Should I go to law school?

See if anyone who went to law school answers yes in this thread.

Law school doesn't turn you into someone disgusting any more than business school does - although I can understand the confusion... many disgusting people are attracted to these programs. I went to law school and I'm glad I did - I have an enormous number of options as far as work that I can do, and at the very least I know I'll never have to work retail again. Debt is a huge concern, so if you want to go to law school, but *don't* want to follow the whole Big Law track... then you might want to consider applying to schools that *aren't* in the top ten, because if you can get into top schools at all, then there are not-top-10 schools that would subsidize your attendance wholly or in large part. Think about state schools... hell, I have friends who went to law school for free. If I had wanted to go the Big Law track, I would have hated law school - I had a lot of miserable classmates who had to be at the top of every course, had to make law review, had to get the right summer jobs, etc.... but for me - I loved law school. If you're a certain kind of thinker, "learning to think like a lawyer" feels like a baby duck finally hitting the water.

"If you think reading the phone book sounds like fun, go to law school." - This is a quote from one of my friends who is an attorney.

The only caveat I would say is if you don't think you can or would do the necessary work. No point in being the guy who failed out of a top 10 law school. Go there, spend the 3 years, and do what it takes to succeed. Not much need to worry about that unless you're truly irresponsible. It practically takes effort to fail out of these schools.

Yes. You sound like me ten years ago. I went, and am glad I did. I won't bore you with the personal story, but I will just say that everyone who says "don't go unless you really, really want to be a lawyer" is missing something pretty important: "lawyer" is not a particularly detailed job description. One does not need to have a passion for "The Law" to go into the field. In fact, the idea of such a passion before law school strikes me as a bit silly. For practical purposes, "The Law" really just refers to the broad range of ways that folks in society structure their relationships. Just as there are many different kinds of relationships in society, there are many different kinds of roles lawyers can play. Sure, at a top-10 school, you'll feel yourself funneled into Biglaw, but (1) you don't have to go there if you don't want; (2) if you decide to go that route, it can be a decent life -- intellectually and financially rewarding, albeit not perfect; and (3) even within Biglaw, there is a huge range of work that can be done (as a litigator, I am often amazed that the corporate, IP, tax, and international trade folks share a one word job description with me). So, go to law school. You'll enjoy it. You'll learn a lot -- not just about law, but about all sorts of things that it deals with (i.e., just about everything). When you get out, you may find yourself stuck in the limited field of all human affairs. If that's too small a box, there's always business school. (Note: I would not give the same advice to every person considering law school. Not everyone is intellectually curious and has gotten into top-10 law schools)

When they graduate, the people who went to law school because they couldn't think of anything else to do often end up being the lawyers who aren't committed to the ideals of the profession, who view it as "just a well-paying job," and through their neglect of the profession's ideals, end up giving the profession a bad name.

I think you should go if you're interested in the subject matter and the process of learning to think like a lawyer. Just don't expect to "find yourself," career-wise -- it might happen and it might not. Consider the possibility that after some hefty student loans and three years of rigorous work, you still may end up without having discovered your "single, overriding passion." If that's okay with you, then go for it. As a data point, I started law school with a similar mindset, and I don't regret my decision. I did internships with a (very) small law firm and a legal aid organization prior to applying, though, and that was useful. I would suggest that you do something similar you can get a feel for what lawyers actually "do" before making any big commitments. And, contrary to freshwater_pr0n's statements, I didn't meet any "disgusting degenerates" in law school, although I did meet some nice, smart, funny people (both married and unmarried).

It's a (potentially) intellectually stimulating field that could provide a comfortable living, which is something I do care about. Hard truth: if you have a resume that will get you in to a good law school and you're not already making a comfortable living (i.e., what an associate would make in your city), you lack the ambition and/or confidence to make a comfortable living as a lawyer.

Everyone telling you that law grads don't make as much money as you think and have trouble getting jobs doesn't understand the difference between a top 10 law school and everywhere else. There is immense value in having a degree from a top 10 law school. I'm at one now, and I went in with almost exactly the same reasons you have- nothing else to do, generally intellectual curiosity, school's not that bad, etc. Now I have more job options than I know what to do with and I found a little area of law that I really like and am excited to start working in. I still felt like I was spinning my wheels after 1L year, but after working over the summer and doing some interesting extra-curriculars and an externship my second year I figured out what I wanted to do. I'm very glad I went to law school. Is there a way you can reduce the financial risk, in case you end up not wanting to take a high-paying biglaw job? Try playing the schools off each other a bit to get more financial aid, ask about scholarships, etc. You must have good numbers to get into multiple good schools- see how much they really want you. If you have to pay full price I'd still say go, but with less enthusiasm. If you can do it for free or reduced price there's absolutely no question that you should go.