Determining Who Is in Better Position Right Now: Law Students or Lawyers in Working World?

It is now early October, and the school year for area law schools is over a month old.  Meanwhile, in the working world, it has been a little over a year since there was a significant downturn in the legal market.  The question is where would your average  young lawyer rather be right now: in law school or in the working world.

Not too long ago, the answer was easy for me and many others: law school.  Where else can you relive a college-type environment with everyone being of age and having a greater sense of freedom than college?  Then, life as a summer associate was also great (if not completely realistic of working life).

Now, of course, law school life isn’t as rosy a picture as it was.  In addition to paying between about $17,000 (at Temple for in-state students) to $42,000 (at Penn) per year for tuition, you have an uncertain job market.   Several law firms have ceased their summer programs.  Many more have decreased the number of available slots.  And quite a few are offering full time jobs to only a fraction of their summer classes.   The one saving grace is that there’s hope that things will improve by the time the newer law students look for jobs.

Of course, for those of us in the working world, many of us are now “in transition” (the euphemism for those laid off, terminated or otherwise out of a job).  Those with jobs are constantly worrying about possible changes in job status and even salary.  Very few people are safe.  There’s no definitive signs of improvement in the legal market.

Personally, I think I would prefer being in the legal working world already.  We’ve already seen both good and bad times.  We know that things go in cycles and at some point, things will improve.  Our work experience also provides a leg up over those just coming out of law school for employers to consider.   That said, I think we all hope that improvement comes sooner rather than later for the sake of all current and prospective lawyers.

Starting to Plan for Success in Law School and Beyond

I am often asked by those starting out their law school careers as first years about the keys to succeeding.  What activities should they do?  What jobs should they apply for in the next summer?  What advice would I give on studying for exams? 

Boy, a book that gave the answers to those questions would be a great best seller (in the legal community).  As young lawyers, we know that there is no single roadmap to success in law school and beyond.  There are not specific classes you absolutely must take, specific activities you must do or a specific job that you need your first summer out. 

Instead, what I tell law students is that the absolute key is just taking your studies seriously from the onset.  Law school and, subsequently, your legal career, is really a series of steps.  The early steps are crucial because, for better or worse, they often dictate what doors are open to you.

I was a mediocre undergraduate student so I was determined to give much more effort in law school.  From doing the readings (with highlighting and margin notes) every day to reviewing my notes after classes to forming some outlines, I was pulling out all the stops.  I was fortunately able to succeed in the initial step by receiving good first semester grades.  Those grades helped enable me to obtain a good (paying) first summer job as a research assistant for a professor.  Then, good overall first year grades along with the research assistant job and qualifying for a law journal helped land me numerous interviews during second year interviewing season and led to a summer associate position in a firm.  The summer associate position then led to a permanent position, and here I am, ten years later, in the same office in the same firm.  So essentially, what I did in the first two semesters and that first summer helped lead me to a long standing job in a firm. 

Of course, by no means is the failure to be in the top of the class after you first two semesters fatal to your legal career.  For those who want to work in big law firms, I certainly know my share of folks who had average law school grades, started off in smaller jobs, worked hard and then made their way to big firms.  For those who have other aspirations, such as public interest jobs, you can find opportunities in spite of less than law review grades.  So there are many ways of finding success.

But it certainly helps to start early with good grades . . .

After the Last Classes of Law School

For most 3rd year law students in our area schools, this week marks a momentous occasion – the last days of class. A hearty congratulations to you all. You may never again have to sit in a classroom lecture hall and listen to someone drone on about the nuances of some obscure aspect of law (Note: CLEs also have the same characteristics, but most take place in nicer places, like hotel meeting rooms or conference centers).

The question you ask yourself, though, is now that you’ve gone through law school (and mind you, finals aren’t done yet), if you had to do it over, would you do it again? It’s not a simple question with an obvious answer.

I had lunch today with a third year law student who just finished classes and another seasoned attorney. Both the other attorney and I “warned” the third year student that it wasn’t too late for her to change her mind and do something else. I think and I were only half kidding.

When non-lawyers read some of these blogs, they can maybe see some of the issues, concerns and woes of the young lawyer. Sure, some of us make good money, live nice lifestyles and have great families and friends. But I do not know too many (if any) young lawyers who look forward to going to work every day or really enjoy their jobs. Many are okay with them, but a good number downright hate their jobs.

So, to those finishing law school – this is what you can look forward to (in addition to $90,000 in debt)! Seriously though, I personally would still go through law school. For me, the benefits outweigh the burden. Here’s hoping you find enjoyment in your careers (after you pass your exams and the bar).

Confessions of a “Law School Naysayer”

Fascinating interview in Wednesday’s WSJ Law blog: Law Blog Q&A: Kirsten Wolf, Law School Naysayer

America’s 10 Top Law Schools 2008

U.S. News & World Report ranked top law schools for 2008.  Here are the top 5 law schools:

Yale

Harvard

Standford

New York University

Columbia

University of Chicago and University of Pennsylvania are tied for the 6th place.

University of California – Berkeley and University 0f Michigan at Ann Arbor are tied for the 8th place.

Duke and University of Virginia are tied for the 10th place.

Temple University, Beasley School of Law, and Villanova are tied for the 60th place, along with some other schools.

Rutgers (Camden) was ranked as 70 and Penn State (Dickinson) came in at 91.

 For a complete listing, check out:

America’s Top Law Schools.

And how do you even feel about rankings?

Top Five Law School Moments Thus Far…

I’m sure my number one will be “graduating” or “getting a job.” However until either one of those glorious moments arrive, I will have to make do with the following:

5.) Learning to love coffee
-I pulled my fair share of all-nighters as an undergrad. However, at the campus coffee shop, I would adulterate my java with something more childish, like caramel cappuccino or hot chocolate. No matter how hard I tried, I could not handle the raw power of a dark-roasted cup of Joe. Then, I took Civil Procedure. Some time during my reading period, I first felt the caffeine kick. I was doing great for the next few hours. I never looked back.

4.) Beating the Socratic method
-This is more of a 1L phenomenon in my experience. You are taught to fear the Socratic method before school starts. I remember my first week of class where the person to my right was like a magnet for the professors. I sat on the edge of my seat with my case brief ready to go. By the end of the first year I was able to deal—usually because I did the reading.

3.) Watching professors shoot down the know-it-all
-Every class had one—that person who thought they were ready to be a lawyer. They probably worked for a firm in the summer, or they had a few political science classes in college. He or she let every one know at orientation how smart they were. Those first few introductory classes were murder. Luckily, once we got into the bulk of the important lessons, many of these students were humbled. Pointed questions were met with silence. The playing field leveled out, and the rest of the class was spared.

2.) Finishing exams
-When the three-hour ordeal ends, life goes back to normal. That black cloud that hangs over your head dissipates, and you think may actually be a lawyer. You sit down, have a drink, and slowly become a person again.

1.) Graduating
-You know what, I’ll keep this one here…

Mandatory Attendance

Today’s Legal Intelligencer had an article about mandatory attendance at law schools.  In the article, David Hoffman, a professor at Temple, said that he follows the law school’s policy that any student who misses more than 20% of classes can’t sit for the final exam.  Hoffman also noted, “I, generally, feel the arguments for having a mandatory attendance policy are relatively weak and that law schools and law professors should be making their own decisions.”

I see both sides of the argument and I think it really depends on the class.  I can say that there wasn’t a correlation between my attendance and grades.  My worst grade in law school was in a class that I never missed.  I had decent grades in classes that I attended more sporadically – but within the 20% of course!

And I’m sure you are shocked that law students and attorneys are arguing about this all over the internet: Barely Legal; Glorfindel of Gondolin; Simple Justice …