September 29, 2004

• Law School - Sure thing or a Gamble?

  
  

  There seems to be a common misconception that pursuing a career in law automatically results in making a lot of money.  In response to my last entry, people tried to assure me that once I finish law school, I'll be making a lot of money and everything will be better.  As much as I appreciate the votes of confidence, the future isn't lined with silver as many think it might be.

  
  

  During my time on Xanga, I've received comments and emails from people interested in pursuing law, asking for any advice that I might have to give.  Well, here it goes:

  
  

  Let me explain to you first the typical hiring process when it comes to getting a job as a lawyer.  I'm sure you've heard that the first year in law school is the most important.  Here's why:

  
  

  Assuming you're a fulltime student (3 years), you sign up for on campus interviews after your first year.  With the hundreds of firms out there, you're only allowed to select a handful of them to send your resume to.  This is to limit the number of applicants each firm gets considering the large pool of law students seeking jobs.  Upon receiving these resumes, law firms pick which ones they want to offer an interview to.  This initial selection is based pretty much on your first year grades and ranking which is why there is such emphasis put on first year grades.  (If you're a part time student like I am, your first 2 years are taken into consideration.) 

  
  

  If you're lucky enough to be selected for an interview, you now have to go through the interviewing process where you have to sell yourself as being better than the other students who also passed the first hurdle.  After a series of interviews, the firm will narrow down the field even more, finally settling on only about 8 students total.  These 8 students are offered a summer associate position for the following summer (end of 2nd year). 

  
  

  Once you land a job as a summer associate (which pays around $2500 a week for most corporate firms), if the firm likes you, they will offer you a fulltime position for when you graduate.  Although it's rare that summer associates don't get offers for fulltime employment, it does happen.

  
  

  The starting salary for first year associates at these firms is pretty much standard across the board at $125,000 a year with bonus.  With applicants coming from law schools all over the country (more so if you're looking for a job in a city like NY or LA), you can see why the selection process is so stringent.

  
  

  Because every law student wants to land one of these jobs, you can imagine how competitive the atmosphere can get in law school.  Unlike college where you can make friends and goof around, in law school you have to look at everyone like they're your competitor, because they are.

  
  

  What makes the competition even greater is the grading curve that all schools have.  If you think by simply knowing the law you're going to do well, you're wrong.  Law school exams consist of one cumulative final at the end of the semester...in essay form.  Unfortunately, despite how much you think you know, you really can't predict how well you did on an exam.

  
  

  For example, let's say you have 3 students in the same class: A, B and C.  All 3 students have studied and know the material.  When it comes to grading the exam, A wrote his answer a little better than B, who wrote his answer a little better than C.  Because of the grading curve, one student HAS to get an A, one a B and the other a C.  So theoretically, C can know the material inside and out but he can still end up with only a C.  Since the answers are in essay format, there's also a subjective aspect regarding the grading.  In my example I used 3 students but imagine being a professor grading the papers of 50 students. 

  
  

  If you had to read the answers of 50 students all talking about the same subject, do you think you can be objective and grade each exam relative to the other 49?  Highly unlikely.

  
  

  When someone asks me how I did on my finals, I tell them I honestly don't know.  From my experience, I've had exams where I thought I bombed but ended up doing really well in and other exams where I thought I kicked ass only to be let down by the grade I actually got. 

  
  

  Going back to the job situation, if you're not able to secure a job as a summer associate before graduating, you'll end up joining the MAJORITY of law school graduates basically scrounging to get whatever job they can after graduation.  It's funny when someone asks a law student what type of law they want to practice, because ultimately they're going to practice in whatever field they can get a job in.

  
  

  Regarding these jobs obtained outside the summer associate program, believe it or not the pay is much less than you would think.  I actually know several lawyers who were making $40,000 coming out of law school.  With $100,000+ in school loans looming over your head, the competitive nature within school is intensified.

  
  

  So you managed to land a summer associate position and think you're set.  Guess what?  You still have the Bar Exam to worry about.  If you thought taking a 3-4 hour cumulative exam covering an entire semester's worth of material was difficult, imagine taking an exam over the course of 2 days covering material from 3-4 years.  In case you didn't know, in order to practice law in a particular state, you have to take the bar exam for that state.  So if you wanted to practice law in NY, NJ and CT, you'd have to take 3 bar exams over the course of 4 days.  Sounds fun doesn't it?   

  
  

  I am currently in my 3rd year and to be honest, my grades weren't good enough to land a summer associate position.  Considering I work fulltime and go to school at nights, I suppose it's not surprising.  I work from 9:30-5:30 and have class from 6:00-10:00.  By the time I get home, it's almost 11:30pm and I'm simply exhausted.  I try to read on the commute home but usually end up dozing off.  I try to catch up on whatever reading I can on the weekends and I save my vacation days to take a week off right before finals to cram my ass off.  I admit I do get lazy sometimes and don't utilize my spare time to the fullest.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not doing bad in school, but just not good enough. 

  
  

  My advice to those out there considering law is to really think about it.  Law school is a HUGE investment in time and money and the odds are stacked against you.  There is nothing certain about pursuing a career in law.  There is no guarantee that you're going to make money. 

  
  

  In light of my previous entry, I hope now you can see where my worrying and stress about the future comes from.  I know there are lawyers on Xanga and other law students.  The above is simply my experience with it so far.

  
  

  P.S. I forgot to mention...I was reading the NY Law Journal yesterday and it said that the passing score on the bar exam will be raised by 5 points each year for the next 3 years starting with the July 2005 bar exam.  So even if you make it through law school and manage to have a job lined up, it's going to be harder to pass the bar exam now.  Oh boy! I can't wait!  

  • 12:41 pm
  • 49 Comments