Law School

[eviljeff]

I'm currently a 1L.

there's a whole range of people here - from those who party 3-4 nights/week to the typical d-bags you described. I like most of the people, including my profs. there's a lot of work, but I find the material is mostly interesting. probably the worst thing about law school is that it's such a high stress environment. people are always talking about how much reading they have, exams, jobs, money, making law review, etc.

then again, I think a lot of this just comes with the 1L status. the 2Ls all seem to be much more confident and chill and the 3Ls are pretty much on vacation.

if you're looking to enjoy your law school experience, I'd check out UVA - apparently everyone there just has a ball all 3 years.

lastly, admissions can be pretty random. I was accepted to most of my top choices, but was waitlisted at my last choice.

I am a 3L at UVA Law, and honestly I think it sucks.

I like most of the people here, and most of the profs I get along with just fine. That said, I wish I had never come, and here's why.

It all hinges on what you can do out of law school. Most people out of UVA go work for a big law firm. I thought for $125k per year this would be worth doing, but after I worked at one for a summer and saw that these people are fat, balding and depressed, spending 60-80 hours a week pushing paper I realized that this job really sucks and there's no way on earth that I'd do it for a measly $125k. Sounds like a lot of money, but when you do the math after taxes it's something like $30-$40 / hr. A lot of people have to do that bc they have a ton of debt, I don't, so I'm lucky in that regard.

After I realized BigLaw totally sucked I went to look to find out what else there was to do. Turns out most stuff you can do (consulting firm, public service) pretty much sucks as well for one reason or another. So no law stuff for me, I'm going to go back to trading and running my software company.

The one thing most people WONT tell you is that it's freaking easy. There's an essay exam at the end of the semester that is your whole grade and it's on a B+ curve. Most people get a B+ or near it. Maybe 2% of the class gets a C and no one gets Ds or Fs.

[jman220]

[ QUOTE ]
So, I'm wondering, to those in Law School or those who went to one, does it suck? Is it pretty much all work with very little time to do whatever the hell you want? Are the majority of students Type A personality shmucks?


[/ QUOTE ]

I'm a 3L, I'll take your questions one at a time: [ QUOTE ]
does it suck?

[/ QUOTE ]

At first, yeah it pretty much totally sucks. Your first semester you're not going to know what you're doing. Reading cases and briefing them are goinig to take you forever. You're not going to have much tim eto socialize (although I managed to always take 1 day off a week). However, you'll learn how to read cases faster relatively soon, the fear of being called on will wear off, you'll figure out how not to brief cases, you'll finish your first semester, and it will get better. [ QUOTE ]
Is it pretty much all work with very little time to do whatever the hell you want?

[/ QUOTE ]

It pretty much really gets better as you're there. The old adage "Your first year they scare you to death, your second year they work you to death, your third year they bore you to death" is pretty close to the mark. In my third year now, I only actually go to class 2 days a week. The remaining 3 days a week I'm in a clinical at a prosecutor's office where I'm actually trying cases and sending criminals to jail. Its pretty damn fun. [ QUOTE ]
Are the majority of students Type A personality shmucks?


[/ QUOTE ] Nah, the majority of Law Students are alcoholics.

[SackUp]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
So, I'm wondering, to those in Law School or those who went to one, does it suck? Is it pretty much all work with very little time to do whatever the hell you want? Are the majority of students Type A personality shmucks?


[/ QUOTE ]

I'm a 3L, I'll take your questions one at a time: [ QUOTE ]
does it suck?

[/ QUOTE ]

At first, yeah it pretty much totally sucks. Your first semester you're not going to know what you're doing. Reading cases and briefing them are goinig to take you forever. You're not going to have much tim eto socialize (although I managed to always take 1 day off a week). However, you'll learn how to read cases faster relatively soon, the fear of being called on will wear off, you'll figure out how not to brief cases, you'll finish your first semester, and it will get better. [ QUOTE ]
Is it pretty much all work with very little time to do whatever the hell you want?

[/ QUOTE ]

It pretty much really gets better as you're there. The old adage "Your first year they scare you to death, your second year they work you to death, your third year they bore you to death" is pretty close to the mark. In my third year now, I only actually go to class 2 days a week. The remaining 3 days a week I'm in a clinical at a prosecutor's office where I'm actually trying cases and sending criminals to jail. Its pretty damn fun. [ QUOTE ]
Are the majority of students Type A personality shmucks?


[/ QUOTE ] Nah, the majority of Law Students are alcoholics.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is 100% spot on. I'm a 3L as well and have the same experience so I echo jman's response.

I do know a lot of people who really don't want to be in law school and really do not enjoy it at all. So I do recommend taking a good look at law school and some other options before you decide to make the plunge.

I also HIGHLY recommend taking at least a year off. I don't know about you, but my senior year of college was a joke and I was nowhere near the mindset I needed to be in for getting back into serious studying. Taking a year off and having a job I had to go to everyday and work was the best thing I could have done. Definitely puts you in a much better frame of mind for law school. Also, it gives you some time to explore and see if you really want to go to law school instead of just impulsively going on to more school b/c you don't know what else to do.

GL

[Rooster71]

I would recommend not going. From what I have heard, the real pain in the ass is alot of really boring reading. I have never understood the fascination of wanting to be an attorney. No offense intended to anyone, but there is definitely no shortage of lawyers in the US, more like a surplus.

[Tron]

[ QUOTE ]
No offense intended to anyone, but there is definitely no shortage of lawyers in the US, more like a surplus.

[/ QUOTE ]

Is this a clever commentary on the litigious nature of our society? Because it is hardly difficult for good law school graduates to get jobs.

[Rooster71]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
No offense intended to anyone, but there is definitely no shortage of lawyers in the US, more like a surplus.

[/ QUOTE ]

Is this a clever commentary on the litigious nature of our society? Because it is hardly difficult for good law school graduates to get jobs.

[/ QUOTE ]
There are jobs available to good law school graduates. I just don't think that it is a good idea for someone to intend on becoming an attorney unless they have a true interest in law. And yes, our society is way too litigious. But on the other hand, the legal knowledge would come in handy in a great many fields.

[ QUOTE ]
Is this a clever commentary on the litigious nature of our society? Because it is hardly difficult for good law school graduates to get jobs.

[/ QUOTE ]

You are talking about maybe 15 schools out of 200 here. For the other 185, yes, it is very hard for them to get jobs and I know a few people that couldn't find anything after they graduated.

The top schools students can go to BigLaw and make a bunch of money pushing paper and working ridiculously stupid hours. This is because the average attorney lasts maybe 3 years in BigLaw before he gets pushed out the door. It's a very pyramid-shaped structure and after a few years most of the time you get shuffled out.

Not a game I want to play.

Ive heard B Clinton went to Yale and did not attend class too often. Just went to washington alot and worked on political campaigns. Maybe you can try to get in an ivy school. heard they are easy, the hard part is getting in.

[CollinEstes]

The main difference in going to an Ivy League school is when you get you have like 200,000 dollars of debt vs. under 100,000. Then you take your Havard JD and get an interview with a big defense firm or company and sitting next you is a guy who graduated in the top 10% from (Enter cheaper regional Public Law School)and you both have equal oppurtunity to get the job. But since he had to work his way through school and therfore interviews better gets the job over the snobby Ivy League guy who was a member of the crew team and never worked a day in his life.