[Stringfellow]

Is there any way I can talk you out of law school? I am a 3L at a pretty good mid-Atlantic/northeast law school and there are NO jobs. Last summer lots of firms who take on 10-30 summer associates and who normally make offers to all of them were only making offers to 25%. I am in the top 1/3 of my class and I can't land an offer to save my life.

Also, law school sucks!!! My school has a top 20 business school on the other end of the campus. I drive by it on my way to and from school. All of the students are out drinking and having a good time 5 days a week. It's a big cocktail party! They are "networking" while I am killing myself. If I had it to do over again I would get an MBA and be done with it.

 

[Stringfellow]

Not to hijack the thread but if anyone out there in Ask Andy land is hiring feel free to let me know. I have a pretty good resume and better than average work experience (for a 3L).

 

[Stringfellow]

Hm you guys are making law school sound pretty terrible. I'm doubling up undergrad with B.A. degrees in economics and management and doing a pre-law concentration.

I've been thinking about going for a J.D./MBA and trying to get into corporate law.

Hopefully by the time I get done with all that the economy will heading back up again. I definitely won't be able to go to a top 10 school and have been looking at Wake, Richmond, and Georgia as the schools where I am most interested and am likely to be accepted.

Is it pointless to do the J.D./MBA? Would I be better off just going to work and getting an MBA part time instead of going to law school? I feel like law school is what I want to do and would be a great experience, both for getting me where I want to be job-wise and also for becoming a better educated individual.

Great responses and lots of good information in this thread!

Thanks,
Mark

Law school is VERY terrible! Especially if you want to work in transactional/business/corporate law. I am currently an extern in Philly's largest corporate law firm. We have well over 500 lawyers and almost exclusively work on M&A and business deals and every associate is worried about getting the axe. Associates who are 1 or 2 years from becoming partners are afraid!

Seriously, I go to a good law school. I am in the top 1/3 of my class. I have worked on more legal jobs than anyone else in my class. I am an unemployed 3L! And besides that law school SUCKS!!! I really wanted to be a lawyer before coming to law school. I worked for 2 years after undergrad just to make sure this is what I wanted. I got a good LSAT score and go to a good law school. This is the worst decision I have ever made. I am too educated to get a "regular" job and I don't have enough experience for what legal jobs are available.

If you go to a little school like Wake in the middle of no where like Wake think of your job prospects. It's even worse in NC where you have to compete with Duke and UNC grads in what is a very small legal market. The great thing about an undergrad degree is that no one cares what you majored in. As long as you have it you qualify for most positions. Once you have a post graduate degree that is what you are supposed to do and you cannot "down grade" yourself. I wish I could go back in time and tell myself not to go to law school.