legal-education
What should I know and consider before deciding whether or not to go to law school?
<p>I'm thinking about enrolling in law school, but I haven't taken the LSAT yet or done any serious research regarding schools, career tracks, etc.</p>
<p>My question is: what are some resources I should be looking into?</p>
<p>It's worth noting I'm 29 years old and not currently enrolled in college, though I do have a bachelor's and master's.</p>

<p>The first thing you need to know is that if you go to law school, you will hate your life for at least those three years. Law school is not like other graduate school programs. If you do reasonably well, it will almost certainly consume your life. Law school students (and lawyers) experience substantially higher rates of alcoholism, drug abuse and depression. And student debt, of course.</p>
<p>The second thing you need to know is that the legal jobs that most people seem to dream of are in very short supply. I haven't looked at the latest market research, but I'd be comfortable betting that the vast majority of work that is available is in criminal law and defending businesses.</p>
<p>Upon graduation, you will probably not be: a lawyer at a large firm, a lawyer at a firm that will pay you more than $100,000, a constitutional lawyer or an environmental lawyer. There are great odds that you will never argue before the Supreme Court, or even your state supreme court. There are really good odds that you will argue in front of a jury no more than six times in your life.</p>
<p>So don't go in blind.</p>
<p><strong>Resource 1: Students at nearby law schools.</strong></p>
<p>My experience is that a powerful majority of law school students go in for the wrong reasons, hate law school, and graduate with more regrets and debt than anything else. I think this is because they usually go in for the wrong reasons: they didn't know what else to do, their mom was a lawyer, they like to argue, their uncle said they should.</p>
<p>There is only one reason that anyone should go to law school, and that is because they enjoy doing legal work. &quot;Legal work&quot; means two things: research and writing. It does not mean arguing. If you don't like research and writing, you will not like law school, and you will not be a successful lawyer.</p>
<p>So the first resource you should be looking into is students of nearby law schools. Ask them why they went, if they're glad they did, and what their career prospects are like as a result. If their pre-law experiences and motivations sound like yours, consider whether their law-school and career experiences might be the same, as well.</p>
<p>If they don't talk you out of this, move on to...</p>
<p><strong>Resource 2: The career offices at nearby law schools</strong></p>
<p>Ask for an appointment to talk about where the legal market is headed, how their schools prepare people for it, and how their graduates are doing. If the market is headed in directions that you don't like, think about whether law school is really a smart decision, at least at this point. You are already entering later than other people, but there's also still time to wait. I went in at 34.</p>
<p>Ask them to put you in touch with recent graduates, as well. They can give you a better idea of what it's like to find a job as an attorney and what it's like to spend three years in law school.</p>
<p>If they don't talk you out of this, move on to...</p>
<p><strong>Resource 3: The cesspool of the online pre-law websites</strong></p>
<p>You'll get more good (and bad) information from the ugly, ugly world of pre-law chat. If you want more information about specific law schools, the admissions process, the implications of any criminal, civil, or academic misconduct on your candidacy, or almost anything else, you should take a look at:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.top-law-schools.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Top-Law-Schools.com</a></li>
<li><a href="https://abovethelaw.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Above the Law</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/LawSchool/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Reddit School of Law</a></li>
<li><a href="http://lawschoolnumbers.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Law School Numbers</a></li>
</ul>
<p>There's more out there. It's all awful. If they don't talk you out of it...</p>
<p><strong>Resource 4: Your LSAT score</strong></p>
<p>Do not take your LSAT without preparing. Take a formal LSAT prep course. They can be expensive, but they are worth it. I spent roughly $1,000 on mine and went from the 50th percentile to the 90th. Given my terrible GPA, that was the difference between being rejected by everyone and $120,000 in scholarship funds.</p>
<p>If you prepare for the LSAT and get a low score (under the 50th percentile) anyway, <strong>DO NOT GO TO LAW SCHOOL.</strong> There are law schools that will take you, but there are decent odds that they are basically not real law schools. The ABA is currently targeting law schools admitting underqualified candidates and revoking their certification.</p>
<p>If you get a decent score, and you have a decent undergraduate GPA, the odds are good that you'll get into a decent school and perform reasonably well. That does not, however, mean that you'll enjoy yourself. So I recommend that throughout all of this, you also take advantage of....</p>
<p><strong>Resource 5: Reading about the law</strong></p>
<p>To get a feel for whether law school will be an enjoyable experience or a painful slog, I recommend starting to read the law now. Start getting a feel for whether the people you'd be spending your education and career with are doing anything you find remotely interesting. Do you enjoy reading <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/slipopinion/17" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Supreme Court decisions</a>? Do you get off on the idea of <a href="https://poseidon01.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID=775083081114007114011079089087000125015041073000033030103116094071025080023085080099019058097123006014049012002031127110007082019050035019082076106097099066028116084015076004017114110068080111127087083113016096121009000088108018009091080006001017027&amp;EXT=pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">writing a really good contract</a>?</p>
<p>Maybe you can find an area where you might like to carve a niche. But maybe you'd rather carve your eyes out with a spoon. Take a look around to find out:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.scotusblog.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SCOTUSblog</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.law.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Law.com</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.law360.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Law360</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.abajournal.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ABA Journal</a></li>
<li><a href="http://volokh.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The Volokh Conspiracy</a></li>
<li><a href="https://balkin.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Balkinization</a></li>
<li><a href="https://fedsoc.org/commentary/blog-posts" rel="nofollow noreferrer">FedSoc blog</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.aclu.org/blog" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ACLU blog</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.acslaw.org/acsblog" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ACS blog</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.lawfareblog.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Lawfare</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.popehat.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Popehat</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prawfsblawg.blogs.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">PrawfsBlawg</a></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Bad resources:</strong></p>
<p>You should not base your decision to go to law school on:</p>
<ul>
<li><em>1L</em>, by Scott Turow</li>
<li><em>Legally Blonde</em></li>
<li><em>The Paper Chase</em></li>
<li><em>My Cousin Vinny</em></li>
<li><em>Law &amp; Order</em></li>
</ul>
<p>If you decide to go to law school, however, you should familiarize with all of these, as they are subcultural touchstones.</p>
<p><strong>A final word</strong></p>
<p>If this sounds like I'm trying to talk you out of it, it's because I'm guessing that you're a lot like the vast majority of the law students and lawyers I have ever known, and I've known a lot.</p>
<p>But there is a small group of people who enjoy law school and enjoy the law. I enjoyed the first year of law school, if not the last two, and I really love the legal work that I do. But I came to law school only after about 10 years in a job doing work that was already pretty intensively law-related and having really committed to the idea for reasons that were purely internal and had nothing to do with making anyone happy other than myself.</p>
<p>If you can get to that point, I'd say go for it. If you can't, I promise you that you can find a more fulfilling way to spend three years of your life.</p>

<p>Deciding whether to go to law school is a personal choice that depends on your interests, career goals, and financial situation. Law school can provide you with a solid foundation in legal knowledge and critical thinking skills, opening up various career opportunities in the legal field. However, it is essential to consider the time commitment and financial investment required for law school. Research the job market and speak with practicing lawyers to gain insights into the profession. This article from the American Bar Association (ABA) provides valuable information to help you make an informed decision: <a href="https://www.americanbar.org/groups/legal_education/resources/pre_law_/should-i-go-to-law-school/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Should I Go to Law School</a>?, Also you can check <a href="https://www.lawinfoadvice.com/p/law-student-resource.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Law Student Resources</a> from Law Info Advice.</p>
