Thread: Question of a future law student

Hello I am a junior in high school.

I plan on attending a buisness school (NYU or Babson) for four years, and go to a law school. I have no idea how buisness school is but the bigger question is about law school and the test called the BAR exam.

As a huge fan of Law and Order, Law always fascinated me. Maybe Im going to the wrong route. People make fun of lawyers calling them satan. I don't know why people hate lawyers so much. Why is that?

3 years of law school. Is that hellish? I must assume it is a lot of work. Is it hard to do decent (B and A) in law school? How is the curriculum? Would I get like one or two tests per semester or multiple quizzes, tests, and homework (like high school).

How well do you have to write? I like writing but it's not my strength. Or would I just become better in law school?

BAR exam. Is it really hard? I hear people fail. But is it because they didn't study or because it is actually that hard? I would like to know how hard it is to pass the BAR (apprantely you have to take BARs again if you move to a different state or country?).

Career as a lawyer. It's hard for me to understand these different types of lawyers like divorce, real estate, immigration. Doesn't that mean people should have like 20 different lawyers?

Which lawyers make the most money? Which lawyers are most common? Does Law and Order glorify the criminal lawyers too much?

Doctors vs. Lawyers. Which is better in your opinion. The difficulty of becoming one, the pay, the job itself, job security.

Once I have my BAR and a degree, is it easy to get a job or do I have to look hard and fight huge competition?

I might sound really dumb because I asked a lot but it's just that I have no one around me to ask these questions. I am in National Honor society and definitely not stupid.

Here is my background. I attended business school in college, then went to law school. I wanted to be a litigator and became one, and here is how I personally feel about your questions. (please take it with a grain of salt as it is very personal)

1. business school is very useful if you obtain a hard skill (accounting/finance) but pretty useless if you major in marketing/international business. The reason is that you simply cannot learn a soft skill. You can't just learn "what is marketing" without doing it. Accounting, on the other hand, like law, has many rules and laws you can learn and actually "learn in school." In short, business school is only useful if you intern and put the theories you obtained into real practice.

2. Law and Order does not emphasize that there are many rules and down time when you are in court. For example, you can't just show evidence the way they do. You usually have rules behind it that you can't just show a murder scene picture and etc. In general, the real court time is a lot more boring, with many needs for motion/pre-motion writings and not enough court times for people who enjoy oral arguments. Also, unless you are a huge criminal attorney, you do not get paid. For example, if you work as a DA or some other governmental attorney, then the salary is like 30,000 US. An entry-level accountant in a big firm is more than 50,000 US. you do the math.

3. People make fun of attorneys for being "satanic" because they always talk for their clients, regardless what they believe in. It's the least you have to worry about b/c businessmen also have to put a positive spin on their products, and politicians too. If you think about it, waitresses get criticized a lot too.

4. 3 years of law school: it's hard and hellish for some, but after all, it's just school. It is better than working for a big firm, either doing business or law. What I mean is, hard work is hard work, it's not fun, but it's not that bad. It is a lot of work, including a lot of reading and writing, and 3 years of your life. You usually have 1 final for the whole class, some professors now give you 1 mid-exam and 1 final.

5. You have to write logically, but you do not have to write creatively. If your organization skill is ok, then I say that's enough.

6. Bar exam is not that hard, but you just have to memorize a LOT of stuff, and for many people that's stressful. Sometimes people fail b/c they don't have enough time to study b/c they have to work right out of the law school. If that's not your concern, I think you will be just fine.

7. Any type of lawyer, if you work for a big law firm, then your starting salary is probably higher. To get into the big firm, you need good grades. Big firms also require you to work longer hours, so it's a personal preference. People find the lawyer they want when they have something happen to them. And yes, if you need a divorce attorney and a corporate attorney at the same time, they may be from the same law firm, but they will be 2 different attorneys specializing in different things.

In general, the more general the practice, the less you get paid. For example, family doctor does not get paid very much, but if you specialize in dermatology, then you can get paid a lot more. However, to be accepted to that program, you need a much better grade.

Law is the same thing, if you are a patent attorney, cuz' you majored in Engineering and specialized in patent law, then you get paid more than a general practice attorney who does divorce and daily stuff like that.

However, the celebrity divorce attorneys get paid more b/c you know, they work for the celebrities. But stars get paid more regardless, either you are a famous singer, reporter, doctor, or attorney.

8. It's more difficult to become a doctor b/c of the time required after college (8 vs 3 years) To be a doctor, you need to go through that hellish residency program. If you do not just love it, I think it's a pretty bad deal. On the other hand, if you are the top of your class and get into a prestigious program, then your starting salary can be very high. My friend who is a neurologist made $300,000 the first year he is out of his training. However, he was also 32 when he finished all his trainings when my attorney friends were only 23 when they started practicing law.

9. Job security: it's easier to find a job as a doctor. It may not be a good one, but you get matched. Lawyers do not get matched. We have to find a job on our own, which can be scary when the economy is bad like now.

10. If you are the top of your class (top 10%) then it may be easier. Otherwise it's a jungle out there.

Well, you are very smart to ask these questions. But just so you know, everybody is in the National Honor society.. at least from my business school. It's kind of like going to college nowadays, it does not mean much. However, it says a lot that you are asking all these questions before you get yourself into the insurmountable student loans:)

Best wishes to you

ps. I typed this up between lunch breaks. Sorry if my messy thoughts confused you.