Lawyers of Oppo, I Come With a Question.

"Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis" (Dwhite95)
02/16/2015 at 13:28 • Filed to: None

Dont worry, I'm not asking for legal advice.

With your experience, would you recommend going into law? Any that you would recommend that I read, or do while I'm in undergrad if I do go that route? Any general advice that you could give?

DISCUSSION (16)

Conan > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
02/16/2015 at 13:37

- not a lawyer, but consider taking Formal Logic in undergrad for test purposes

IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
02/16/2015 at 13:37

I am not a lawyer but my sister is. If you're thinking about law as a career I would recommend doing what she did. Once you graduate from undergrad instead of going straight to law school go spend two years as a paralegal. This has a few advantages:

1) Grad schools in general more so than ever prefer candidates with work experience

2) Lawyers at the firm can help guide and and write letters of recommendation

3) And most importantly you can see what being a lawyer is like and if its actually the career for you. Law school can cost upwards of $200,000, its not a decision to be taken lightly

You can study almost anything in undergrad and still go to law school, so go with what actually interests you.

Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis > IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK
02/16/2015 at 13:40

Yeah, if I went that way I was going to pretty much keep my path through the business school as is.

thebigbossyboss > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
02/16/2015 at 13:42

Not a lawyer, but you may consider that the industry has undergone somewhat of a contraction in recent years. Not sure wether this will continue or not.

newsmctado > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
02/16/2015 at 14:06

I graduated from a top 25 law school in 2013 and have been practicing in Michigan since. The biggest question and consideration you should take into account is debt. The economics of law school are entirely different than they were for the previous generation (my father is also a lawyer). I got very lucky with my job and work for a well-respected mid-size firm doing commercial litigation. But, I have over $120K in debt and pay about $1000/mth in loans (on a 25 year payment plan). Unless you're a 4.0 student with amazing credentials applying to top 10 schools, there isn't really a difference between #20 and #50. If a lower ranked school offers you some financial assistance, seriously consider it. Obviously, this is a fine line to walk (rank/reputation v. $), but you need to really think about it.

Also, very carefully think about where you want to practice and the location of the school. Unless you go to Harvard or Yale, the alumni networks, name recognition, and cache of schools is usually very geographically dependent.

As for what to study: political science, business, economics and English are good starts. If you want to do something specialized, like patent law or environment law, consider an engineering or sciences minor.

Finally, I suggest working for a few years first. There are two benefits to this: (1) You may find a great job with your undergrad degree and entirely avoid the need to invest another $150K. (2) Law schools and legal jobs want to know that they can count you. This isn't undergrad and this isn't a summer job. If you want to make lawyer-scale money, you're going to be expected to be prepared, on time, committed, hardworking and tough. I had good, but not stellar, grades in law school (top half of the class, but not cum laude or anything). But, I did have five years of professional experience before I ever got to law school. I have been told that this went a long way in hiring me. The biggest mistake I saw in law school were otherwise very smart 22 year old students who treated it like another three years of college: they picked classes based on the schedule rather than content, they went out late and go too little sleep, they procrastinated, etc. You're wasting your money if you do this. A few years of working will teach you a bit of self-control and responsibility.

Hope that helps and sorry for the diatribe.

Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis > newsmctado
02/16/2015 at 14:17

Thanks for the advice.

Also, I see you are in/near GR, welcome to club.

newsmctado > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
02/16/2015 at 14:19

Yeah, I live in GR and work downtown. Are you a local?

Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis > newsmctado
02/16/2015 at 14:24

I'm from the east side but I go to school at GVSU.

wantafuncar > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
02/16/2015 at 14:40

Tough question to answer online... I've answered this many times in person. It is better in person because it depends on why you want to be a lawyer, what type of law you'd want to do, what kind of life you want (ie work/life balance) financial resources available to you, schools you could get into, etc.

As far as what to study in advance, if you like technical things (such as electrical engineering or computer science), absolutely do that first. upon graduation from law, you could be a highly desirable candidate as a patent lawyer.

Don't be dazzled by the income possibility — most of the big number salaries you see in law are for people who have connections, create or have a niche, make their own way with their own firm, slave away at big law, etc. The 'average' lawyer makes less than most people think from my experience.

Snooder87 > newsmctado
02/16/2015 at 14:40

This. Going to law school immediately out of college was the worst mistake I've ever made.

Not just because the discipline from working for a few years would have been nice, but also because it would have helped with the loan situation. Paying $500 a month in student loan payments even after a full ride scholarship sucks ballsack.

SteveLehto > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
02/16/2015 at 14:43

I am an attorney and practice lemon law (you might know this because I hammer on this point in every piece I write. Sorry).

I agree with the bulk of the comments made here by others. Law school is expensive and the debt will chase you for years unless you can get financial help. BUT, law is an interesting field and because of the varieties of things you can do with a law degree, the career can be fun and rewarding.

Feel free to ask any specific questions you might have. I also taught as an adjunct at University of Detroit Law for 10 years so I have some insight on it from that angle as well.

Officer Jim Lahey is not a real cop > newsmctado
02/16/2015 at 15:05

Good advice; similar story for me and similar advice.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > SteveLehto
02/17/2015 at 10:01

Hey Steve I'm sorry to hop on this comment train but I could really use some advice if you'd be willing to offer some!

SteveLehto > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
02/17/2015 at 10:29

Legal advice or a question about a career in law?

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > SteveLehto
02/17/2015 at 13:49

Legal information regarding contracts and contract law...

SteveLehto > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
02/17/2015 at 13:52

In what state?