A question for those who are a lawyer, those who were a lawyer, those who want to be a lawyer – or not, --and – those who just happen to know. What are the ‘up sides’ and the ‘down sides’ of a decision to pursue a formal education in the legal profession? As time and opportunity passes - I’ve grown confused over this life bending question. I’m torn . While I love the legal debate at Straightdope – I also understand (from friends) that ‘Straightdope Legal-Talk’ is atypical – and that Straightdope’s legal debate is a country mile and a hike from the work-a-day legal world. I assumed such – but is it really? If so - I wonder what that difference is? Is real legal practice all ‘will writing’ – all timely document filing – and all ‘standing by your client’ just like a lawyerly Loretta Lynn? So I ask the question - to “those” Dopers whom I have described above — how would you advise your typical undergrad who managed a damn good LSAT ----- would you tell him to follow “the plan” or would you say — “hell, fellow - follow your eastern ‘connected to the moment’ god-given ‘instincts’?”
So – what’s the general answer? – Recall – I’m not asking just for ‘me’ – so please don’t respond with “it depends on your specific circumstances.” I’m asking for “us.” So, is it -“Too many lawyers already, so stay away” – Or is it “If you’re good, a job will always be there.” – Or – “Dude, it’s all politics anyway, if you know somebody fine – if not – even better - so stay away since there are way too many lawyers.”
So – are there any general thoughts out there on the state of the profession where newbies are concerned??
nitpick … “Stand By Your Man” was Tammy Wynette, not Loretta Lynn
“It depends on your specific circumstances” is a perfectly good answer, because it does. Being a lawyer is no different than any other profession: some people are good at it, and some people aren’t; some people like it, and some people hate it; some people have the skills, innate and/or learned, that would make them good lawyers, and some people don’t; some people find the law endlessly fascinating, and some people find it boring as hell. I’m curious as to why you would imagine there’s some one-size-fits-all answer.
There are a lot of people being trained as lawyers. I don’t think you’d find anyone inside or outside the profession who would say “Lordy, we need more lawyers!” That said, there are specialties within the law where lawyers are in demand, like intellectual property (IP) and taxation. There is also an awful lot of law that is just “always with us,” regardless of economic circumstances, like domestic relations and criminal law. Finding a good job right out of law school hinges in large part on how well you do in law school – which really doesn’t help answer the question of whether you want to go in the first place or not.
The legal questions on the SDMB tend to be both esoteric and specific. The last time I encountered the question of whether you could murder a dead person – other than here on the Boards – was in law school. A lot of the stuff discussed here is very interesting, but doesn’t come up a lot. Similarly, it seems like constitutional law questions are of great interest to Dopers, because they implicate not just law, but also politics, societal ethics, and, frequently, social justice. But con law questions are not that common out in the real world of the practice of law. Certainly no one should think practicing law is like what they read here, any more that reading up on the piloting threads gives you a sense of flying a plane. This is just a message board.
And FWIW, we’ve discussed this topic before. I’ll try to find a couple links for you.
It’s just a job, like any other.
Many people manage to make a decent living at it, with little heavy lifting required.
Some jobs involve more stress than others.
Like Jodi indicates - if you can’t find any threads on this, you’re ill-suited for the research required.
Unless, of course, you feel your situation is special and merits individual attention. In which case I submit that your egotism well qualifies you for the legal profession. 