never seen public interest abbreviated PI, because personal injury got there first...

 

[pg600rr]

Originally Posted by yerfdog

by PI, oldseed meant Personal Injury, not Public Interest.

actually i've never seen public interest abbreviated PI, because personal injury got there first...

makes more sense... iwas hoping he meant public interest..... oh well

 

[RJman]

Good luck to everyone taking TEH BAR tomorrow!

And remember, if you hate the bar, you're normal. If you don't, there's something wrong with you.

 

[odoreater]

Originally Posted by RJman

Good luck to everyone taking TEH BAR tomorrow!

And remember, if you hate the bar, you're normal. If you don't, there's something wrong with you.

True, but if you puke in the bathroom, you're a *****.

 

[RJman]

Originally Posted by odoreater

True, but if you puke in the bathroom, you're a *****.

If you're not mayor by 29, you're nothin'.

JERSEY REPRESENT

 

[odoreater]

Originally Posted by RJman

If you're not mayor by 29, you're nothin'.

JERSEY REPRESENT

And if you're not indicted by 32, GTFO of my state and go be mayor somewhere else.

 

[samblau]

I was in Boston this weekend. My friend is a 1st year at a large firm there. On Saturday he worked all morning and in to the early afternoon but left because he had friends in town. His blackberry was constantly going off and he said "I have tons of work to do but I hate it so much and think that they are just waiting to fire all the jr. level people". This is after working until 11 or later most nights over the past few weeks, 7 days a week. He admitted to us that he wold quit tomorrow if another firm or government entity would pay him 40% of his current salary, but of course no one will. He also stated that he would undoubtedly wake up at 4AM to finish his work on Sunday (meeting in the office at noon) and admitted that he has cried at work, and he is far from the first male associate I know to do this. Every girl in BigLaw I know has broken down at one point or another.

Another friend went out and started his own practice in suburban PA three years after he graduated. His cash flow problems are bad and his work flow varies. Even then much of what he does is not billable and/or takes far to long to justify the expense. That said he is much happier despite a high stress level and much less take home pay.

Both joked that they would return to school in a second if they could. So yes, if you hate law school, chances are you will hate practicing, especially if you are in it for the money.

 

[the.chikor]

Its an acquired taste-kind of like beer. At first you think, WTF did I get myself into? Once you start to learn the trade, you begin to enjoy it more.

 

[CTGuy]

CT is next week. Good luck everyone.

 

[poorlawstudent]

 

[brown eyes]

suck it up and finish JD school.

whatever you do, you'll never find happiness.

 

[Huntsman]

Am in law school and am enjoying the heck out of it. All I can add to this thread.

 

[rjakapeanut]

Originally Posted by dexterhaven

I know, I know. "Not another law thread!" But, really, this board is so full of lawyers who usually offer such good advice, I had to.

To the point: I'm a former liberal arts major who drifted into law school and have finished my first year. I am now clerking for a judge. And I hate it all. The boring reading material, the superfluous classes, the asinine research, the constricted writing, and even most of my classmates/co-workers. All of it!

I was wise enough to opt for my in-state school, which gave me scholarships to cover all tuition, books, and even partial living expenses. So I'm not "financially committed." But I hesitate leaving because I tell myself that lawyering will be much different than law school. But is it?

There are many areas of the law, of course. I have been researching them and will continue to do so. But as of this moment, I have found none that appeal to me. I have attempted to contact lawyers in various fields, but most of them are so busy that they forget that they agreed to speak with me, and so I get nowhere.

not necessarily but if you don't like reading, writing, or researching you may not like lawyering.