Law school sucks!

[AstroVic]

Yeah, the title says it all - law school sucks.

I honestly think this is just a bunch of #@$%!, like some kind of fraternity hazing rituals they put us through or something. (Been there, done that, too. Sigma Phi Epsilon, many years ago!) I keep thinking when it comes time to graduate - three years from now - there will be a room full of lawyers and judges, with punch and cake, and they'll flip the lights on and yell, "Surprise! You made it! Hahahaha! Suckers! Now we teach you the 'secret handshake!'"

I sure hope it's worth the $100,000 or so it's costing me. Not to mention the time. Seems kinda odd that I'll have to take a pay cut from being a county patrol deputy to being a county prosecutor, but #@$%!, right? Spend a hundred grand and lose income....yeah!

Nobody accused me of being smart.

So I took my Torts test last night. It was four hours non-stop. Typed furiously the whole time. A full ten pages of #@$%! - D assaults/batters P, but has a valid defense for this or that; P has a products liability claim against D, however the "state of the art" defense might prevail, blah, blah, blah. Total #@$%!. Do the professors even read this #@$%!???

I still didn't even hit several of the "issues" in the fact pattern. I could've easily typed for another four more hours if I had the time.

Maybe I'm just looking for sympathy. Who knows.

[rant off]

 

[i30krab]

AstroVic
The #@$%! you have to take is just a right of passage.
All professional schools on campus have their share of unpleasantries. Keep your eye on the prize, a law degree along with your experience in police work will open many opportunities.
I took this #@$%! for 4 years in dental school in the late 60's and if I remember correctly a little complaining and frustration is good for the soul.
Good luck!

 

[TheTanSedan]

It's a normal enough reaction to the new and frustrating, IMO. Good to get out and compare ones self to others before corrosion sets in. I was in hospital a few years back being prepped for an expensive and somewhat dangerous test. Stunned that I wouldn't likely make it to age 50 . . . and then I saw the other guys (far older) being wheeled in for the same. Man, I was glad I wasn't them. (More tests, surgery and I'm good to go, now. But it was a long four years otherwise).

Son has had some of the same reaction to Marine Corps officer training that you express: debt from college is high, pay is low, time is short, etc.

We find out who are friends are by those genuinely curious about our inner experiences. Good luck.

 

[Win]

It's a big jump to go from undergraduate school to professional school. The students are generally the cream at the top of the jug and highly motivated.

Unlike most professional schools that actually try to retain their students, law schools (at least when I went - I got my J.D. in '83) really try hard to weed people out in the first year. I think the attrition rate was between 50 and 60% at my school.

Once you get past the first year, it's really pretty easy after that. Once you get out, however, you have to go through the same beatdown process again - everybody will want to try you on for size again to see if you can cut it.

Unfortunately, the pay scale for people out of law school is low. You have to put up a with a ton of #@$%! and abuse for peanuts if you take a job, instead of going out on your own.

On the plus side, a law practice is a dirt cheap startup compared to medicine, dentistry, or veterinary medicine. It's even cheaper now that most of the research material is available online. I have tens of thousands of dollars invested in books that really don't do much other than to make the place look like a lawyer's office.

Good luck with it.

 

[texsyn]

Astro what law school are you at

 

[Laminar Lou]

"Law School Sucks..."

But so does flipping burgers. I envy that you are able to go to law school. If I had to do life over again, I think I would follow the same path. I've got friends that are doctors and lawyers. I've heard the stories from both. You think they beat on you in law school, try being a 1st year resident. What doesn't kill you will make you stronger...

Count your blessings, it will get better. Just do us all a favor and don't chase ambulances (although it sounds like you are more interested in putting bad people away - good for you).

 

[Rat407]

Keep this in mind, the females in your class will have it even worse. It is a male law world out there. My wife had to put up with so much c r a p it wasn't funny. Seeing less knowledgeable individuals making partner just because they were male. That can really wear on you.
When it is all said and done, you will be able to take what you have learned and expand on it. They can't take away your education. Several of my wifes law school friends that became lawyers then up and quit after their first year or so out in the real world. They found other ventures that were less pay but they had a better family life.

 

[AstroVic]

Sorry, guys. I didn't mean to vent like that.

I've actually done very well in my first couple of classes, so I'm not *too* worried about failing out or anything like that. It's just that sometimes I feel like they make the exams impossibly difficult and contorted just to see what kind of garbage you'll put down on paper. Hahahha...knuckleheads!

Overall, I love law school, primarily because it's been a VERY long road getting there and I feel incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity for a legal education. Truth is, most folks will never get this chance. And a law degree will always open doors that some folks will never get to enter. So, bottom line, I really am appreciative of this opportunity.

Ten years ago, with no college education whatsoever, I decided I was going to go to law school. I remember testifying in a criminal trial and watching the attorneys and thinking to myself, "Hey, I could do that!"

Well, here I am.

I just needed to blow off some steam and vent a little.

Thanks for taking it in stride, guys.

 

[Laminar Lou]

Always thought BITOG was good therapy...

I can imagine you might be a target because you are a "non-traditional" and you were/are a cop.

Good for you. Keep your chin up. You'll soon be over-charging clients and playing golf while working. Oh wait, you are going to work the DA? Forget that

 

[Gary Allan]

Vent away, pal!!! You're only experiencing the trial by fire that thins the herd. If it was all that easy ..everyone with enough brains would do it.

Now you know why I'm not a millionaire. I couldn't handle the trek from mediocrity to the finish line. Way too painful.

There's always the lotto. That would be a good consolation prize

 

[Laminar Lou]

Quote:

---

Always thought BITOG was good therapy...

I can imagine you might be a target because you are a "non-traditional" and you were/are a cop.

Good for you. Keep your chin up. You'll soon be over-charging clients and playing golf while working. Oh wait, you are going to work the DA? Forget that

---

Oops, somehow I left out; "Oh wait you are going to work for the DA? Forget that, you are going to work for a living"

 

[andyd]

#1 son just started his 1st semester at law school. #1 daughter is going for a criminal justice degree, masters or Phd, shes working too in a 1/2 way house for problem kids. I'm proud of them. I got a BA in poli sci and have worked with my hands/ back for 35 yrs.It was fine when I was younger, but it has been increasing ly more difficult as I age. Rant all you want, but stay the course.

 

[buster]

My g/f didn't like Law School. Hopefully she can get a high paying job to pay down the debt she has from going!!

 

[jmacmaster]

Win said that:

"Unlike most professional schools that actually try to retain their students, law schools (at least when I went - I got my J.D. in '83) really try hard to weed people out in the first year."

I agree. I graduated from the Univ. of Minnesota Law School in 68 and that's the way it was there. Tremendous amount of work and hassle during the first year. But a lot easier in the second and third years. And in law school, everyone is bright. You're up against the cream of the crop of those with undergraduate degrees.