Do you really want to be a lawyer? | LSAT Demon Daily, Ep. 113 

Wow! I totally got something completely different from that email. What I heard from anonymous was him hesitating about up routing his family for a legal career in a certain sector of law that he believes in (ACLU, NAACP, SPLC, pro-bono, death penalty cases) but knows doesn’t rake in the big $$$. Uprooting a settled family is a huge deal, ESPECIALLY when kids are involved. Maybe I’m missing something that didn’t compute with me. I just think if he has thought this much about certain scenarios his hesitation seems to me more concerned with how it will impact the family bc at the end of the day regardless of how much you want to be a lawyer does it financially makes sense, kids are ridiculously expensive. To me it seems like it does, bc I would rather do something I love and have a happy life vs a stressful job that I detest and rarely allows me to see my family but brings in $. The U of M route seems to be an ideal situation bc it would be less stress academic wise than a fancy smashy university. He has to weigh his options: potentially making an impact as a lawyer in a field he feels strongly about or making $. I do 100000 percent agree about having to love and live for the life of a lawyer bc I see do many miserable ones!! Which is really sad. I’m strange and love law. I love listening to every Supreme Court oral argument and then reading the opinions of the court, especially the footnotes. Every Wednesday I read my circuit appellate courts decisions. But I’m clearly weird like that…. Regardless I hope it works out for him and his family and hope he is happy with whatever outcome they decide. Great podcast guys. ❤️✌🏼

More excellent advice; I agree. The guy would be taking a big risk with 3 kids & a spouse who are dependent on him. He didn't mention what he was doing or making at the time though. The Ph.D. didn't sound useful so the last thing he needs is more lost time & wages. It's unlikely he'd get a scholarship to an Ivy League law school.

Not sure why this person wants to go to law school at all. His goal should be to finish and get a great clerkship when done and set himself for success. But, as said, “I will only be a lawyer of I can have some supposed dream job” (which might not be available especially for new grads) with an ideal salary. The only note I would add as a real downside to corporate law is that it is often leases and contracts while litigation is handed to outside firms. I would want to be the lawyer who goes to trial when needed. Great comments.

I enjoyed this. I think what they are trying to say is that- the name or prestiege of a certain organization should not be your focus. It may sound grand now-but the salary is low. for certain organizations like this. The group will give the appearence that every law student needs or wants to work for an organization like the ACLU. They will have so strict guildelines to get the most out of a student They'll pick the top student. A few years later-that said-top student will not be practicing law. I think that the tuttition to law school needs to be lowered. I would not recommend going for paying an expensive school.