Law Schools

4 Types Of People Who Might Be Good Candidates For Law School

Yes, there ARE some people who are good candidates for law school today -- might you be one of them?

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Last week, I wrote about the four types of people who shouldn’t go to law school. Some of the responses to the piece were unflattering. The interesting part was that they did not come from the usual anonymous wannabe comedians residing in the lower bowels of this webpage. Here’s a sample:

  • “Is this a satire?”
  • “This article is biased and elitist.”
  • “Typical pretentious crap from the non-diverse staff @ ATL.”
  • “Should rename the article ‘One Type of Person Who Shouldn’t Write Articles.'”
  • “So basically everyone in law school? This is BS.”
  • “So you should go to law school if you’re a hot piece of ass like Lat.”

To those commenters above, I’m sorry if I made you mad. But I’m not here to rub your tummies (or other body parts). The pre-laws need to know a few things. Faith does not pay your bills, rent, or food. Your mortgage-grade student loans may limit what social causes you can support. And determination without guidance can lead to idiocy.

A few raised a good point: who should go to law school in this day and age? I do think there are certain people who should go to law school. But for now, it is not for those with big ideals and faith but without a solid career plan. I think the people below are good candidates for law school.

1. The Rich. Needless to say, if you are self-made wealthy or smart enough to choose rich parents, then things will be a lot easier for you after graduation. You won’t have to pay $1,000+ every month for 25 years towards your student loans. Also, you might be willing to consider jobs the pay less but provide better benefits and lifestyles and are more in line with your life goals.

Second, if you want to start your own law firm, you have a good head start over your broke classmates. You can afford to pay for a marketing campaign, hire a consultant, invest in new technology, have a decent office near the rich folk, and hire employees. All of these things will make it easier to develop business and establish your work support team. (Of course, I would recommend expanding your overhead on an as-needed basis.)

Finally, if you are rich, you can afford to do something else on short notice in case you no longer enjoy being a lawyer.

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2. Those Who Have No Desire To Be Rich In The Near Future. I assume that most people graduated from law school last summer with around $150,000 of student loan debt (I personally believe the number is close to $200,000) and will earn low- to mid-five figures in their early years of practice. Others are unemployed, working in retail, or doing various freelance work making less than minimum wage.

With this scenario, it will take many years before student loans are paid off or paid down to a manageable level. For those who plan to be on IBR for life, their relatively low salaries ensure at best a middle-class lifestyle.

So if you see yourself being happy as a lawyer (and that is possible) and are willing to live frugally for many years, then going to law school might work out for you.

3. The Salesperson. If you are in private practice working for a law firm, at some point, you will need to bring in paying clients. This is true whether you are a solo practitioner or a Biglaw partner. You or your firm may have a marketing staff but it is usually your responsibility to make it rain.

Nowadays, lawyers have to be salespeople. Now the term “salesman” has a negative connotation, conjuring up images of pushy pitches for pointless products. So in law, we use euphemisms like “equity partner” and “law school admissions staff.”

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The lawyer who is a good salesperson is likely to have a lucrative and happy career. Obviously, the salesperson has to be a competent lawyer as well. And the top attorneys attract clients through their reputations alone. Firms will supply associates or other support staff who can compensate for the salesperson’s deficiencies. And as a fringe benefit, some firms will even assign an associate the salesman can yell or throw things at, usually for things and events no one can control.

4. The Connected. Finally, there are some who are able to find jobs on their own through the people they know. They don’t need on-campus interviewing or the school’s career services. So if one of your contacts has assured you a job at his or her firm after graduation, then law school may not be a bad idea.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to keep promises made three years in the past. Will your contact still work at the firm in three years? Will he still have authority to hire you? Will economic conditions change, meaning that the firm will no longer require your services? Will the two of you still be on good terms?

So if a contact “promises” you a job after you graduate, be sure to politely remind him of a few things. First, you will be spending $50,000 per year or more to go to law school relying on his promise. Second, you plan to skip OCI and other interviews to show that you are interested in working only for his firm. Finally, remind your contact that if you are not hired, chances are you will be unemployed, possibly for a long period of time. See if your contact changes his tune afterwards.

Earlier: 4 Types Of People Who Shouldn’t Go To Law School

Shannon Achimalbe was a former solo practitioner for five years before deciding to sell out and get back on the corporate ladder. Shannon can be reached by email at [email protected] and via Twitter: @ShanonAchimalbe.

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