From the Career Files: How To Tell Your Parents You're Not Going to Law School

Are you being pressured into law school by your parents? Here are some tips for making the case against law school.

Are you thinking about going to law school — and being encouraged to go, or even pressured to go, by your parents? Let’s start with the probably reasonable premise that your parents want the best for you. (Sure, your parents might be sociopaths who are trying to destroy your life, but why would you listen to them at all, if that’s the case?)

Not infrequently, the parental conception of “what’s best for you” involves a stint in law school. If you don’t want to go, how can you convince your parents that law school is a terrible, awful, very bad idea?

Some tips:

1. Sit them down and run the numbers. It’s time for a reality check. Law school is extremely expensive and your odds of getting a high-paying job (or any law-related job right out of school) are not good. Things have changed rapidly in the last decade, so it’s quite possible their conceptions just aren’t up to date. Yes, that nice boy down the block got a great job when he graduated from law school in 2005, but that was an entirely different world. Your mileage may vary.

2. Do your research. This isn’t just about money, it’s about the type of career you want. If you’ve been considering law (or your parents have been considering it for you) go talk to a bunch of lawyers. Gather information about why this isn’t a good professional fit for you. Do your own “case study” and present a report on what you learned and why law isn’t right for you.

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