Quit Law School Regret

This post is for the person who found my blog with the Google query: "quit law school regret."  I just wanted to say that the smartest person in my law school class, bar none, dropped out in September or October of our 2L year.  He was so happy about it.  He snuck into my car and left business cards all over, in the sun visor and the ashtray and the glove compartment and squeezed between the pages of my textbooks, with little messages on the back, saying things like, "Who's still in law school -- CHUMP?"  I don't think he had any regrets.  And he could have been a great lawyer.  He was an accountant, with training in and an instinct for business valuation.  He worked at that job way more than the officially permitted 20 hours a week while in school.  He had one of the nimblest, most playful minds I've seen.  In our moot court exercise I watched, amazed, as he handled the judges' questions, cool as a cucumber.  He left because his fiance's father was dying, and his sister had just had a baby born without a small intestine, and he wanted to give them his time, his money, and his attention.  And because he didn't care that much about being a lawyer, and thought the indulgence of a legal education wasn't the best use of time or money.  And because he wasn't trying to prove anything with law school.  If he was at the outset, he'd abandoned those pretenses by second year. 

I was pulling up to the school, stopped at a red light across the street, on the day he dropped out.  I watched him coming out of the building.  He was wearing a suit, as he often did because of his accounting clients.  He hadn't told me that he was dropping out, or even that he was thinking about it, but somehow by the way he walked and held his head I knew he had turned in the paperwork, and that he wasn't coming back.  I wished for the light to change so I could catch him, but it didn't, and I watched him get into his car and drive away, leaving the law school behind.

He's a teacher now, and from my spies in the middle school I understand he's a very good one.  We, in my law school class, were poorer for his absence.  I missed him for a long time; I still miss him sometimes.  I've never had another intellectual playmate who had quite the same clever, playful mind.  But I think he did the right thing.  I thought that then, watching him walking across the lawn to his car.  Sometimes you can tell by the way someone carries themselves that they have utter faith in a decision.  I'm not saying it's right for you.  But if you know your priorities, and you ask yourself why think you should leave, and why you think you should stay, I think you'll make a good decision.  Good luck. 

[Someone asked me, recently, if I regretted going to law school.  No way.  I liked it, even when it sucked, and I liked doing it and doing it well.  I liked the kind of mental work I learned to do there, the language and vocabulary and precision of thought I got from it, and the introduction to the geography of the common law and federal and state statutes.  I value the confidence I have from having done well at the study of law, and my general sense that nobody can bully me with the law.  I don't regret law school, even if I never practice law a day in my life again.  For me, quitting would have been the wrong decision.]          

Comments

[Margaret]

I love Scheherzade, so when I saw you on Mike's blogroll, I thought I would swing by. What a marvelous post and a thought-provoking one on MANY levels. What kind of teacher is he?(that's what I do for a living, so I was just curious) Being a teacher allows me to also be a very hands-on and involved parent because I do have the time off and hours my children do. (more or less) I am not rich or particularly successful, according to society, but wouldn't change my life if I could.

Your post reminds me of a friend who I counseled to drop out of law school (long before I attended law school). She was very unhappy with law school, and had started exhibiting, for her, personally dangerous behaviors. Her family had a hard time with her dropping out of law school (they were big on education, and all highly successful). She pursued other avenues and was quite happy (and successful) with her decision.

[UCL]

As someone who loved law school and loves the practice of law, I think it would be a good thing--a GREAT thing--if every person who was bitter about the legal profession chose to drop out of law school part-way despite having originally enrolled. Unfortunately such people usually end up graduating instead. Then they become part of the profession and complain about it endlessly for the next 50 years, driving law-lovers like me insane. So yes, I highly encourage anyone who doesn't believe in the greatness, honor, and wonderfulness of our profession to please, please stay away... and if you happen to enroll in law school, do as Scherezade's former classmate did.

[Tulipsaki]

I basically liked law school too. It wasn't always a bed of roses, especially since I wasn't one of the smart ones who "got it," but it did stretch me intellectually. However, in practice, I find myself continually bored and like all the new brains I acquired in law school are now fizzling away. What's with that?

[Soujiro]

I will be going to law school to withdraw/defer in about one hour. The two triggers (not reasons)? 1) Today is the last day of the 100% full refund and 2) panic. My torts exam was the most difficult and stressful test I've ever taken, bar none. I never stress out about tests, but this one sent me whimpering before and after the experience. So yesterday, as we received copies of the exam questions for a "going over the exam" session, I re-lived that feeling of panic and stress, simultaneously wishing I wouldn't have to experience it again during yesterday's class by being called on, and feeling as though I couldn't take that exam again at year's end.
Ask yourself: Do I have the urge to be the best in law school, to be better than everyone else at every little project, paper and answer? Or do I only feel the need to do enough just to get by?
Then ask yourself: Will I be able to do this work competently in the future? Will I be happy doing it? Why am I doing it?
Shadow a lawyer for a day at his or her firm. Hang out at the courthouse and observe these professional litigators. Talk to those currently in practice about not only their experience, but the experiences of others around them.
I do not have the passion. I do not have the strength. I will withdraw/defer in less than an hour because I asked myself the questions above and found that I could not answer them quickly and confidently in less than 10 minutes.
Thank you for your blog. Even if only for the past 10 minutes, you've made me feel less a quitter, and more a man who can live by the legal equivalent of Saint Augustine's profound statement that it is better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all.

I should have left law school seven years ago, but stupidly stuck with it. Interestingly I just finished the most significant constitutional case in the High Court of Australia that Australia has seen in 80 years. (this is the position of the Australian media more than my opinion.) I now feel comfortable enough to leave.

[Amy]

This is very much my story. I was actually doing very well in law school, but one day ... I just didn't come back. I know I would have done good on my finals, I knew my stuff. I liked the hard-work, my friends and my professors, but I just didn't find the law compelling.
I didn't really tell my friends or anyone untill the day after. I loved reading about how you could tell a difference in the way your friend carried himself. That was me. I felt so good. I felt really brave, as weird as that sounds.

If anyone reading this is thinking of dropping out, you've got some hard questions to ask yourself. I'm not telling anyone to drop out, but just don't be afraid to drop out if that's what you feel you need to do.

Thanks so much for this post!

[Christine]

Thanks for the post, man - I know it was a few years ago, but I can't say it's not still inspirational.

I just quit law school less than an hour ago. I am going back to music school and I am finally going to be true to myself. I shouldn't be proud of who I am -- your friend was clearly proud of who HE was -- and we're not all cut out to be lawyers.

Nothing, not money, not prestige, can bring you the same happiness of doing what you really love to do with the people you love the most.

"So yes, I highly encourage anyone who doesn't believe in the greatness, honor, and wonderfulness of our profession to please, please stay away... and if you happen to enroll in law school, do as Scherezade's former classmate did."

"greatness, honor, and wonderfulness" - What type of law do you practice? Just curious.

[wil]

This is the best thing I've read in a long time. Right now, I'm seriously considering quitting law school. After years of regretting not going to law school (even though I went to grad school and have a great job)I finally decided to go ahead and go to law school, I've always wanted to do that so I always felt like I was not fully realized because I wasn't a lawyer. Well, what do you know, now that I'm finally there I hate it! I do not enjoy going to school and I miss my free time and the times I could be giving to my family instead (I go to law school part time and I have 2 kids), I now feel that I'm actually pretty succesful in life as it is and that I don't need a law degree (that I probably would never use) to be happy. But, at the same time I feel that if I quit, I'm a failure. I'm just so confused, but right now, everything points to leaving school...

[Melissa]

I'm so glad I found this post because at least I know I'm not alone. I'm considering leaving law school but I'm just so scared of what my next move will be. I currently work full-time and go to school part-time but I work in a law firm and hate it almost as much as law school. I've got some decisions to make.......

[Will]

Thanks so much for this inspirational post. I am considering dropping law school as well. I do not want to practice, no longer have interest in the material, and am terrified that any meaningful job opportunities will be denied because a JD that I didn't want/need.

Disgruntled law students and those contemplating law school need to find more more posts like this!

[Howard]

I dropped out of law school in 1990. I had survived 1st year, and then took a year off because I didnt know if I wanted to continue. I went back at the urging of family and lasted for 3 months, before finally dropping out. I wound up falling into the car business where I stayed for the next 18 years, and now have started a new job with a software company. I have regretted dropping out for the last 10 years. I have jobs...not a career. Money is awful. If I had gotten the degree, whether I stayed in law or not, I would have had options. Dont drop out. Stay with it. In the end, you will be glad.

[John]

This post is amazing. I'm waiting on letters from schools right now to see if I got in and how much money they offer. I really haven't decided if I want to go to law school. It just seems like the next step. I've done well in a top tier undergrad school and I think have the potential to do well in law school. My main inspiration to go is my father...not pushing me but his success with the law. He makes upwards of 300,000 a year in a one man private practice. I've run into his clients and his collegues and from what I understand, my dad isn't a daytime tv ad guy. He is legit. He lives a great life playing lots of golf and travels extensively. I really appreciate the questions posed by Tulipsaki. My primary question is:

Knowing only a little about law school, the study of law, the practice of law, etc. What are strong reasons to go? How can I make a good choice about it without trying it?

[Evie]

I literally found this post by typing in the statement "What should I do if I quit law school" and it was the most uplifting thing I could possibly read right now.

My parents are hugely disappointed because my younger brother has already graduated his (shorter) accounting degree and I'm still floundering in my law degree with bare passes, a few fails and one postponement. I'm clearly unhappy with where I am and I want to quit so badly. But of course, my parents are still holding the "dropping out of university is shameful for the family name" card on me and I don't think I can bear it anymore. Reading this has made me decide that now is the time to make up my mind what I want out of my own life regardless of my parent's or anyone else's wishes and even though it will take a lot of work to start from scratch, but the end result of being more satisfied with my path in life will make it worth it. Thank you. So much.

[B]

I quit law school earlier this year from one of the best litigation school in the world and it was the best decision of my life. Some of us are not cut out for a legal life. I aced my tests and papers and found the material actually quite straightforward, but I just couldn't see myself pursuing this forever. It just wasn't my calling.

Being a "dropout" is such a horrible connotation. I find myself neglecting to mention the entire year on my resumes and other applications because people want to put "dropouts" in a box. I am doing quite well already though, making more than my law school friends will for the next 5 years at least (excluding their debt), and I have more time for myself than they. I am buying a house soon and thinking about children and a part time MBA while my law school friends often tell me they are putting kids off until they make partner. I just value time for myself more I guess... please don't think I am trying to be holier than though, it is rather the opposite. My law friends seem to always want to assist, produce, and win. Perhaps I am simply selfish. I like me, and I like being free. A non-law life is free as a bird to me :).

[Jane]

I work full time in a law firm as a litigation clerk. I find my job really stressful and the workload unbelievably heavy - I literally work non-stop, often working through lunch & working at stop speed just so that I can stay on top of things. I have a Bachelor's degree in arts management but love the mental challenge that my job entails. My bosses (lawyers) give me lots of freedom and independence where my work is concerned and i am grateful for that 'cos I learn a lot of stuff each day. Many people tell me that I should have studied law instead of getting a degree in the arts. I did enrol in a UK external law program (internationally recognised & the only "foreign" law program recognised by the board of qualifying law degree in my country. I study entirely on my own with no tuition. I finance my studies with my own savings & the fees are costly due to the exchange rate. Even before enrolment, I have never desire to be a lawyer should I qualify to be one! I just thought if would be nice to have a law degree (wrong reason to study law I guess!) in addition to my current degree. Besides, I have been working in a law firm most of my working life so I thought it was the most natural thing to do. I only sit for written exams (unseen). Exams are essay writing form. The program currently does not require written assignments or research papers & is purely exam based. Students must pass ALL subjects at each level / year. Students who fail one subject and pass the rest will be deemed to have failed a particular level / year and will need to re-sit ALL subjects. Unfortunately I did not anticipate how much my studies would take out of me. I mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted. Sometimes I feel that I am on the verge of a mental breakdown. There are constant interruptions beyond my control (at work and at home) and I can't seem to devote enough time or energy to my studies. I do have family commitments + 4 dogs to care for. I thought I could manage it all but it seems that I can't. I am currently contemplating quitting my law studies to "cut my losses" financially (I have already spent more than $15,000). I do feel like a failure if I quit but then again it has more to do with caring about what people think & my own low self-esteem. Although I haven't made my final decision, I am likely to quit my studies within the next few days. I will still work in the same law firm as a litigation clerk. I will never be able to earn as much as a lawyer but I will be happier. I wish to pursue my love for arts & crafts which hopefully will develop from a hobby into a small part time business that could supplement my income :)