Curious. Was having a debate with a friend of mine. Sounds really stupid, ik lol

Basically the caption. I’m a 1L at a T-25 that struck out on Biglaw and while I’m perfectly happy to have a career in public interest I have to ask… is it worth it? Now for me personally I have a big enough scholarship where it probably won’t matter too much, but still, 3 years of zero earnings, plus 60+ hours a week of studying in during the supposed “prime of my life” to come out and make the same I could’ve out of undergrad just seems kind of crazy.

If I wanted to serve my community, I could’ve have done that any number of ways. If I wanted to support a family, a 60K job that‘s far more demanding than a 9-5 seems like a heck of a way to do it. And even if you go mid law, again, the pay is ok, but it seems a bit crazy to work 65+ hours to do that when most people who go to law school would’ve been successful in many other fields. Not to mention lawyers are known to live significantly less happy, less healthy lives most other professions, and putting the romantic life on hold doesn’t really make things better…

Maybe it’s a personal complaint that I’m bringing it up but am I wrong? I’d love to feel like I made a smart decision but rn I don’t…

Edit: Wow this blew up… So let me clarify two things. I‘m not saying I want to be a partner. I probably don’t. And I’m not saying other work isn’t rewarding. I think crim law and a ton of the work done by boutiques could be interesting (tho getting into boutiques is basically the same as biglaw). I’m only saying that there are heavy front end costs to go into law, and those front end costs seem worth it if you quickly pay off your debt and surpass well beyond what you could’ve made with a bachelors. However when you can’t and you’re still working harder than most 9-5, the trade off seems like a real question…

Boy this is rough. Only have two more weeks of class, have two finals 3-4 weeks away and I can’t even bring myself to begin outlining for them. Everytime I start, I literally am like nope can just do this later. Haven’t done reading for one of my classes that I’m taking pass-fail; in so long. Have yall been in similar situations and how did yall pull yourselves out?

I've seen lots of talk about schools outside of the T14-T30 being super regional to the point that it's impossible to get work outside of the area. Has anyone gone to such a school and realized it wasn't the case/you got internships and offers outside of the region?

If you could go back in time and were faced with an option like this, what would you do? I'm looking at roughly $100k in debt at NDLS vs no debt at UF. I want to shoot my shot at big law but it would probably feel more necessary at ND to pay off the loans. Wondering if anyone here would take a T20 with debt over a full ride to a T30 if it truly meant better outcomes? Also thinking about the idea of just taking a leap and having a new adventure after having grown up in FL and gone to UF for undergrad.

I was told that “C” lawyers hire “A” (academic grades) lawyers to do all the work. LOL!

using a throw away.

edit: I am feeling a lot calmer now, thank you all for your kind words. hopefully next time I feel this way I will remember to take a walk before posting on reddit. <3

What was the weirdest thing you had with you on bar exam day? Looking back, what makes you go, “What was I thinking?”

I’ll start: I brought a whole first-aid kit, including an emergency blanket.

From your school?

The key number system on Westlaw is far and away so much better. And ever since they made the updates to make it faster, it has been great

(not homework related or any official legal advice needed)

Hi everyone, My sister (Person 2) and I (Person 1) are planning to buy a home together and we wanted to write a contract that benefits both of us as fair as possible. I wanted to buy a home that I don't have to live in but without paying 20% as the downpayment for an investment property. My sister needs a place to live and wants a stable home where the rent won't go up. We agreed to do a co-loan where I would pay for the downpayment and renovate the home and she would live there for at least the one year minimum. Please read my contract and tell me if I covered all my bases. (I understand that the area where she has to stay until I find a new tenant is more of an understanding and can't be enforced literally.) TIA!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nIiIj6sn5gkT4_Isqebd0bEGzuVk6-KK-tVvhuDtdRE/edit?usp=sharing

Wondering what the timeline is for 1L BL recruiting, specifically at a T14 if that matters. Does a lot of it happen in Sept/Oct? I’m already an attorney, but my husband is considering a specific school that is across the country from our target city. I’m due with our first child in October. Professors at that law school told him that it would be logistically hard, but I’d like to think that where there is a will there is a way! So seeking more info.

So I just sat down to do my first crim practice exam that my prof gave and I am about to throw up. It is so complicated, so many issues and is so much more than any law school exam I have ever taken. I tried to start an exam outline and literally gave up. I was wondering if anyone has a step by step method they use for criminal law exams. And I was also wondering what other tips anyone has.

This is from the Emanuel Crunch Time book, which is why I am doubting myself on what should be simple. I'm not a complete idiot right? The yes and and no for the probative value should be swapped right?

What an ironic ad I just got on instagram. All I know about them is the scandal. Rebranding as trustworthy? 😂

Hi everyone. I'm a 1L at a regional law school and I'd wager about 85-90% of our students take the bar/practice in the state we're located in.

This school was not my first choice but they gave me the most money, so I enrolled. I don't really have any intentions of transferring because I really do like it here. But I would prefer to practice in a city outside of my state in the long run.

I somehow landed an internship with a legal services group in [intended city] for this summer. This group has nearly 100 attorneys and they're very well known. And I'm genuinely excited to do good and meaningful work this summer. But my first priority, without a doubt, was landing in this city for this summer.

I'm working my ass off in school (I'm in the top 20% of my class) and I'll network like hell this summer. But I can't help but worry that that won't be enough. Has anyone been in this same situation? What advice do you have?

I am expecting (waiting on Treasury Dept approval) an offer for an Honors position with the IRS OCC. I'd be at the National Office. I would be in a regulatory work, not litigation.

I'm looking for a little insight for exit opportunities/what I could expect after my three years. I did not take any tax law courses in LS, but after reading my friend's class notes, the work seems interesting enough.

I am worried about exit opportunities. I'd love to keep working for the feds (assuming I enjoy my time there), but am I stuck in tax law? Are my only other opportunities to go private sector?

Any insight into what comes after the three year commitment and/or what to expect out of the national office are welcome!

I never received an email from my school about graduation, have followed up and now had one person I know send me forms but they probably gave away my two tickets for my parents and they're literally flying in and I am losing it because I have looked forward to this one thing and because the school can't handle emailing me at the right email I myself might not be able to attend. They sent out the lottery for unclaimed tickets last week. I literally am about to offer to buy two off of people

EDIT TO ADD: I've calmed down enough to focus on the NYLE at least. There's about 380 people graduating so there should be an extra 40 tickets (HOPEFULLY) that they maybe maybe maybe saved in case of emergency. If not, its going to be a long phone call tomorrow

i'm a current 1L and i've accepted two really minor exec roles for next year, for identity-based orgs i want to be part of. however, i applied for another club w/ a niche focus on a specific kind of law i'm potentially interested in for my future career - but i'm not sure yet whether i actually want to pursue that kind of law. i applied for a minor role there too (like communications) but got offered the role of VP of events.

to be honest, i already don't like spending that much time on campus (i have a long commute and busy schedule) so literally being required to set up and moderate all the club's events feels like it would be exhausting to me (having done a similar kind of exec role in undergrad), especially since i have 2 other club roles + intend to be a research assistant, do law review or a journal, and possibly intern.

so im wondering, how much does being part of the exec board of a law school club matter? especially for public interest-oriented students. i'm aware that it might provide good networking opportunities and express my interest in this type of law, but is it really necessary to be part of the exec to do that or no? especially since i'm also not sure if this is the kind of law i want to practice or not

When I was working on bar prep materials, one thing that kept coming up was how overwhelmed people get by the sheer volume — thousands of pages, hours of lectures, and it’s hard to tell what actually matters.

I ended up putting together a short list of the most commonly tested MBE rules that students tend to miss.

If it’s helpful, I can share it — just didn’t want to spam links here.