littlelysser
Brilliant_Rock
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2005
- Messages
- 1,862
Date: 8/21/2008 5:28:05 PM
Author:littlelysser
I know I''m a former lawyer...anyone else?
I''d love to hear about why you stopped practicing and what you are now doing!
I''d also be interested in hearing about how you felt about the differences between law school and the actual practice of law.
Date: 8/24/2008 9:18:46 PM
Author: SarahLovesJS
Can I thread-jack and ask a question to the former lawyers here? How hard are the government or ''in-house'' jobs to get? I want to go to law school, but I am not really interested in a firm job at all. I just want to make sure it''s doable.
Date: 8/25/2008 10:40:51 PM
Author: panda08
Date: 8/24/2008 9:18:46 PM
Author: SarahLovesJS
Can I thread-jack and ask a question to the former lawyers here? How hard are the government or ''in-house'' jobs to get? I want to go to law school, but I am not really interested in a firm job at all. I just want to make sure it''s doable.
It depends... I know, such a lawyer''s answer! If you want to be a deputy district attorney/assistant U.S. attorney or a state/federal public defender, many districts/counties will hire straight out of law school. However, you have to be prepared for a not so hot salary. But, my public defender friends are among the happiest because they really love their job. The positions on the federal side are very competitive so you generally have to graduate from a good school and in the top third or better in your class. If you want an in-house gig with a corporation, those jobs generally won''t hire straight out of law school because they want you to have some experience, preferably with a big firm in the relevant area of law. If you want to be a research attorney for judges, it depends on the county you want to practice in. Some counties will hire straight out of school while others, like mine, tend to favor attorneys with a number of years under their belt. Hope that helps!
Date: 8/30/2008 11:36:57 PM
Author: littlelysser
Golden - I disagree with your statement that lawyers are unhappy because they went to law school for the wrong reasons, didn''t research it, or are practicing in the wrong areas of law.
Although I''d be curious to know what the ''right'' reasons are for going to law school.
I researched the holy heck out law school and the practice of law. I spoke with lawyers. I LOVED being a summer associate and all of my internship experiences. They are very VERY different from the actual practice of law.
And I don''t think all of the experience as a legal clerk or summer intern can prepare you for the pressure of knowing that decisions that YOU make will influence peoples'' lives, possibly forever. And you can''t know how that pressure will impact you. It kept me up at night. I am a perfectionist - it served me very well in law school - but in practice it would have me checking westlaw at 4am because I woke up in a cold sweat, afraid that I''d missed something in a case. Or worrying that perhaps I''d missed a relevant bit of case law and my client''s case would therefore tank and it''d be entirely my fault. I felt similarly when I was writing an opinion for my judge, confirming a jury''s finding of guilt...I couldn''t shake the fear of WHAT IF I AM WRONG??? Honestly, I don''t know that anything could have prepared me for that.
But that''s my issue...
In response to your question, Sara, Panda hit it on the head. I never tried to go in-house, so I don''t have a ton of information on it. However, I interviewed for a bazillion clerkships and finally got one. I will say that if you think a clerkship is something you''d be interested in, MAKE SURE YOU CLERK WHILE YOU ARE IN LAW SCHOOL!!! Those positions are often very low paying, or entirely unpaid, but they give you some experience and a great in for possible future employment. Regarding government legal jobs...they tend to be SUPER competitive. So again, a summer internship or something to get your foot in the door is a great idea!
I also agree with Panda''s statement that the happiest lawyers are those that are clerks, in-house, or government lawyers. BUT that is also why those jobs are the toughest to get - meaning that being in the top 10% of your class and being on law review pretty much guarantees that you''ll be able to get a big firm job...but there is no guarantee you''ll be able to get a gov''t job or clerkship.
Finally, I recently had lunch with two of my best friend''s from law school. Each one of us made law review, graduated magna cum laude, published...yada yada yada...and all three of us have left the profession entirely.
Date: 8/24/2008 9:18:46 PM
Author: SarahLovesJS
Can I thread-jack and ask a question to the former lawyers here? How hard are the government or ''in-house'' jobs to get? I want to go to law school, but I am not really interested in a firm job at all. I just want to make sure it''s doable.