I have to especially agree with indysteel, as I'm in that bad position in my career (see my rant over on the Interview thread about some of the stuff that has happened to me recently). I didn't really like law school, but figured that I had so much invested in it already I might as well finish. I did find that I liked environmental issues (note I don't say law) along the way, but there weren't (and still aren't) many jobs out there. I graduated, and then figured to pay the loans, I might as well work as a lawyer. I went to a small firm in a small town. I got some great experience from one of the partners and still count him as a friend. There was also a lot of crap that went on (it really puts some tv shows to shame). There was a young partner (associate when I got there) who decided to make my life a living he!!. I was working 60+ hours per week, and my next door neighbor hairstylist made more $$. He told me I *was* going to work 12 hours per day 7 days per week and that I was not getting a raise until I made partner (though I was paid much less than he was at that stage of his career, and I was bringing in more than 5x my salary), and I quit within a week. I don't regret that.

I took a little time off, but we moved and had financial pressure from trying to sell the house in the other town, so I started looking for jobs again. Now I work for a 60 person law firm that is getting ready to be 300+. I love the partner I do most of my work for. But I abhor the large firm environment. Billable hours $uck. There's no way around it. Take a sick day - gotta make it up. Need to do continuing legal education - gotta make that up too. And I do mostly creditor's rights work. It's a firm that is politically active, and on the complete opposite side of the table from where I am. Our billable hours just went up to 2000 per year (do the math, with vacations and holidays, it's a lot of hours when you add in admin work). And we only got a *very small* small pay raise to compensate. Suits are mandatory. Every day.

I do like litigation - and I've had some great moments in hearings and depositions. It's fun, in a way. BUT, I've decided it doesn't give back to me - it exhausts me. And there's never enough time to recharge. And I'm not passionate about what I do (I've also done construction work and plaintiff's securities arbitrations, which were *much* more fun). Most of the work I do is boring (lots of large doc reviews), even though the partner I work for is great about getting me involved in other stuff. And with the growth, things are getting worse. I'm looking for a way out. Everyone says there are lots of non-legal jobs out there - and I'm sure there are. However, my law school career services office will refer you to a book. They can be hard to find. And (from what I've seen), there aren't as many as you think there are. I'm currently looking for something else - who knows what! If all else fails, I've found a PhD program that I think would get me to exactly where I want to be. And yes, I think I'm glad I have a law degree when it's all said and done.

So...bottom line....think long and hard. I've talked a lot of people out of law school, and have tried to talk others out who went. I'm glad - they had thought through the decision before they went, and are happier for it. Spend time around lawyers. Spend time in court. Think about what kind of day you want (do you want to be at a desk all day). Think about what you want in terms of standard of living (yes, I am now well paid, but I'm not sure it's worth it). Other jobs have more bang for the buck. Heck, spend time in law school classes (most will let you sit in). The 2nd 2 years of law school, I did enjoy myself. I did not read anything, turned down a position on a journal, and worked on what mattered to me. Don't let law school (or the bar exam) stop you if you really want to be a lawyer (which brings up another point - you aren't very mobile as a lawyer, if you want to practice, because most states do not have reciprocity until you have a number of years experience, and some not even then).

Feel free to PM me if you have more questions. Sorry if this is too long winded! It's a subject near and dear to my heart right now....

Carrie Anne