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Law school expectations vs reality check examined
Plenty can be said about this topic. I had different law school expectations vs reality when I went to law school. Although, I already was a paralegal at the time and knew generally what lawyers did at work. But the law school itself was a great surprise because it did not have much to do with real-life legal work. Law school newcomer and law school newbie must get mentally ready for surprises.
Law school is hard – unnecessarily
Do you want to endure one year of LSAT preparation or pre-law, then three years of hardcore brainwash in law school? Then another three to six months going through bar exam preparation and then three days of the intense bar exam? Yes? OK. Fasten your seat belt then, because you are about to encounter a bunch of surprises.
Law school is notorious for its drop out rate among first-year law students, who drop out of law school for reasons of difficulty, inability to obtain good grades or sheer disappointment. You can read my other popular article about reasons for dropping out of law school.
Law school does not prepare law students for actual legal work
My law school expectations were pretty standard. First of all, I expected to receive more or less thorough legal training in how to practice law as an attorney so I could jump in and practice law after graduation.
Guess what – law school does not prepare law students for actual law practice!
What did we study? A lot of theoretical concepts, supported by endless case law.
Thousands upon thousands of pages, endless legal opinions to see how judges were thinking, probably depending on what they ate that morning and how their day was going.
Plenty of reading legal texts, and desperately trying to decipher into some manageable structured outlines – never-ending catch-up game.
I just bought commercial outlines and obtained law outlines from 2ls and 3Ls (2nd and 3rd-year law students) to help with that, and that was the right decision.
Not a single time we examined any real-life legal document like a pleading, contract or even form until about 3rd year. Even then, it was brief info. I got better practical training at the UCLA AATP paralegal program than in law school.
I was lucky because I was paralegal before I went to law school. I did real legal work while in law school, and afterward.
Some poor law school graduates after passing the bar would come to me in the law firm and quietly ask me to help them prepare a basic legal document. Like form notice of appeal or three-page personal injury complaint. Any assistant or paralegal knew how to do it.
Poor souls, God, have mercy on law school grads)).
Well, to be fair, law school does very important job of changing how law student’s brain operates and provides very important and critical theoretical foundation for becoming a lawyer.
I think those who take US bar exam without going though law school are shooting themselves in the leg.
Law school expectations may be completely off. Law school does not prepare for actual practice of law, but it does prepare law students mentally for legal career.
Law school does not prepare law students for the bar exam
What!? Are you saying, the three years of law school, $100,000 in extra debt, and law school does not prepare law students for bar exam!?
Damn right, that is exactly what I am saying.
Law school does not prepare for bar exam. Law school exp[expectations were wrong.
The bar exam is all about the quick application of specific concise legal concepts to practical situations across a large volume of law.
In law school we have covered no more than 40%-30% of specific theories and concepts I faced on the bar exam if even that much.
And even more, in law school, we would only cover briefly some topics and engage more into Socratic method learning how to read law and “think like a lawyer,” whatever that means, vs. legal concepts we will encounter on the bar exam. Wow.
In short, law students will be eventually surprised that law school studies are not enough to prepare for bar exam. Bar exam is a separate beast.
The bar exam is very hard, and not everyone passes it.
If this and previous section heading statement were not true why there would be a whole separate thriving bar preparation industry?
Barbri, Kaplan, Themis, and other bar review companies charge poor law student souls anywhere from $1000 to $10,000 for a few months just to prepare law graduates to pass the fricken bar exam.
Other things about law school to consider
Law school is extremely competitive and you meet assholes
Law generally has a higher percentage of assholes than many other industries because more assholes go to law school in the first place. That is my observation. Well, many of them are very politically correct, but backstabbing and manipulating.
They try to get into your soul and find out all your weaknesses. Do not let that happen.
People in the first year competing for grades like crazy and I even saw people set each other up with law school administration to remove competition. Crazy stuff.
People often keep things to themselves and do not open up for close friends even when they form study groups. Everyone is kind of suspicious of others. Eventually, in the second and third years, things relax a little.
But a certain degree of mistrust and cynicism developed in law school remains in law graduates for the rest of their lives. It may be helpful sometimes, but it feels lonelier for sure.
Still, law school is a good place to form future professional contacts. Take part in extracurricular groups and organizations. Make friends with 2Ls and 3Ls – they can help with outlines and advice about particular professors and their classes. But do not rely blindly on anyone’s advice, including mine.
It is not possible to read all the assigned readings.
We had one female law student who could read 40 pages of legal mambo jumbo in an hour, process and actually memorize it. Well, she was in the top 10 of the class. But she was an exception.
My classmate – former doctor – could not read more than 10-15 pages of this legal staff to process it properly. I also could not read more than 10-20 pages to prepare for class properly.
One of our best professors revealed to me in confidence that in his law school days he also could not read everything assigned because it was simply impossible.
So, when you are called in a class by the professor, and you have not read something – get ready to be embarrassed. You’ll live. I used study aid materials and that helped me. I think I will make a separate post on this topic.
You are not the smartest one – your grades gonna suck.
Most people who get into law school are very smart. Some are extremely intelligent. And in the first year, law exams are graded on a brutal curve. Many hopes are destroyed and so many egos are screwed. This is where law school expectations really confront the reality to the point of pain.
Many law students are often disappointed because they used to the fact that in undergrad, they were A students and in law school, they became B or C students.
Not because they are stupid, but became it just happened that their class pulls this year happened to consist of even smarter kids. And that hurts, trust me.
There is nothing one can do about the curve. Get ready for it. There is more to it which I will not tell openly. Just get ready and in the first year, you may feel very stupid.
But, not all students will find jobs, and not all of them will become successful attorneys. But many will. And many B and C law students also will find jobs eventually.
Note: I am not a native speaker – English is not my native language. But I was able to stay in the top 50%, and even the top 40% of the year class. And in some electives, I receive my top A+ grades. Revenge is sweet. The point is – if I could do it – you can do it too.
I wrote an article detailing steps, methods and tricks I and other law students were taking to improve our law school grades, reduce time spent on homework and just plain to really succeed in law school. It is long, but I suggest you read it before law school or in your first year.
More surprises
More surprises:
Not every law student is good looking – they are just as good looking as any other students. The only thing is they are smarter bunch than the average and that creates a more intellectual atmosphere, which is a pleasant thing. Some people are well connected.
In Rutgers School of Law, I have met a couple of children of politicians and even a couple of politicians. Some grads went into politics. Law professors were super-smart and knowledgeable.
However, some professors did not explain their topics well because they were just too smart for us, mere law students. Some probably did not care to explain better and I had the impression that they avoid to tell us the truth about legal work.
No arguing in law school.
People do not learn how to argue with each other in law school. Law is not about arguing. Or, it is? Law is about presenting your side better than the opponent.
Arguing is just a term for presenting a case by twisting facts and law in your favor. And do not argue with other law students – do not make enemies for life.
Law Study is Boring
Law school is intense and we did not have time to reflect. But I can tell you that the law is very boring for the most part. And lonely too.
Sitting in front of the computer all day long reading legal mumbo jumbo is not that glamorous at all. Difficult on the brain too. Some people even get depressed – I will have a separate blog post on law school and depression.
Law is not a law
Some people think that law is like the law of gravity – if it says it pulls down, then it pulls down. Like 2+2=4. Well, the body of law was created by people, so smart lawyers can pull things anywhere they want and there is nothing we can do about it.
Law is not set in stone, and law gets twisted and broken in all kinds of directions all the time by lawyers and judges. Great disappointment.
How much lawyers make on average? How much??
Salary after graduation is where law school expectations are completely destroyed by reality. First of all, according to ABA less than half of law school graduates get jobs.
Attorneys often make much less than law students think they will – no more than accountants, for example.
But it is much easier to become an accountant than a lawyer. The average take-home pay for attorneys is about $40.00 an hour. That’s it.
But work is more demanding and stressful than in many other professions. As a lawyer, you will have to follow a strict and tricky code of ethics and may get sued for violations. And when law school graduates fail bar exam it can become a life tragedy due to the inability to repay debt.
There is an over-saturation of lawyers in the United States and globally in general, and law school graduates are facing fewer options and may have more trouble landing satisfying, interesting and financially secure careers. Graduate-level other fields may yield a better long-term career than law school.
High unemployment of law school graduates and young attorneys.
Immediate job prospects for most law students are slim to none – it is a pure survival game in law school and after law school.
After several years attorneys can gain knowledge, skills, and clientele to make real money, but usually not for 3-5 years after graduation. Although, some open law offices and make good money within 3-4 years after graduation.
Ask yourself why to become an attorney? Or, why to become a lawyer? What is the motivation? Money is only one factor, there will be no money in any field if you do not enjoy it at least somewhat enough to keep you motivated to work.
But…can you still have a good satisfying career as attorney? Yes. Can you make good money and enjoy your work as a lawyer? Yes, you can. But only if law practice is what you want and what you like to do. So, lower your law school expectations and enjoy being a powerful person – an attorney.
Max Feo, JD, MBA, Tax LLM.
Formerly UCLA-trained paralegal, Max obtained his Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers School of Law, Camden, New Jersey. Then, he went on to obtain his LLM in Taxation degree from Loyola School of Law Los Angeles, California. Prior to legal career Max obtained his LLB in International law and relations and an MBA. Max has been working in business and law in the United States and abroad, including performing consulting work for international law firms.
