[HankMoody]

I get this question a lot - should I go to law school? I've been practicing law close to 10 years, and I'm hoping to cut my practice back to part time to focus on other ventures.

Here are my general musings about it...

1. Law school not really worth taking out student loans for. Newly minted lawyers make anywhere between $35k - $70k a year, unless you're working for a large law firm making like $150k a year. Lawyers working for firms are expendable. Especially ones without a book of business. There are a lot of lawyers who just bounce from temp job to temp job, which involves reviewing documents.

2. You can make good money in law as a solo practitioner, anywhere between $130k - $350k, but it's not great money.

3. On that note, running a law practice is extremely time consuming. Many of your days begin at 6am, and end at 10pm. You're always glued to a laptop or smart phone. In addition to having to practice law, draft briefs, and get new clients, you also have to pay bills, fix the fax machine, etc. It's hard to get in a gym routine when some of your days are literally jammed up from the moment you wake up until the moment you decide to sleep for three hours.

4. Often you're dealing with people at their worst - they've been injured, they're going through a divorce, they've been arrested, sued, etc. Imagine being surrounded by toxic angry people all the time. Try and focus your practice on investors, real estate developers, businessmen, etc. Otherwise, you're surrounded by people you won't like.

5. Knowing how to navigate the court system is actually a useful skill. I use a lot of my legal knowledge for other ventures - particularly real estate.

6. Law sounds prestigious on paper, but it's really not. A law degree isn't a versatile degree that will get you employed in any field - it's a ticket to get your law license. Once you've acquired actual knowledge of practicing law, then you might be able to transition into other fields. Oh, and often you'll find that your buddy who is a contractor and started his own shop makes more money than you. Hey, but you get to wear a suit to court.

7. The good news with a law license is you can always open your own practice. It's an easy but uncreative way to start a business. That's a positive.

8. Deadlines. There is a push within the court system to get everything done in months, even though it should take way longer. If you're in litigation, you're constantly bombarded with deadlines. Imagine being back in college and having papers due in all your classes, along with a bunch of other stuff, pretty much all the time. Except if you turn it in late, you get sued and possibly disbarred.

9. No one cares about your problems. As a lawyer, it's your job to fix people's problems, not to have them yourself. If you get sick, jammed up, or a parent dies - no one cares.

10. If your state allows it, referral fees are the best. That means if someone is in a car accident, and you send it to someone who specializes in personal injury, you get a chunk of the settlement for doing nothing. I have made a lot of money in referral fees, which is one reason to keep my law license active. You can make a good amount of money just by knowing people and having connections.

All in all, law school is one of those things that I don't regret, though I certainly wouldn't practice law forever. It's a useful skill, but I don't recommend law as a full time profession. As a full time profession, it's too much stress, too much time, too much drama, and not enough money.

On a personal level, you will also become a jaded human being to your core - dealing with everything from snotty law students, to the guy who beats his wife but "it's so unfair I got arrested", to the client who owes you $10k but expects you to do all kinds of additional legal work for him, to the judges who schedule a conference for 9am and don't bother to show up until 11:30, to the people who get mad at you for not returning their text message 20 seconds later because you were in court and that's no excuse.

Growing up, I was the "star child" and adult in the family. Everyone is so proud of Hank the Lawyer, he's so important. He did all the "right" things and went to college and then law school. My sister, the college dropout turned barista with all the tattoos, well, let's not talk about her...

Today my sister makes $65k a year (with benefits) managing a few stores, working about 35 hours a week. She lives in a part of the country where it's warm and sunny all the time. Because she didn't go to college, she has no debt, and spends most of her time spare hiking and going to the gym. She might open her own coffee shop soon, but she's also content just hanging out with very little stress. Today it's Saturday and I'm at the office working.

Often I wonder who is better off...

[DVY]

One of my best friends is a recented mint lawyer. His brother few years older.

One smart thing they did is they went into a win-win law position instead of a win-lose law job. By that I mean rarely is the party you are suing, paying directly out of pocket. Exact opposite of "skin in the game".

Think something like Personal Injury, Damages, Business Litigation (Insurance). I am not talking corporate jobs. I am talking high-ticket contracts w/checks cut to clients upwards of 100k. When a client gets a check for 100k, he is a client for life and a walking referral system.

They work on commission 25-40% and set their own hours.

If you should get into law, exit the corporate hourly ASAP as soon as you build up your skillset. Its a classic work grind that kills the soul.

This is all anecdotal but the differences I see between corporate drones and SE law guys.

[fortysix]

Thanks for the data sheet.

1. For lawyers starting their own practice, what do you recommend for marketing?

2. You seem to practice litigation - what is your opinion of strictly transactional work and why did you not chose to get into that side of the profession?

[Merenguero]

(03-12-2016 08:17 PM)se7en Wrote:  

Thanks for the data sheet.

1. For lawyers starting their own practice, what do you recommend for marketing?

For criminal law, if your particular jurisdiction allows it, get a list of all people who are charged with crimes and send them a letter offering your services immediately after they are charged, not two days, a week, or a month after like most other lawyers do. Make sure you comply with all applicable laws regarding advertising and solicitation of prospective clients. Television and radio advertising can be good, but will bring you a lot more crazy/difficult/problem people than other forms of advertising. I don't really know much about internet advertising and am probably selling myself short by not using it.

Hank, a big part of all of this is keeping your expenses as low as possible. My overhead may very well be the lowest of any lawyer anywhere and my personal expenses are a complete joke as well. $500,000 a year gross doesn't do much good when your overhead is $450,000 and trust me, there are lawyers, maybe even many lawyers, with those kinds of stats.

[HankMoody]

(03-12-2016 08:17 PM)se7en Wrote:  

Thanks for the data sheet.

1. For lawyers starting their own practice, what do you recommend for marketing?

2. You seem to practice litigation - what is your opinion of strictly transactional work and why did you not chose to get into that side of the profession?

1. I don't do any real marketing, just networking. That's always worked for me. Have hobbies outside your job. I invested some money into branding, and a website. I also pay Avvo $130 a month for some specialized searches. Otherwise, I just spend a lot of time out and about just hitting the pavement. My practice areas are fairly niche, so it getting clients usually involves doing the things my clients like to do.

I also write an ABA 100 blog that's widely read in my geographic area. It doesn't get me direct referrals, but it's widened my social network.

Having a diverse social network is the key, in addition to being around potential clients. It's like dating - you have to be around hot chicks in order to date them. You won't meet most of the best ones online, either.

2. I find transactional boring, and there isn't enough work to stay busy. It's also not really possible to do both litigation and transactional, since with litigation you're always under strict deadlines, meaning transactional work gets pushed to the side. If you try and do both, your life is a constant source of "Hey Hank, did you review that contract? Did you draft my lease? It's been two weeks!" Even though you've been up until 3am getting briefing done for a case that's going to trial at the end of the month, and no one cares.

There is a young, female former litigator who started a strictly transactional practice that I farm all my work to and she's very good at it. She doesn't make the money that I make, though. Most of the money in law is for competent litigators in specialized practice areas.

I'd rather lose money and farm work out than have upset clients. The key is to do a few niche things, rather than try and take on everyone who walks in the door.

[HankMoody]

(03-12-2016 09:17 PM)Merenguero Wrote:  

(03-12-2016 08:17 PM)se7en Wrote:  

Thanks for the data sheet.

1. For lawyers starting their own practice, what do you recommend for marketing?

For criminal law, if your particular jurisdiction allows it, get a list of all people who are charged with crimes and send them a letter offering your services immediately after they are charged, not two days, a week, or a month after like most other lawyers do. Make sure you comply with all applicable laws regarding advertising and solicitation of prospective clients. Television and radio advertising can be good, but will bring you a lot more crazy/difficult/problem people than other forms of advertising. I don't really know much about internet advertising and am probably selling myself short by not using it.

Hank, a big part of all of this is keeping your expenses as low as possible. My overhead may very well be the lowest of any lawyer anywhere and my personal expenses are a complete joke as well. $500,000 a year gross doesn't do much good when your overhead is $450,000 and trust me, there are lawyers, maybe even many lawyers, with those kinds of stats.

Without a doubt.

I made that mistake in 2015 - too much overhead. I had a nice gross income, but I also had baller office space, was paying my staff too much, car, etc. In 2016 I cut back a lot of things in order to keep more money and invest it into other things.

Less overhead has also freed up more of my time to do the things I care about, like travel and the gym. I'd rather deal with 10 clients who I like and make less money than deal with 30 clients, most of whom I hate, and then end up using that extra money just to keep the practice running. In addition, it's nice not to worry every month about whether you're going to make your nut or not.

If I've realized one thing, it's that low overhead - both personal and professional - is the key to successfully running a solo law practice. It's feast or famine, and it takes discipline not to spend like a drunken sailor once that big payday comes in.

[not_dead_yet]

(03-13-2016 02:11 AM)HankMoody Wrote:  

I also pay Avvo $130 a month for some specialized searches.

Thanks for the data sheet. Do you think the Avvo money you spend is worth it?

[churros]

Hank, is it still true that to get into law – at all – Harvard, Stanford, Yale are the bare minimum?

[HankMoody]

(03-13-2016 08:24 AM)not_dead_yet Wrote:  

(03-13-2016 02:11 AM)HankMoody Wrote:  

I also pay Avvo $130 a month for some specialized searches.

Thanks for the data sheet. Do you think the Avvo money you spend is worth it?

Yes. It's $130 a month. That's $1250 a year. Meaning if I get one case off of it, I make my money back and profit. It's not a huge source of clients, but it's enough. It generates at least a few calls each month.

I'm also rated 10/10 (not meant to be a humblebrag). Make sure to get your peers to endorse you and your former clients to leave reviews. It's really easy to get rated 10/10. Write a few article for your local bar association, because if they're published that raises your ranking a lot. And they publish everything. While actually meaningless, clients think Avvo 10/10 and SuperLawyers is a big deal.

[HankMoody]

(03-13-2016 08:26 AM)churros Wrote:  

Hank, is it still true that to get into law – at all – Harvard, Stanford, Yale are the bare minimum?

No, not at all. Not even arguably true.

It really doesn't matter where you go to law school, unless you want to be a justice on the United States Supreme Court, a law school professor, or general counsel of a mega corporation.

If you go to a top 10 law school, there's a better chance you'll get hired in a large corporate law firm right out of the gate. What does that mean? Could mean a few things. You'll either work your way into partnership, in which case you'll be making a lot of money. You'll get laid off, in which case you're now you're just like every other lawyer. Or you'll work for a few years, and either enter academia or find a corporate gig in house. Granted, you'll make a bunch of better connections at Harvard and Yale, but that's a given for any degree.

If you want to be a practicing lawyer, my advice is to go to a local law school and then represent people around you when you graduate. Your friends, your family, and your acquaintances eventually become your clients. You'll get calls from your colleagues in school like "Hey, I know you do this type of work, I'm going to send this client your way." If you want to represent actual clients, you can go to a dreaded Tier 4 law school and be just fine. Anyone with a law license can open up a law practice and represent clients. The only thing required to practice law, other than a law license, is clients - and they don't care where you went to school. I've never had a client ask where I went to law school, except as it relates to my college sporting preferences. (I do not recommend hanging a shingle directly out of law school, although it can be done).

If your goal is to be a Supreme Court Justice, general counsel of Exxon, a law professor, or partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, go to an Ivy League school. You have a much better chance of accomplishing these things.

Me personally - I like the "freedom" of running my own law practice. I like that it's abled me to start other businesses. I have no desire to show up to an office at 8:30am and bill hours until 7pm to please the partners. Been there, done that, and determined that life is too short to waste it like that. Glad I did it, but would never go back.

Law is very broad. You have your corporate law firms who bill anywhere from $500 - $1000 an hour to represent mega corporations. Then you have large law firms with low hourly rates who do nothing but represent insurance carriers defending personal injury claims. You have personal injury law firms who represent people who have been injured in accidents, where settlements can range from anywhere from $5k - $500k - $5,000,000. You have some criminal defense lawyers who won't do a consultation without $50k, and other criminal defense lawyers who will chomp at the bit for $500 to defend a shoplifting charge. There are law firms who focus on collections, personal bankruptcy, defending foreclosure, evictions, etc. You have firms like mine that specialize in very niche areas of dealing with the local city government. I know one solo practitioner who specializes in "equestrian law" (horse law). Another lawyer friend of mine represents lawyers accused of violating the Rules of Professional Conduct. It's all based on people's needs and your ability to help them. Despite what you may have read, it's not just corporate law firms compared to defending evictions for $200 a pop. There is a very broad range of what lawyers do, and how they are compensated. A lot of it comes down to what you're interested in, and who you want to associate with. Personally, I enjoy real estate development. I know other lawyers who want to save the world by defending criminals or prosecuting claims on behalf of the injured. Other lawyers just want to work for insurance companies because the pay is low and the money is easy. I wrote about the gal who is a married mother, who just wants to help small businesses with their transactional work, who gets most of her work from litigators. Your milage may vary.

I'd say about 90% of my colleagues who actually practice law went to a local law school that was either a T2 (top 100) or a T4 (bottom). Those from the Ivy Leagues started out at big firms, and now either practice at small firms (like the rest of us), or got out of law entirely to do something more interesting. However, I also know some Ivy League grads doing document review, and some T4 grads who are either partners at big law firms, or who make a lot of money with their own firms. The "prestige" of your degree is a teeny tiny portion of what will actually matter as to your success as a lawyer. Quite possibly the smallest factor.

Once you get admitted to practice, all that matters is (a) your book of business; and (b) what you contribute. If you really want to be a lawyer, in my opinion, you're better off going to the most affordable school you possibly can and taking on no debt, rather than wasting money on a school that U.S. News and World Report ranks as "higher". The only people who care about "academic credentials" are law students and law professors. Practicing lawyers don't sit around talking about how this school went up in the rankings, this school went down, etc. We have way heavier concerns on our mind at any given time.

[churros]

Very interesting to hear that. Thanks for the information.

[Prince of Persia]

Thanks for the data sheet. I'm an incoming college freshmen interested in entering law and then parlaying into politics. My goal is to attend a t-14 school, so obviously a stellar GPA and LSAT is necessary. Do you have any advice for how to score highly on the LSAT, like when to start preparing, which test prep companies to use, etc.?

[WeekendCasanova]

Divorce law. Check out this guy - http://jalopnik.com/5893665/meet-the-mos...the-world.

He's a baller. A bit excessive, and super tacky, but I find it hilarious.

Edit: Yes. This is an actual guy; he has a pretty active instagram as well.

[HankMoody]

(03-13-2016 01:35 PM)Prince of Persia Wrote:  

Thanks for the data sheet. I'm an incoming college freshmen interested in entering law and then parlaying into politics. My goal is to attend a t-14 school, so obviously a stellar GPA and LSAT is necessary. Do you have any advice for how to score highly on the LSAT, like when to start preparing, which test prep companies to use, etc.?

It's like any silly test - simply learn how to take the test. It doesn't take any intelligence or any real skill set other than knowing how to take the test. Just like the SAT.

Kaplan is fine. I used Princeton Review. It's all the same. If you're self motivated, just get some books off Amazon and study at your own pace. It's just a matter of learning what's on the test, how to address it, and taking a bunch of sample tests until you can do them in your sleep.

Like becoming a master of Halo 4 or really anything, your results will be a matter of how much time and effort you put into it. The earlier you start prepping, the better. If you put a lot of effort into learning how to take the test, you'll probably do well. If you wing it, you probably won't. The test is completely arbitrary and can be aced by anyone willing to put in the effort.

Granted, some people will be master it faster than others. I'm of average intelligence but with a strong work ethic. So I just prepare for everything like a madman, and assume it comes easier to everyone else. That's pretty much the story of my legal career, and it's served me well.

[Merenguero]

I will say this. Buy commercial outlines for all first-year subjects. Learn the outlines inside and out. Work on exam writing skills and study questions and model answers from previous exams (preferably from the same professor. They might not be so easy to get) and focus on IRAC (issue, rule, analysis, conclusion) and time management. Don't do any of the assigned reading unless you have extra time or are bored. If you do this and you don't get a 4.0 or close to it, you are doing something seriously wrong. Law school exams are about your test taking skills first and mastering the material second. If you have those two things covered, you can't go wrong.

[HankMoody]

(03-13-2016 08:20 PM)Merenguero Wrote:  

I will say this. Buy commercial outlines for all first-year subjects. Learn the outlines inside and out. Work on exam writing skills and study questions and model answers from previous exams (preferably from the same professor. They might not be so easy to get) and focus on IRAC (issue, rule, analysis, conclusion) and time management. Don't do any of the assigned reading unless you have extra time or are bored. If you do this and you don't get a 4.0 or close to it, you are doing something seriously wrong. Law school exams are about your test taking skills first and mastering the material second. If you have those two things covered, you can't go wrong.

I was top 5% of the class by basically doing this...

- Don't read anything that's assigned (I've never actually read International Shoe, nor do I intend to)
- Grab some old tests from professors if they're available
- Get outlines and memorize black letter law
- Read the "Glannon Guides", particularly his mock essays in the back
- Learn how to do IRAC

When grades came out, I expected to have like a 2.8 because that's all I did, plus I waited tables to put beer on the table. There were kids who spent all their time doing the assigned reading, outlining the cases, and all that jazz. I literally did nothing all semester, and then spent the last few weeks reading Glannon Guides, IRAC, black letter law, etc.

I was floored to be in the top 5%.

For the record, I graduated from a top 50. Caveat: I type very quickly and write well on the fly.

[Merenguero]

(03-13-2016 10:28 PM)HankMoody Wrote:  

(03-13-2016 08:20 PM)Merenguero Wrote:  

I will say this. Buy commercial outlines for all first-year subjects. Learn the outlines inside and out. Work on exam writing skills and study questions and model answers from previous exams (preferably from the same professor. They might not be so easy to get) and focus on IRAC (issue, rule, analysis, conclusion) and time management. Don't do any of the assigned reading unless you have extra time or are bored. If you do this and you don't get a 4.0 or close to it, you are doing something seriously wrong. Law school exams are about your test taking skills first and mastering the material second. If you have those two things covered, you can't go wrong.

I was top 5% of the class by basically doing this...

- Don't read anything that's assigned (I've never actually read International Shoe, nor do I intend to)
- Grab some old tests from professors if they're available
- Get outlines and memorize black letter law
- Read the "Glannon Guides", particularly his mock essays in the back
- Learn how to do IRAC

When grades came out, I expected to have like a 2.8 because that's all I did, plus I waited tables to put beer on the table. There were kids who spent all their time doing the assigned reading, outlining the cases, and all that jazz. I literally did nothing all semester, and then spent the last few weeks reading Glannon Guides, IRAC, black letter law, etc.

I was floored to be in the top 5%.

For the record, I graduated from a top 50. Caveat: I type very quickly and write well on the fly.

The second and third year are a complete joke compared to the first. If you do well during the first year, you should do even better during the second and third year with much less effort. In my school, during the second and third year, there were no classes on Fridays, so a lot of the time, I would just head back to the Jersey Shore on Thursday after class. People couldn't figure out what I was doing at the Fairview on Thursday nights when I was in law school. Also, I very rarely see people who I went to law school with in practice and they seem to be getting fewer and fewer all the time.

[PartManPartMonkey]

Good insight Hank and Merenguero. When did you start your own practice? Most new law grads don't know how to do anything upon graduation. They know theory but not the nuts and bolts. A lawyer can memorize all the crim statuetes he wants and know case law, but if he doesn't know his way around the court house and know procedure and know etiquette then he is screwed.

It is almost always wise to have someone teach you how to practice and then go out and do it yourself. If you go to law school thinking you are going to pass the bar and immediately hang up your shingle and succeed, you are going to be in for a shock.

[lavidaloca]

I started my own practice about 1.5 years out of law school.

One of the things that people underestimate is how sporadic income can be in sole practitioner work when you don't have an established practice.

As an example in the last 1.5 days of work I will have made well over $2,000. However, I may next week only gross $750 over 5 days. The variance can be huge. On a busy week though I can make about $5,000 net before taxes.

Some months I'll clear 5 figures. Other months I'd have been better off as a waiter.

It's fun when the money is flowing but when it's not it can be a drain. You really have to have good spending habits otherwise you can very quickly fall into credit card debt, not being able to pay your mortgage or vehicle lease etc.

Thats where working for a firm is very beneficial. Each month you know your going to receive a certain amount. It's much easier for my friend who knows he makes $5,000 bi weekly to go and spend $500 on a Saturday night because his bank account keeps replenishing itself every 2 weeks.

[Silver_Tube]

I failed out of law school 3 years ago. The student loan from that mistake will weigh me down for decades.

[Menace]

I guess I'll chime in here for another perspective. I'm in IP "Big Law." A niche solo/small practice can be potentially far more lucrative than working at a firm, with the caveats from lavidaloca above. I don't really want to be a solo, but I admire the guys who get out there and make it happen. I don't think of myself as a "real" lawyer sometimes, because I've never had to file complaints/motions in any court (I don't do litigation). Lifestyle is surprisingly reasonable, and much of the work can be done remotely, although I come into the office. That being said, you need very solid scientific credentials to be considered a good candidate. In the past electrical engineers were in high demand, but a recent Supreme Court case (Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank) has put a lot software patents in doubt. This has decreased demand for EE's, whereas before it was pretty easy to find a job.

That said, you really need to have a plan for post-law school that involves more than graduating from law school. A lot of law students want to practice "international law" or "human rights law," and are invariable disappointed. Many of my classmates do not practice law.

I think people would be well served by checking out some of Mike Cernovich's comments regarding his law school experience, and how he distinguished himself. I think if you don't have some kind of plus factor (like a solid science education), you need to be able to differentiate yourself from the herd.

The other item not mentioned is the bar exam. The bar exam is not super difficult, provided you put in the work during law school and do the bar prep course (essential). I believe VA, CA, and FL are considered to be the toughest exams.

[Merenguero]

(03-15-2016 02:43 PM)Menace Wrote:  

I guess I'll chime in here for another perspective. I'm in IP "Big Law." A niche solo/small practice can be potentially far more lucrative than working at a firm, with the caveats from lavidaloca above. I don't really want to be a solo, but I admire the guys who get out there and make it happen. I don't think of myself as a "real" lawyer sometimes, because I've never had to file complaints/motions in any court (I don't do litigation). Lifestyle is surprisingly reasonable, and much of the work can be done remotely, although I come into the office. That being said, you need very solid scientific credentials to be considered a good candidate. In the past electrical engineers were in high demand, but a recent Supreme Court case (Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank) has put a lot software patents in doubt. This has decreased demand for EE's, whereas before it was pretty easy to find a job.

That said, you really need to have a plan for post-law school that involves more than graduating from law school. A lot of law students want to practice "international law" or "human rights law," and are invariable disappointed. Many of my classmates do not practice law.

I think people would be well served by checking out some of Mike Cernovich's comments regarding his law school experience, and how he distinguished himself. I think if you don't have some kind of plus factor (like a solid science education), you need to be able to differentiate yourself from the herd.

The other item not mentioned is the bar exam. The bar exam is not super difficult, provided you put in the work during law school and do the bar prep course (essential). I believe VA, CA, and FL are considered to be the toughest exams.

You can add New York and Maryland to that list. Many midwestern states have easier bars and New Jersey was easy in that it consisted of just six essays, each only covering one subject. I remember I was so sure I failed New Jersey that I didn't even look at the results until after a month after they came out and it turns out I passed. I thought I completely bombed the second half of the multiple choice. I've always been bad at multiple choice, but good at essays. If you practice in another state for a few years, California lets you just take the essay test and skip the multistate. The California essays are still tougher than most or all other states' essays.

[Merenguero]

(03-14-2016 09:34 PM)PartManPartMonkey Wrote:  

Good insight Hank and Merenguero. When did you start your own practice? Most new law grads don't know how to do anything upon graduation. They know theory but not the nuts and bolts. A lawyer can memorize all the crim statuetes he wants and know case law, but if he doesn't know his way around the court house and know procedure and know etiquette then he is screwed.

It is almost always wise to have someone teach you how to practice and then go out and do it yourself. If you go to law school thinking you are going to pass the bar and immediately hang up your shingle and succeed, you are going to be in for a shock.

I went out on my own just under eight years ago. I spent one year not working, then five years with the worst possible job, which either directly or indirectly caused me serious, serious problems. I've posted about that before. No more than two years after I went out on my own, I was able to take care of the approximately $250,000 in debt which I had when I went out on my own. Not a dime of help from anyone. Sometimes you find out the hard way who your "friends" and "family" really are.

[tarquin]

The economy collapsed about one month into my 1L year. I should have taken that as a sign and dropped out. Instead I stuck things out and I've regretted it ever since.

I'll try and give a brief rundown of my experience getting a job. I went to a Tier 2 school so I could stay close to my family and keep my debt levels low. I had the LSATs for a much better school, but I didn't realize that a T-14 school could make a such a huge difference in my career. I clerked at a PI firm my 2L summer and through my 3L year. I enjoyed the work, for the most part, as my job was mostly research and writing. I had a tentative offer on my plate, but my "best friend" ended up getting an offer and I didn't. I found out later that he started rumors about me which included drinking and drugs. He ended up marrying a fat bitch, so the joke is on him.

Career services is a joke unless you go to a well connected school. My career services office offered very little help in actually helping me secure a position. They provided me with the exact same job leads I found using google and other job websites. Somehow, about 3 months after admission to the Bar, I managed to find a job. It was shitlaw, but I didn't complain. Unfortunately, the firm encountered financial difficulties after less than a year of my employment. I lost my job with more than a handful of others. Boy that was depressing.

After that job, I eventually joined up with a solo practitioner. He said he had enough work to keep us busy, but he was full of shit. He had mental problems and was really just looking for somebody to cover his ass whenever he felt like suicide. I lasted about 8 months before leaving. It was probably one of the most emotionally draining periods of my life. I learned a lot, but it was mostly from watching his mistakes that I learned the most. It was this time period that I became jaded and depressed the most.

After that, I teamed up with a local criminal defense attorney. We shared some cases and I took some overflow on other general practices that he was unfamiliar with (estates, real estate, some simple litigation). I enjoyed working with him, but I found the small things difficult. I would have weeks where I would do $3-4k of work for a number of clients and only get $1k or less back. Issues like bounced checks, ungrateful clients and general administrative issues really bogged me down. I can't spend time chasing somebody around town for $500 when I have deadlines looming over my head for clients that actually pay. Get enough people to bounce checks, all of a sudden you are talking serious money. Always get money up front. No excuses. Do as I say, not as I do.

From there, I decided to try my hand again in the job market. Somehow, despite my shitty resume, I ended up getting another job practicing "shitlaw." I make ok money. Nothing to write home about, but I can pay the bills. I'm still there now and I'm resigned to collect paychecks for, what most non-shitlaw lawyers would consider, mediocre legal work.

Would I do it over again? No. I would learn a trade. The welders who held onto their money in the oil boom are still way ahead of me.

I respect the other attorneys on this board, but my experience has been much different. Applying to law school is, in my opinion, a mistake unless you go T-14 and have a game plan. Don't follow my example. If you go into law school, make connections as early as possible with the legal community. Going to a lower level law school is doable, but only if you get a free ride.

P.S. I read International Shoe and I liked it.

[Merenguero]

I'll add something here and I've never heard or read this anywhere. If you practice law and go to court, you will constantly be approached by people in court asking if you are a lawyer and asking for your card. Nothing good will ever come out of this. If someone shows up in court without a lawyer, there is no way in hell that he can afford a competent lawyer ever. No exceptions. Just ignore those people. Your time is too valuable. I think Hank will agree with me on this one.