Thinking about a career in Law

[TheoPetro]

I am a finance+math major and I am toying with the idea of going into law after graduation. I would go into civil law and hopefully only business law. Is there any money in this? What are some titles in this area I could look up. I really am not sure how to research this one as I dont know what different titled lawyers do.

 

[FoBoT]

oh, i thought you meant you were a drug dealer or something


n/m

 

[AtlantaBob]

Yes, there's money in it, assuming you go to a good law school.

No, don't select a career based on financial considerations alone. Yes, money is important. So is not dying of a heart attack at age 35, or having your wife leave you because you never see her.

(That's not to say that all corporate law positions are like that. But there are a lot of people in the legal profession who wouldn't mind working 90 hour weeks to make $170K/year versus working 60 hour weeks to make $150K/year. Just make sure you have a life.)

 

[MBony]

My wife is an attorney and she just left her job (yesterday) as a construction litigator; she has also been an environmental attorney. Yes, there is money there, but like the poster above says (and I kid you not)

• BE READY TO WORK ALL WEEKEND, EVERY WEEKEND
  BE READY TO FIGHT WITH YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER OVER TRIVIAL STUFF
  BE READY TO HAVE PLENTY OF VACATION TIME SAVED UP, BUT NO TIME TO USE IT SO IT BECOMES POINTLESS HAVING IT
  BE READY TO BE SPOKEN TO LIKE YOU ARE SUBHUMAN, BE COMFORTABLE WITH CLIENTS TELLING YOU THAT YOU ARE INCOMPETENT
  BE READY TO WORK FOR BOSSES WHO HAVE NO MORALS

I'm sorry for the all caps, but I am trying to make a point. I can go on, but I think I have made my point. If you must become an attorney, get in with the state where you are paid hourly with no benefits.

 

[axelfox]

Originally posted by: MBony
My wife is an attorney and she just left her job (yesterday) as a construction litigator; she has also been an environmental attorney. Yes, there is money there, but like the poster above says (and I kid you not)

• BE READY TO WORK ALL WEEKEND, EVERY WEEKEND
  BE READY TO FIGHT WITH YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER OVER TRIVIAL STUFF
  BE READY TO HAVE PLENTY OF VACATION TIME SAVED UP, BUT NO TIME TO USE IT SO IT BECOMES POINTLESS HAVING IT
  BE READY TO BE SPOKEN TO LIKE YOU ARE SUBHUMAN, BE COMFORTABLE WITH CLIENTS TELLING YOU THAT YOU ARE INCOMPETENT
  BE READY TO WORK FOR BOSSES WHO HAVE NO MORALS

I'm sorry for the all caps, but I am trying to make a point. I can go on, but I think I have made my point. If you must become an attorney, get in with the state where you are paid hourly with no benefits.

QFT.

But if you can work for yourself. It's just that the money isn't as good.

 

[TheoPetro]

I think I would really like to start my own firm. I am really interested in business and law. I figure if I worked for some medium-large sized firm for a few years I would have the experience needed to go out and start up on my own.

It is either lawyer/own firm, investment banker (seems like it would be the hardest), financial planner, or stock broker. I think lawyer would be the most fun seconded by IB. I don?t know if the risks of not making it as an IB are worth taking though so that?s why im considering law. They aren?t mutually exclusive but I need to do something first.

 

[everman]

Originally posted by: MBony
My wife is an attorney and she just left her job (yesterday) as a construction litigator; she has also been an environmental attorney. Yes, there is money there, but like the poster above says (and I kid you not)

• BE READY TO WORK ALL WEEKEND, EVERY WEEKEND
  BE READY TO FIGHT WITH YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER OVER TRIVIAL STUFF
  BE READY TO HAVE PLENTY OF VACATION TIME SAVED UP, BUT NO TIME TO USE IT SO IT BECOMES POINTLESS HAVING IT
  BE READY TO BE SPOKEN TO LIKE YOU ARE SUBHUMAN, BE COMFORTABLE WITH CLIENTS TELLING YOU THAT YOU ARE INCOMPETENT
  BE READY TO WORK FOR BOSSES WHO HAVE NO MORALS

I'm sorry for the all caps, but I am trying to make a point. I can go on, but I think I have made my point. If you must become an attorney, get in with the state where you are paid hourly with no benefits.

No different than many other areas.

 

[dafatha00]

Just to dispel any misconceptions that you may have about the legal industry, being a lawyer is not fun. For the vast majority of law students, law school is a depressing and horrible experience, and you need to be prepared to study your ass off. It's not like college at all, where you can skip class all semester and still end up with an A. In law school, if you don't put in the work, you will not get a good grade. Your classmates will be brutally competetive and you'll have to fight them tooth and nail for the high paying jobs. Being a lawyer is even worse. Like others have mentioned, working in law usually entails 60-70 hour work-weeks and being stressed out constantly. If you're doing it for the money, I can tell you that you're going to be disappointed, not because attorneys aren't highly paid, but because it will be an unfulfilling experience for you.

However, though a rarity, some people thrive in law and like what they do. if you really are interested in practicing law, then go speak to some attorneys and ask them how their experience was in law school and if they like what they do now. Also, do plenty of research and learn what you can about the legal industry.

 

[shopbruin]

please read "law school confidential."

just remember law school is expensive, and not all law schools are treated equally.

 

[TheoPetro]

I imagine anything I go into I will be diving into it 10000%. I dont expect to work a 40hr week for a while. I dont think I would want to work a 40hr week. Hell right now im taking 18 credit hours and working 16 hrs on top of that. I have a feeling I will become a work-a-holic. I really want to have a family and enjoy life but I love working. I dont expect the work load to be a problem. Hopefully the wife will understand that I wont be home at 5 every day the first few years and I understand that she wont be either. I can see myself being happy in any one of those 2 professions and thats what makes chosing so hard.

Here are the plans for each path:

Law
graduate -> take lsat -> law school -> job -> MBA -> own firm or management of an existing one

IB
graduate -> work ass off for 3 years -> MBA -> steady job rest of life (kinda seems boring now that I think about it)

Financial Planner / broker
graduate -> work for 3 years -> CFP ->CFA -> MBA -> kind of unknown

Looking at it that way the most fun seems like it would be in law. I like the idea of taking tests and getting more $ though. Decisions decisions

 

[dafatha00]

Getting an MBA when you already have a JD is useless.

 

[shuttleboi]

If I could do it all over again, I'd be an investment banker or a patent attorney. When I was your age, there wasn't a lot of available information around, so all I could go on was the limited knowledge of my parents. On the hand, you have a lot of online information. Do searches on wikipedia, salary.com, and blogs to see what kind of career and career path you will encounter.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Originally posted by: TheoPetro
I am a finance+math major and I am toying with the idea of going into law after graduation. I would go into civil law and hopefully only business law. Is there any money in this? What are some titles in this area I could look up. I really am not sure how to research this one as I dont know what different titled lawyers do.

Make sure whatever school you choose allows you to have anesthesia when they perform the operation to remove your soul. I hear it can be painful.

 

[WildHorse]

Be aware of the real possibility, probability, that a lot of traditional work that lawyers can bill for is/will be outsourced to India. Tectonic shifts ahead.

Are you aware there are way too many lawyers? No joke.
They get into those hazardous waste landfills to breed communally, & vast numbers of their squishy wet fry come squirming back out on full moons to sit for the bar.

So like Whoozyerdaddy cautioned you, don't scream too much during your soul-ectomy, and emulate one who tries to do good for the public, like the great Linda Krop for example.

 

[wetcat007]

Are you a good runner? Helps when chasing ambulances.