![The Law School Bubble [INFOGRAPHIC]](http://cdn1.diggstatic.com/story/the_law_school_bubble_infographic_2/t.png)
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barackalypseJun 29, 2011
To paraphrase the most poignant truth I ever heard about lawyers:
Lawyers don't add value to the process, they merely protect the process.
scamper22Jun 29, 2011
lawyers are just well-paid welfare bums.
Closed AccountJun 29, 2011
I'm not sure that's poignant or truthful. You get some bad eggs in any crowd. Just like bad lawyers, there are bad teachers, police officers, politicians, businessmen, etc., and all generally have their own interest groups that work to ensure their livelihood is protected. For each personal injury attorney that lobbies against tort reform, there's another interest group lobbying to make sure they get their share of the pie. Just like anything else, law school is a business. The problem is that you have very naive kids go to law school for all the wrong reasons (i.e. $$). You have very smart and influential people running these schools with no incentive to give these kids the true picture. Until someone fixes the system, this problem is going to persist.
Whenever I see someone slamming the legal profession (most without any personal knowledge at all), I'm reminded of the immortal words of Ice-T "Don't hate the player, hate the game." No truer words have ever been spoken...
ryanjmsJun 29, 2011
Law school grad here. 1st tier school. Not practicing law. Only around half of my friends that I went to school with are actually practicing law. Of those, most do not like the work. The other 50% of my friends not practicing law(including myself) enjoy their jobs much more but are stuck with $100k in debt.
The lure of law is that the basic prerequisites of, "I like to argue using logic, I write well, and I like to read!" seem to imply that you would be good at the job and enjoy it. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you like working ridiculous hours researching tedious bulls**t while the business owner you are working for is out on his yacht, by all means become a lawyer. Otherwise, if you're smart, use your smarts to get a decent job and start a business in your free time. You'll be much happier.
emfkJun 28, 2011
The Fourth Tier description is funny, but probably true: Cooley Law (what?) or Yale Law? Dang, tough decision. :-)
jeb500jpJun 30, 2011
Law school provides a great education, but graduating from a law school doesn't mean that you have to do the usual legal work. Many journalists are law school grads, for example. Working for a law firm or a corporate legal department is not very interesting, but there are many other jobs out there for which a law school grad would have a leg up.
mheykJun 29, 2011
Move overseas Australia needs a buttload of lawyers and on top of that they need agitator lawyers to reform some of their archaic laws. For instance, would it hurt anyone if I grew cannabis in my back yard and used it for personal consumption? US vs. Henry Anslinger.
whoppersauceJun 29, 2011
Not all law school graduates become lawyers, My friends dad graduated from law school and became a general contractor.
zipzagJun 29, 2011
The bottom half of a class from non-elite law schools often will not find jobs as lawyers.
These days the goal needs to be a top half of the class at a better law school.
lamontsandersJun 29, 2011
Too many law schools, too many lawyers. It is not the prestigious career it once was.
jreed23Jul 3, 2011
Current undergrad teachers warn against this as well. :-(
wadecoyeJun 30, 2011
Also, student debt has surpassed credit card debt in America . . .
kasha34Jun 30, 2011
It's going to get worse for lawyers. A lot of what lawyers do is read endless contracts looking for mistakes. Turns out there are computer programs now that do some of that. and they'll only get better.
jesusfactionJun 29, 2011
I considered going to law school during my undergrad. Glad I didn't. Instead of being unemployed with 100K debt and a useless degree. I'm just unemployed with my bachelors paid off.
Closed AccountJun 29, 2011
Man this is awful and it completely changes my perception of what can be called a safe career. Everybody has the thoughts that if you make it through Law school or Medical school, you're pretty much set. It's shocking to discover that is not true for Lawyers anymore.
rufiohoJun 29, 2011
uhh maybe I should rethink about becoming a lawyer
lucas123Jun 29, 2011
"Lawyers are the devil's ministry. Law is the ultimate backstage pass. There are now more students in law schools than lawyers walking the streets." -- John Milton, The Devil's Advocate.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.