I am currently watching an Apprentice LA Marathon that was recorded earlier by someone. There must be at least 6 Lawyers in the running for this new position. My question is. Why are Lawyers so over-represented on this show? It was the same for the past Apprentices too, alot of Lawyers.
My take is this: There is such a glut of Lawyers in this country that people can’t find steady work anymore, and so they have to resort to any means possible for income.
I have only seen one Doctor on this show. No psychiatrists. Very few engineers. A whole bunch of business backround people, but that’s understandable.
Any input?
Apprentice contestants are chosen from applicants with a business background. Many people who go into business do so after graduating from law school. Doctors and engineers, not so much. Not all lawyers are litigators.
I’m watching Apprentice UK now and there are zero, zilch, absolutely no lawyers in the field. A couple car salesman, a quantum physicist, a waiter, but no lawyers. Plus, why would one want to waste expensive tuition and 4 years of schooling just to go into business?
Don’t you think the Lawyer glut is a major factor?
I think the link to business mentioned by Fear Itself is a likely reason. I would add competiveness. In my experience, most lawyers tend to be competitive, even those who aren’t in litigation, and are good at pointing their viewpoints forward. That might be an edge on a show like this, where you have to make yourself known and defend your positions to keep in the game.
Many who attend law school find themselves in business positions solely because of the contacts. One of my husband’s classmates (still attending) just sold a screenplay and is working on the rewrites. Another classmate is in his mid-40s and already making six figures a year - his employer is subsidizing the costs of his education because having an attorney on the team is pretty valuable, especially when it comes to resolving issues between union labor and management.
A lot of people attend law school not to become litigators but to bust into a wider business scene. Many lawyers I know are heavily into real estate, often commercial (many times this is a side-investment). Some enter politics or government. Really, a JD can take you anywhere - that degree looks pretty nice when you’re pitching a business model to a loan officer. It communicates that you are able to stick with 3-4 years of an extremely grueling education and come out on top, and also that you have the resources to do it (financially, mentally, whatever).
And all that legal education is extremely valuable in a business setting: corporations, taxation, contracts, property, remedies, all that. It’s all relevant and all valuable. ISTM that someone holding both a JD and a MBA would be very formidable.
Because big business pays big bucks to hire staff attorneys to protect their property rights and navigate government regulations. If careers in business law with corporations were not competitive with private practice, business would quickly find no one would work for them.