Why Should I Stay In Law School

Somebody just found my website with the query: "why should I stay in law school."

I don't know whether you should. If you're racking up big big debt you might be better off dropping out, because a lot of people end up chained to jobs they don't want to do just to pay that down. But if you're at a state school or have a big scholarship or are able just to write a check for the tuition, I bet you'll feel better about yourself if you stick it out. I dunno. The smartest guy in my 1L class dropped out a month into our 2L year; he's now a teacher and very happy.

At my book group meeting yesterday we were talking about the death penalty and the justice system. In response to someone's criticism of the legal system I pointed out that we ask a lot of it -- we ask it to be a deterrent, to provide uniformity and predictability and fairness in the punishment meted out for similar crimes, and we also ask it to provide mercy and leniency and a respect for the circumstances of the different individuals who end up as defendants. That's a lot to ask of the system. Anyway after I spoke up there was sort of a silence and then a bunch of questions and conversation about law -- one woman said, "Wouldn't it be cool to go to law school and just think about X" and someone else said, "I don't think the law is a very good deterrent, even though we sort of ask it to be," and someone else started talking about how complicated and confusing the insanity defense is and the whole concept of culpability. Anyway for a moment there I felt really proud of my legal education, that I had roamed around these subjects before, with smart people, and with some discipline of thought. That's a privilege -- it's fun to do and its' worthwhile, whether you practice law or not. Just being a citizen, thoughtful and reasonably engaged and informed about the way things work, well, a legal education is good preparation.

I don't know whether you should stay in law school or not. Why did you go? I don't think it has much to do with being a lawyer. I mean, if you want to be a lawyer you have to credential yourself appropriately but as the folks at De Novo recently discussed the legal education and the legal profession are pretty distinct experiences. If you don't like law school you may still like being a lawyer. If you love law school you may still hate being a lawyer. If you don't want to be a lawyer and you hate law school, you probably want to take a break, and maybe drop out entirely.

Comments

[Jen]

In response to the person from England, I did the GDL which is hugely hard work and then the LPC which is easy. I was offered 4 training contracts and am doing one- I am bored, treated like a skivvy, screamed at daily and want to just walk out every day. Dont get an idealistic view of law firms- go into one and temp or do work experience and have a look.

[Off_Law]

I withdrew from law school after just the second week. It was a very difficut choice to make; but it's one I'm happy that I did. I never really wanted to go to law school in the first place. I'd had kicked the idea of going while an undergrad, but ultimately decided that I did not want to be a lawyer.

After graduating, I landed a very good job and was even promoted to senior management within a year. Life was good! Then, over time, people I worked with and worked for (not to mention my friends and family) continued to push me towards law school. At first I resisted their passes, but then decided to take my LSAT and apply to a few schools. Well, I was accepted and felt like I had no choice but to go.

What's funny is I actually had myself believing that I was doing the right thing. This was likely the result of me remining very busy with my job right up till school began.

My first day removed from work was one of the worst of my life; once I had the time to really think about what I was doing, I started to freak out -- I knew this wasn't for me. These feelings were further reinforced on first day of class. I wasn't interested in the material, I hated where I was living, and I was sure I'd never want to practive law. So, on the last possible day, I withdrew from the school.

It was very hard explaining this to my family and friends, but it was nothing compared to explaining it to my co-workers. I'm not sure why, but it seems like they were all trying to live vicariously through me. To say the least, I felt like a complete failure. With that said, I'm so happy to have left law school before it was too late. I have since been persuing a degree in economics and I work part-time for an amazing research institution. Life is good again!!

[KJ]

1L second semester, Ivy league school with almost a full ride for the 3 years.

And I feel so damn trapped.

[John]

Steph,

Please listen to yourself, and respect your true self. Some people never listen to themselves and waste their entire lives doing things to please others. Pursue happiness; not money.

It sounds like a lot of people here either hate law school or simply don't care to pursue it any longer.

Thanks for your honesty.

Also I ignored the long pompous lecture on life from someone who prob. has not lived much.

[Meg]

Hi.

I finished a year and a half of law school, half studying, and half regretting that I had ever entered, before I quit. I now am a teacher and writer wannabe, student loans conquered, living a content and balanced life. However I do sometimes regret leaving law. Remember that the study of law covers all areas, and that when you practice, you will focus on one area and hopefully become an expert. Your life will naturally become more balanced once you become a professional. That is what I wish that I had understood. The weight of crippling debt does make you consider deeply one's commitment to the law. This is too bad.
My father was a lawyer and that was one of the biggest reasons I wanted to be a lawyer. Now that he has passed away, I see that doing a job that makes your family happy might be worth it. However I do think my father was really happy that I was happy.
Anyway, thanks for all the input.

[Mark]

Shayla- In response to your post I suggest that you follow what your heart desires.

Law school is not for everyone and as you can tell by the above, you wont be the first nor the last person to call law school a quits.

Two Scenarios:
1) If you stay in Law school your always going to be wondering what your life could have been like if you left law school to pursue your desires.

2) If you leave law school and things dont go as planned you'll always wonder if staying in law school would have been the right decision.

These types of decisions are much like a gamble. A gamble that I had to once make, and decided that Law school was something that I did not see myself doing nor saw that it would properly fit in with my life long goals- Happiness!

[Sally]

If you are reading this blog then you are probably not sure if you should drop out or stay in law school.
I've read all of the posts in this blog, and I hope my story will help.

I came into law school because for me it was the only way to go, I had a useless poli sci degree and a high lsat score, what else is there to do? I was on a one way path, and I never even had second thoughts coming in.

I just finished IL, and I HATE law school with a passion. I have everything about law school, the people, the professors, the staff, the school, everything...

It's really hard to quit. Most law school students are ambitious and I am one of them. But you know, at the end of the day, it's not worth the stress. I've done some research into what lawyers actaully do, and I'm sure I never want to be one.

If you are coming into law school think long and hard! Keep your mind open!! Don't think you have to get a law degree, there are other options.

Right now, I'm in tons of debt, but I'm getting out! It's never too late. I've got the rest of my life to live.

[LawWhat?]

I'm a 1L at a top 20 school on a full ride and I am pretty miserable. School wise my situation could not be better (interesting profs, nice/smart classmates, overly supportive school). Still, all I can think about doing is finding some way to get out, or at least delay for a year. It seems like I am giving up everything that I previously enoyed in life (my friends, family, general time for recreation, being outside, learning about things that inspire me), in exchange for a really unpleasant lifestyle at school and the prospect of having even less time/freedom after I graduate. I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into, and from what I hear, our semester hasn't even begun to get busy. From what I gather from talking to other law students and reading around on the internet, it doesn't seem get to much easier on into the 2L year (excpet that you become more able to cope). I really don't know what to do here. I just don't have one of those personalities that can keep plugging away at something without someking of purpose, or a light at the end of the tunnel. If I don't find some kind of clarity soon, I will no doubt fall behind in my class as a result of my clouded mind. I'm gonna head out of town for a few days to visit some friends and try to find some clarity. Any information about the mechanics of actually dropping out, especially in regards to the posssibility of enrolling somewhere else in the future would be much appreciated.

[jessica]

I'm glad to see, atleast i'm not the only one who feels horrible about law school. I wanted to be a lawyer since 5th grade and my undergrad degree in poli sci. I've always been really interested in studying the law and still am, however I am a 1L currently, in the middle of finals and feel I am doing horrible. I have no idea how to take these tests. I read the fact patterns and feel completely confused. I probably will never do better than average at best, if that. I am paying with loans and feel like i am wasting so much money. I feel like a moron because i was unable to get into the school i wanted to, in my home state, due to a low lsat score. My gpa from undergrad was pretty high, and i have never had any problems taking tests before know. It seems like everyone else in school understands how to take these tests much better than me. I love the law but these tests are making me begin to hate it. I have never been so depressed before, and i constantly cry. I feel like i can't breathe at times because i'm so overwhelmed. It really doesn't seem like this is worth it right now, i want to tough it out but dont know what to do. Nobody in my family and my boyfriend doesnt seem to understand what im going through, i can't blame them for that though because i wouldn't either if id never gone through this before. :( gotta go study for more finals....