Thursday, March 30, 2006

Bad Reasons for Attending Law School

The decision to attend law school is not one to be taken lightly. After all, we are talking about three years of your life, tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of dollars, and the surrendering of your dignity as you agree to follow a set of rules more apt for 10th-graders

Not surprisingly, many people who make this decision come to regret it at some point in their lives. The reasons for this regret are varied, but have one overriding theme: Their expectations for attending law school have not been met.

Everyone goes to law school for a reason. Unfortunately, many of the reasons people give for attending law school are the source of their disappointment. So as a service to the prospective law students out there, we decided to run through some of these bad reasons that people have in the hopes that you will save your time, money, and dignity.

But before I get to the bad reasons, let me first give you the good reason. (Yes, I said the good reason, implying there is only one.) If you can say the following sentences with a straight face, go to law school, and I wish you the best of luck.

“I am genuinely interested in the law and I have a sincere desire to become an attorney and practice law. I have come to this conclusion by thoroughly researching what law school and working as an attorney entails.”

If that isn’t you, then your reasons for attending law school are probably built on faulty logic or misinformation. I have heard many bad reasons that people give for attending law school. Thus:

Bad Reason for Attending Law School #1:

“I don’t plan on ever practicing law, but having a JD looks good, right?”

Wrong.

A JD looks good? Where? Over your desk? Well a Picasso would look good there too and you could probably afford one for the price of a JD.

Well, let me qualify that. You are correct in saying that a JD looks good, but if you know from the outset that you don’t want to practice law, then why bother? Lots of people get a JD and at some point, whether it be while they are still in school or after ten years of practice, decide that they don’t want to be an attorney. But if you know this before you even attend a law school class, save yourself the hassle and move on.

If you still don’t believe me, then read the following sentences:

“I don’t ever plan on practicing medicine, but having an MD looks good, right?”

“I don’t ever plan on believing in God, but having a Theology degree looks good, right?”

“I don’t ever plan on working at Starbucks, but having a PhD in Philosophy looks good, right?”

See what I mean. If you already know you aren’t going to use it, then there shouldn’t be a decision to make. You gotta trust me on this.