lillian, I applied to law school over ten years ago (yikes!) so my info might be very dated, but here is my experience. I got a 157 on the LSAT which was 75th percentile. I had a 3.25 GPA I believe, which is like a B. I applied to two law schools in Louisiana and was accepted to both. One of them based acceptance on scores and GPA and nothing else, meaning if you had ten family members who donated $1 billion to the school, they could care less. I never would have gotten into Harvard with my grades and LSAT but it was definitely good enough for two good law schools. The scoring may have changed since then, but it sounds like you have good scores to me.
TPF lawyers and lawyers-to-be, post here!
- Thread starter Blair Waldorf
- Start date
lillian, I applied to law school over ten years ago (yikes!) so my info might be very dated, but here is my experience. I got a 157 on the LSAT which was 75th percentile. I had a 3.25 GPA I believe, which is like a B. I applied to two law schools in Louisiana and was accepted to both. One of them based acceptance on scores and GPA and nothing else, meaning if you had ten family members who donated $1 billion to the school, they could care less. I never would have gotten into Harvard with my grades and LSAT but it was definitely good enough for two good law schools. The scoring may have changed since then, but it sounds like you have good scores to me.
Wow! I didn't know that. I feel like such a minorty now since I don't have kids. I can't imagine trying to raise a child and work the hours mentioned in this article. I am a court reporter, not a lawyer, but i often work late late hours or will be gone all day. I can't imagine trying to raise a child and work the crazy schedule I do. I have a lot of respect for the women who can do it.
I'm an 8 yr veteran of big-law with a 2 1/2 yr old son. I always wanted to be a lawyer but after college, I didn't have the grades to get into a decent law school. So I worked for several years as an admin and got tired of being talked down to by the men that I worked with. When I announced that I was going to law school and that it was a top tier school, I was amazed at the amount of respect I started getting from the men that I worked with. It shouldn't have mattered whether I was on an upward track or not, they should've treated me with respect all along, but this is not how corporate America works.
The first year of law school was really tough but I made it through with decent grades (for those of you thinking of going big-law, note that your first year grades are really the only ones that matter b/c you start applying for the key summer associate positions in the fall of your second year). I had a great second year because I managed to get a good big-law internship. I had a fantastic third year because I had a big-law position waiting for me when I graduated. My third year was the best because I didn't sweat my grades and I took all kinds of random classes that I thought I could benefit from on a personal basis (ie insurance law, family law, etc., which turned out to be very useful - I can read my insurance policy and know what to watch out for and I've been able to provide limited advice to friends w/ family issues).
My first few years at big-law were tough. I never felt good enough or well-liked enough by the "boys" of the establishment. But I was lucky - I had a great mentor and found that I really enjoyed the work that I was doing. If you're an adrenaline junkie or just the thrill of the chase, corporate work might be a good fit because it's all about closing the deal. The work got tougher and more complex the more senior I became but I really enjoyed it. Once I had a child, I started working part-time (4 days a week). Although my 4 day week is longer than most people's regular week, I thought this balance worked well, even when I had to work on my "day off." It's only recently that I decided to go in-house so that I could have a more regular schedule (wish me luck!) but I landed a great opportunity (with a nice title) and I'm optimistic that I'll enjoy my new job.
I don't regret law school at all. It gave me a chance to work at a job that I enjoyed and has opened many doors for me. Since my son was born, there have been times when I thought I wouldn't make it - that the stress alone would get to me - but I'm glad I didn't quit. I want my son to look up to me. I want him to have a strong female role-model in his life. I worry because so many women around me are quitting - how will this impact our future generations? How will this impact our daughters when it comes time for them to make the hard career decisions? How will this impact our sons? If we want men to change their perceptions of women, we need strong women to lead the charge.
For those of you in law school, a law degree opens up so many doors. You can go big-law and make a lot of money (but don't spend it all on bags - save and go the early retirement route), you can go government and be a part of the system (and try to improve it as you go), you can go i-banker or hedge fund and be one of those mega-millionaires who buys $20k bags for their nannies, you can go non-profit and really help people who don't have anyone in their corner (I have a few friends that work with legal services and help battered-women and children - how can anyone doing that kind of work think that they're not making a difference?!), you can go environmental and fight for climate change legislation. You'll learn how the system works and you'll learn how to raise your voice so that everyone listens.
Don't be discouraged and don't let people discourage you. For those of you struggling through law school, just think of the day when you get to come back as the valued alum - the same professors that tormented you with the socratic method are the ones that become the most respectful when you return to visit. For those of you in the profession who are struggling with the work-life balance or the paranoia and fear of not being good enough, just know that you are not alone - you are in the company of other strong women who have the power to make a difference for all of us.
I'll get off my soapbox now....
The first year of law school was really tough but I made it through with decent grades (for those of you thinking of going big-law, note that your first year grades are really the only ones that matter b/c you start applying for the key summer associate positions in the fall of your second year). I had a great second year because I managed to get a good big-law internship. I had a fantastic third year because I had a big-law position waiting for me when I graduated. My third year was the best because I didn't sweat my grades and I took all kinds of random classes that I thought I could benefit from on a personal basis (ie insurance law, family law, etc., which turned out to be very useful - I can read my insurance policy and know what to watch out for and I've been able to provide limited advice to friends w/ family issues).
My first few years at big-law were tough. I never felt good enough or well-liked enough by the "boys" of the establishment. But I was lucky - I had a great mentor and found that I really enjoyed the work that I was doing. If you're an adrenaline junkie or just the thrill of the chase, corporate work might be a good fit because it's all about closing the deal. The work got tougher and more complex the more senior I became but I really enjoyed it. Once I had a child, I started working part-time (4 days a week). Although my 4 day week is longer than most people's regular week, I thought this balance worked well, even when I had to work on my "day off." It's only recently that I decided to go in-house so that I could have a more regular schedule (wish me luck!) but I landed a great opportunity (with a nice title) and I'm optimistic that I'll enjoy my new job.
I don't regret law school at all. It gave me a chance to work at a job that I enjoyed and has opened many doors for me. Since my son was born, there have been times when I thought I wouldn't make it - that the stress alone would get to me - but I'm glad I didn't quit. I want my son to look up to me. I want him to have a strong female role-model in his life. I worry because so many women around me are quitting - how will this impact our future generations? How will this impact our daughters when it comes time for them to make the hard career decisions? How will this impact our sons? If we want men to change their perceptions of women, we need strong women to lead the charge.
For those of you in law school, a law degree opens up so many doors. You can go big-law and make a lot of money (but don't spend it all on bags - save and go the early retirement route), you can go government and be a part of the system (and try to improve it as you go), you can go i-banker or hedge fund and be one of those mega-millionaires who buys $20k bags for their nannies, you can go non-profit and really help people who don't have anyone in their corner (I have a few friends that work with legal services and help battered-women and children - how can anyone doing that kind of work think that they're not making a difference?!), you can go environmental and fight for climate change legislation. You'll learn how the system works and you'll learn how to raise your voice so that everyone listens.
Don't be discouraged and don't let people discourage you. For those of you struggling through law school, just think of the day when you get to come back as the valued alum - the same professors that tormented you with the socratic method are the ones that become the most respectful when you return to visit. For those of you in the profession who are struggling with the work-life balance or the paranoia and fear of not being good enough, just know that you are not alone - you are in the company of other strong women who have the power to make a difference for all of us.
I'll get off my soapbox now....
I am working toward applying to the Universty of Michigan to finish my degree in Poli Sci then I am going to law school,
I hate when I tell people I am going to be lawyer and they make some silly remark about lawyers ,I am so happy to see other that want to become lawyers
It has been my life long dream to be a lawyer
I'm going to finish grad school in tax in May and am thinking about going to law school so I have more options in tax. Whenever I tell people that and they make a snide comment, I explain that I have a specific practice that I am interested in, etc. and they back off. Of course, that only works when it's someone I'm close to. Strangers might be kind of put off by my speech
This thread has been such an interesting read, thank you to all! I'm now in my fourth year (out of five) of a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Business. I never wanted to be a lawyer, but I've been having second thoughts lately. Mainly because I'm thinking, I've got the degree, why not give it a go? At least if I decide it's not for me I'll never think 20 years down the track "what if?". If I ever did practise law, I'd probably stop upon having kids though.
One of the primary reasons I never wanted to practise was because of my priority of being a mother. My Mum has been a successful executive for most of my life and admittedly I still do resent her for neglecting me for work during my childhood. Yes, she could provide everything for me materialistically - but you know, I would have traded all my gadgets to see her work at the school tuckshop once in the 12 years, or come watch me perform on assembly.
We have a great relationship now, but that was through surviving a diversity which made her realise that she needed to prioritise her family in life - not work/money.
Sorry for the long post but I guess what I'm trying to get at is yes, you can "manage" with super long hours and children, but it's hard on them. And what is "managing" anyway? Mum promised to take me to Disneyworld when I turned 14 and that never happened because she couldn't find time off work. Sure, she was home for dinner most of the time, she was there when I was sick. She was probably "managing" by many people's standards. But as a daughter who missed out on a lot of "bonding" time with her Mum, I don't think she managed. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but just trying to offer a different perspective. I certainly don't mean to offend anyone in doing so either so pls don't be offended!
My rule is, always go out on at least one date a week, no matter how hard it is. I even stuck by this through exam time. The key is being able to switch off from the stress and realise that stressing out isn't going to help you get that high distinction. Harder to do than say I realise, but just try! The time out I forced myself upon myself has been so beneficial. I began dating my BF 3 months before I started law school and we will be engaged any day now
One of the primary reasons I never wanted to practise was because of my priority of being a mother. My Mum has been a successful executive for most of my life and admittedly I still do resent her for neglecting me for work during my childhood. Yes, she could provide everything for me materialistically - but you know, I would have traded all my gadgets to see her work at the school tuckshop once in the 12 years, or come watch me perform on assembly.
We have a great relationship now, but that was through surviving a diversity which made her realise that she needed to prioritise her family in life - not work/money.
Sorry for the long post but I guess what I'm trying to get at is yes, you can "manage" with super long hours and children, but it's hard on them. And what is "managing" anyway? Mum promised to take me to Disneyworld when I turned 14 and that never happened because she couldn't find time off work. Sure, she was home for dinner most of the time, she was there when I was sick. She was probably "managing" by many people's standards. But as a daughter who missed out on a lot of "bonding" time with her Mum, I don't think she managed. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but just trying to offer a different perspective. I certainly don't mean to offend anyone in doing so either so pls don't be offended!
My rule is, always go out on at least one date a week, no matter how hard it is. I even stuck by this through exam time. The key is being able to switch off from the stress and realise that stressing out isn't going to help you get that high distinction. Harder to do than say I realise, but just try! The time out I forced myself upon myself has been so beneficial. I began dating my BF 3 months before I started law school and we will be engaged any day now
I want to be a lawyer when I get older but my parents have repeatedly shot me down telling me it's so much hard work with no guarantee of being "successful" I have a passion for law, though, and even though I'm only 15, we have mock trials at our school and I've been told I'd make a really good lawyer. This thread has been a lot of help in helping me decide whether I want to pursue law still when I graduate or go into something else...I think I want to stick it out. Sure, its hard work but I think it will be all worthwhile!
[FONT=times new roman, new york, times, serif]I would like to offer the perspective of the in-house lawyer that works as an employee of a corporation to compare to the big law firm and government lawyer perspectives that have been posted here.[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman, new york, times, serif]I've worked as an in-house attorney since graduation from law school in 1999. My jobs have been with companies in the internet, technology and telecommunications industries. The majority of what I do right now is technology transactions and copyright licensing and I have advised on corporate, employment and intellectual property matters as well. I've been at a variety of company sizes which also impacts your experience in-house...a start-up with less than 100 employees that blew up quickly to 400 employees before going bankrupt, a mid-size company with 2300 employees that downsized to 900 after a rough period and now I'm at a Fortune 50 company with over 250,000 employees worldwide and almost 1000 lawyers worldwide. I worked at firms during the semesters and during some summers as I worked through school and decided it was not for me. I also interned at non-profits, the federal government (FCC) and corporations so I got to see a variety of work environments prior to graduation. As I have a business background from undergrad, I found the in-house role more appealing to me as I got to utilize both the business and legal skill sets on a regular basis. [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman, new york, times, serif]I have typically worked an 8 to 9 hour day excluding emergencies that happen maybe once every 3 or 4 months that require longer hours to meet a deadline. I can only think of one weekend that I have ever worked in my career. Whatever flexible work policies the company has I can usually avail myself of as well. I currently work from home one to two days a week (that is while working a normal work 9:30am-6pm workday when I am in the office). I know companies where attorney colleagues work from home 3 days a week and can choose to reduce to a part-time schedule as needed as that policy is avaiable to all the company's employees. The best flex-work policy I have yet to hear of is with the Patent and Trademark office which now has a trial program in place which allows people to work from home all the time and come into the office maybe once a month. This includes allowing employees to work in any state they may want to and just fly in to meet the requirement to be in the office. Similar to the government lawyer's post, at companies I was given substantive assignments immediately and actually supervised law firm associates we would hire who were also from my year of graduation who did a lot of the grunt work on deals. I have found companies to be far more diverse than firms with respect to those who are in top level positions. From what I have seen at companies, female lawyers are a large part of the legal department and often the majority. However, the top legal jobs are still more often men. As many lawyers at companies or the government came from the law firm world first, some of the same anti-work/life mentalities can be faced in these work environments as well despite what the company or govt policy is...it all depends on who your manager is. I've had managers that were all about work/life balance and I've had managers who created an environment that may as well have been a law firm as they brought the law firm mindset with them. So for those considering in-house careers do not just focus on if the company has flexible policies...consider the fact that you may have a manager that will not be supportive of you availing yourself of them. Most everyone telecommutes at my company but the legal department would not allow it for the longest and only recently allowed it. [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman, new york, times, serif]If you are at a large corporation with hundreds of attorneys like mine based all over the world...you will often find opportunities to work in other locations where they have offices, work temporarily overseas if you have an interest and also to move from a legal position to business position if you have the interest (business development is a common transition for many attorneys...many also become COO or take on other executive jobs). [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman, new york, times, serif]The money often depends on if the company is public or private, the number of employees, the annual revenues and the cost of living of where it is headquartered. I find that a company with a HQ in say the New York area will often pay its attorneys worldwide a higher salary than one based in the midwest. With 7-9 years of experience I have seen pay packages (bonus included) ranging from $80k to $100k at smaller companies (it can be common to see an entry level in-house job paying less than $80k) to $120k to $170k. Smaller companies often may not pay the kind of salary larger corporations offer their attorneys. Bonuses can often be 10% to 40% of your base salary. And there are also often stock options or other equity packages that track to the stock value and vest periodically. I've seen equity packages for those with 1 to 9 years of experience add another $5k to $110k on top of your base pay and annual bonus. Imagine having been granted Microsoft, Google or AOL stock for under $20 and then selling it for hundreds of dollars more per share! The top lawyer at large companies typically have stock packages paying out millions of dollars annually. The prospect of a big stock payout is only possible as an in-house lawyer. I've been fortunate to have worked at some small tech/internet companies who have blown up and the stock options paid off nicely.[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman, new york, times, serif]Moreso than the government or law firms you have the risk of finding yourself unemployed. Companies go under, they reorganize, downsize, merge and get acquired all the time and attorneys get let go often during these events with little notice. If you support the deals or provide advice that directly support revenue your job is typically of less risk. Employment and Litigation attorneys are typically the first to go in a merger.[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman, new york, times, serif]The work can sometimes be more interesting because depending on how they are staffed many companies keep the more interesting work in-house and hire law-firms to do more mundane tasks. Some in-house jobs can be very specialized where you only work in one practice area and others can be very general and you can find yourself doing a range of employment, regulatory, corporate, transactional and litigation work. If you enjoy business it can be gratifying to be a part of a business team and get to know the products/services of your client very well and assist them in making strategic business decisions vs. having multiple clients that you don't get to know much about any of them very well before you have moved on to something else.[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman, new york, times, serif]Typically companies will only hire those who already have some experience and can start the job with little to no training or supervision but I have noticed more companies hiring new lawyers than they were when I came out of school and also more companies that hire new law graduates that clerked for them during law school. That is often a major key into getting into a company right out of school. For me it was because I had so much substantive work experience gained during school because I had worked my way through law school that my first employer overlooked the fact that I had just came out of school. Also I was doing internet law in my first role for which no one really had a ton of experience in at the time and I had made it my focus during school so my first boss liked that I had some knowledge about all the emerging case law in the field. So though law schools do not make in-house jobs seem like a viable alternative right out of school...it can happen. I know many who have gone this route.[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman, new york, times, serif]I would also note that if diversity is important to you, I find corporations to be far more nurturing and diverse work environment for minorities and women than big law firms despite what diversity marketing material firms may put out there. That does not mean all companies are perfect in this regard but on the whole they seem to have excelled in truly being more embracing of women and minorities than large firms and corporations ability to retain minorities long term as employees as compared to firms high turnover rate speaks volumes. Through the interview process at large law firms I was often asked horrid stereotypical questions and just made to feel like I did not belong there. The culture at firms is not for everyone.[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman, new york, times, serif]I've worked as an in-house attorney since graduation from law school in 1999. My jobs have been with companies in the internet, technology and telecommunications industries. The majority of what I do right now is technology transactions and copyright licensing and I have advised on corporate, employment and intellectual property matters as well. I've been at a variety of company sizes which also impacts your experience in-house...a start-up with less than 100 employees that blew up quickly to 400 employees before going bankrupt, a mid-size company with 2300 employees that downsized to 900 after a rough period and now I'm at a Fortune 50 company with over 250,000 employees worldwide and almost 1000 lawyers worldwide. I worked at firms during the semesters and during some summers as I worked through school and decided it was not for me. I also interned at non-profits, the federal government (FCC) and corporations so I got to see a variety of work environments prior to graduation. As I have a business background from undergrad, I found the in-house role more appealing to me as I got to utilize both the business and legal skill sets on a regular basis. [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman, new york, times, serif]I have typically worked an 8 to 9 hour day excluding emergencies that happen maybe once every 3 or 4 months that require longer hours to meet a deadline. I can only think of one weekend that I have ever worked in my career. Whatever flexible work policies the company has I can usually avail myself of as well. I currently work from home one to two days a week (that is while working a normal work 9:30am-6pm workday when I am in the office). I know companies where attorney colleagues work from home 3 days a week and can choose to reduce to a part-time schedule as needed as that policy is avaiable to all the company's employees. The best flex-work policy I have yet to hear of is with the Patent and Trademark office which now has a trial program in place which allows people to work from home all the time and come into the office maybe once a month. This includes allowing employees to work in any state they may want to and just fly in to meet the requirement to be in the office. Similar to the government lawyer's post, at companies I was given substantive assignments immediately and actually supervised law firm associates we would hire who were also from my year of graduation who did a lot of the grunt work on deals. I have found companies to be far more diverse than firms with respect to those who are in top level positions. From what I have seen at companies, female lawyers are a large part of the legal department and often the majority. However, the top legal jobs are still more often men. As many lawyers at companies or the government came from the law firm world first, some of the same anti-work/life mentalities can be faced in these work environments as well despite what the company or govt policy is...it all depends on who your manager is. I've had managers that were all about work/life balance and I've had managers who created an environment that may as well have been a law firm as they brought the law firm mindset with them. So for those considering in-house careers do not just focus on if the company has flexible policies...consider the fact that you may have a manager that will not be supportive of you availing yourself of them. Most everyone telecommutes at my company but the legal department would not allow it for the longest and only recently allowed it. [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman, new york, times, serif]If you are at a large corporation with hundreds of attorneys like mine based all over the world...you will often find opportunities to work in other locations where they have offices, work temporarily overseas if you have an interest and also to move from a legal position to business position if you have the interest (business development is a common transition for many attorneys...many also become COO or take on other executive jobs). [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman, new york, times, serif]The money often depends on if the company is public or private, the number of employees, the annual revenues and the cost of living of where it is headquartered. I find that a company with a HQ in say the New York area will often pay its attorneys worldwide a higher salary than one based in the midwest. With 7-9 years of experience I have seen pay packages (bonus included) ranging from $80k to $100k at smaller companies (it can be common to see an entry level in-house job paying less than $80k) to $120k to $170k. Smaller companies often may not pay the kind of salary larger corporations offer their attorneys. Bonuses can often be 10% to 40% of your base salary. And there are also often stock options or other equity packages that track to the stock value and vest periodically. I've seen equity packages for those with 1 to 9 years of experience add another $5k to $110k on top of your base pay and annual bonus. Imagine having been granted Microsoft, Google or AOL stock for under $20 and then selling it for hundreds of dollars more per share! The top lawyer at large companies typically have stock packages paying out millions of dollars annually. The prospect of a big stock payout is only possible as an in-house lawyer. I've been fortunate to have worked at some small tech/internet companies who have blown up and the stock options paid off nicely.[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman, new york, times, serif]Moreso than the government or law firms you have the risk of finding yourself unemployed. Companies go under, they reorganize, downsize, merge and get acquired all the time and attorneys get let go often during these events with little notice. If you support the deals or provide advice that directly support revenue your job is typically of less risk. Employment and Litigation attorneys are typically the first to go in a merger.[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman, new york, times, serif]The work can sometimes be more interesting because depending on how they are staffed many companies keep the more interesting work in-house and hire law-firms to do more mundane tasks. Some in-house jobs can be very specialized where you only work in one practice area and others can be very general and you can find yourself doing a range of employment, regulatory, corporate, transactional and litigation work. If you enjoy business it can be gratifying to be a part of a business team and get to know the products/services of your client very well and assist them in making strategic business decisions vs. having multiple clients that you don't get to know much about any of them very well before you have moved on to something else.[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman, new york, times, serif]Typically companies will only hire those who already have some experience and can start the job with little to no training or supervision but I have noticed more companies hiring new lawyers than they were when I came out of school and also more companies that hire new law graduates that clerked for them during law school. That is often a major key into getting into a company right out of school. For me it was because I had so much substantive work experience gained during school because I had worked my way through law school that my first employer overlooked the fact that I had just came out of school. Also I was doing internet law in my first role for which no one really had a ton of experience in at the time and I had made it my focus during school so my first boss liked that I had some knowledge about all the emerging case law in the field. So though law schools do not make in-house jobs seem like a viable alternative right out of school...it can happen. I know many who have gone this route.[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman, new york, times, serif]I would also note that if diversity is important to you, I find corporations to be far more nurturing and diverse work environment for minorities and women than big law firms despite what diversity marketing material firms may put out there. That does not mean all companies are perfect in this regard but on the whole they seem to have excelled in truly being more embracing of women and minorities than large firms and corporations ability to retain minorities long term as employees as compared to firms high turnover rate speaks volumes. Through the interview process at large law firms I was often asked horrid stereotypical questions and just made to feel like I did not belong there. The culture at firms is not for everyone.[/FONT]
OMG. As many of you already know or will soon find out, agency is not exactly a laugh-a-minute kind of class. But get this you guys: My Agency professor looks and talks exactly like Ben Stein. I am going to die from terminal boredom. The class is 2.5 hours long. He did not change his voice inflection once that whole time. He actually said "...Anyone..." I kid you not!!!!!
I may have to gouge my own eyes out to keep from falling asleep.
I may have to gouge my own eyes out to keep from falling asleep.
Very informative and interesting read! Lots of smart ladies here!
I have a question. What is a job as an international lawyer like? I know it branches off into different divisions, like human rights, etc., but just general? Also, what major in college would help a career like that? What's the salary like, five figures or six? Thanks!
I have a question. What is a job as an international lawyer like? I know it branches off into different divisions, like human rights, etc., but just general? Also, what major in college would help a career like that? What's the salary like, five figures or six? Thanks!
Wow, great thread! I'm not an attorney and never thought about going to law school but for what it's worth I have two cousins who rock the house. One graduated Georgetown LS last year and is now in NYC with the ACLU and her younger sis will be a 1L this fall at Georgetown too!!!
I have a great friend who has been an attorney for over 10 years now, going from the firm pressure cooker to get those billable hours in to now general counsel at a construction company. She says if she had to do it all over again she would not have chosen this path. Hmmm...
I needed an attorney a couple years ago for a big problem I had back then and I can't tell you how grateful I was to have incredible representation!! It wasn't cheap but I'm worth it!! Hats off, ladies!!
I have a great friend who has been an attorney for over 10 years now, going from the firm pressure cooker to get those billable hours in to now general counsel at a construction company. She says if she had to do it all over again she would not have chosen this path. Hmmm...
I needed an attorney a couple years ago for a big problem I had back then and I can't tell you how grateful I was to have incredible representation!! It wasn't cheap but I'm worth it!! Hats off, ladies!!
hm, going to revive this thread with a few new questions...
so, i actually have a med/science background and am considering the switch to law... am taking the LSAT in september actually, and am getting my application together to apply this year. for the most part i'm pretty sure about my switch.
but, how did you guys find the people in law school and at law firms - super competitive, snipey, cutthroat, or collaborative? i'm asking because the people in my med school were sooooooo collaborative and helpful, grades and curves be damned, and it was such a great atmosphere. i always pictured lawyer-types to be super argumentative on a personal level, which is why i never considered law until recently. i'm just afraid that even if i love the work, i'll hate the people i work with - in which case the work's not worth it. do people study together a lot in law school? is there a frat-boy culture?
thanks in advance for any comments...
so, i actually have a med/science background and am considering the switch to law... am taking the LSAT in september actually, and am getting my application together to apply this year. for the most part i'm pretty sure about my switch.
but, how did you guys find the people in law school and at law firms - super competitive, snipey, cutthroat, or collaborative? i'm asking because the people in my med school were sooooooo collaborative and helpful, grades and curves be damned, and it was such a great atmosphere. i always pictured lawyer-types to be super argumentative on a personal level, which is why i never considered law until recently. i'm just afraid that even if i love the work, i'll hate the people i work with - in which case the work's not worth it. do people study together a lot in law school? is there a frat-boy culture?
thanks in advance for any comments...
Purplekitty--I guess I'm technically a "public international lawyer," although most days I just feel totally insane ... you can PM me questions if you want.
This is probably the hardest specialty of law to break into (who even knows how I ended up here); however, once you're in, the field is almost wide open.
The problem is that there are so few public international cases, I suppose. Private commercial or transnational stuff is a little more widely avail through big firm work, like Latham & Watkins or something.
In undergrad I majored in International Relations & French ... I also speak fluent spanish and some words of one semetic language. Salary is really dependant on what kind of organization you work for ... law firm work = $$$$, government work = debt pit; NGO work = $$.
I'm a little jaded this morning because the country I'm in has a black hole when it comes to telephone etiquette.
This is probably the hardest specialty of law to break into (who even knows how I ended up here); however, once you're in, the field is almost wide open.
The problem is that there are so few public international cases, I suppose. Private commercial or transnational stuff is a little more widely avail through big firm work, like Latham & Watkins or something.
In undergrad I majored in International Relations & French ... I also speak fluent spanish and some words of one semetic language. Salary is really dependant on what kind of organization you work for ... law firm work = $$$$, government work = debt pit; NGO work = $$.
I'm a little jaded this morning because the country I'm in has a black hole when it comes to telephone etiquette.
In my experience, big lawfirm work is not especially collegial. Govt work is, definitely. The difference is billable hours -- it's hard to take time to talk and help out a younger lawyer if you can't bill the time. And you are typically pressed to do work for your clients etc.