Re: Is law the right profession for me?
Davey88 wrote:Alright, I'm 16 years old, and I have some time to think this out. I am thinking about becoming a lawyer. All you lawyers out there, if you could change anything about the profession you picked, would you? I know this can be a stressful job, so do you guys think its worth it?
I get pretty good grades (3.75 GPA), but that means nothing at my age. I am a junior in high school, and I live in a south suburb near Chicago.
Which south suburb?
Davey88 wrote:Here's what I know about what you have to do to become a Lawyer (feel free to correct me if I am wrong):
-You have to attend a four-year college
-Must take LSAT, right?
-Go through three years at law school
-Pass the state BAR exam
For all practical purposes, you are correct.
Davey88 wrote:Here's what I want to know:
-Is there a sense of job security?
-Is there a good demand for the profession at this time?
-I know its usually glorified, but how much do you guys make?
-What are some options after getting certified, what are some different fields of this profession?
Job security: it depends on where you end up. Some lawyers work for the same firm all their lives. Some bounce around from firm to firm. Some get fired, and many others should be fired but aren't.
Demand: right now the demand is, as far as I can tell, fairly steady. But that's no guide to what it will be like eight years from now when you graduate from law school.
How much do us guys make: it depends on where you end up. Big firms pay big salaries, small firms pay smaller salaries, government jobs tend to pay even smaller salaries. Firms in big cities also tend to pay more than firms in small cities. For some information, check out the salary information links
on this page.
Different fields: most states don't allow for lawyers to advertise a "specialty," although the rules are in a state of flux right now. Traditionally, a lawyer could only claim to be a specialist in admiralty or patent/intellectual property law.