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SHOULD YOU REALLY BE A LAWYER?
The Guide To Smart Career Choices Before,
During & After Law School
By Deborah Schneider, JD & Gary Belsky
Decision Books
$21.95, soft cover, 239 pages; ISBN 0-940675-57-9 (2005).
This book received good reviews from Ernie Svenson (Ernie the Attorney) and J. Craig Williams (May It Please The Court) so I was looking forward to reading it. The book has qualified writers: Deborah Schneider is a lawyer and former Associate Director for Career Development at Hastings Law School. Gary Belsky, is executive editor of ESPN, and co-author of Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes and How To Correct Them: Lessons from the New Science of Behavioral Economics.
It is broken down into three sections:
- Should you even go to Law School?
- If you’re in Law School, should you stay?
- If you’re already a lawyer, should you continue to practice?
The book is an easy read filled with interesting quotes from college students thinking about law school, those attending law school and lawyers either thinking of quitting practice or lawyers (like Deborah) who have already given up on practicing law. Although I read the entire book, I recommend that you read only those sections that apply to your specific situation. If you’re already a lawyer, for example, you can either briefly skim or even skip the first two sections.
The style of the book continuously forces the reader to evaluate the reasons for choosing law as a career. Each chapter even has a "devil’s advocate" section that lists all the reasons why you may want to reconsider your choices. It’s clear, both from the title of the book and reading just the first few pages, that the authors have a bias against law school or staying in the legal practice. That’s fine if you’re already leaning in that direction, but the book quickly gets repetitive and disheartening for those happy with being a lawyer or pursuing a legal career. I suppose such a bias is to be expected in this type of book, but I would have preferred to see a more even-handed approach.
The book asks the reader to choose from various reasons for deciding on a legal career. Depending on the reasons chosen, the authors explain why in most instances your choices were flawed. If you chose to go to law school because of the following reasons, for example, your decision making ability is questionable:
- Most people around me are getting graduate degrees, so I need one to stay competitive
- The intellectual challenge of law school appeals to me
- I’m attracted to the law for its powerful potential for social change
- People whose opinions I trust are encouraging me to get a law degree
- Everyone says I’d make a good lawyer
- A law degree is a valuable credential even if you don’t intend to practice law
- I want a prestigious career, and the law is a respectable profession
- I want to help people
- I want to increase my earning potential
- I want to work in a specific practice area, such as litigation, or criminal, entertainment, international, sports, corporate or public-interest law
- I’m fascinated by the law
- I enjoy counseling people and problem-solving
Yep, that’s right. The authors explain that if you picked any of those reasons to go to law school, you may be on the wrong career track. Surprised? I was too. Want to know more? Sorry, you’ll have to read the book yourself.
Don’t get me wrong – this book has plenty of useful information for those questioning their commitment to the legal profession. There are plenty of lawyers dissatisfied with their chosen career path. The authors do a fine job of debunking the myths associated with going to law school and becoming a lawyer. If you read this book, there must be some basis for believing that you may need the push it gives you to more closely examine your career decisions. If you’re looking for confirmation that you’re in the wrong profession, you’ll find it here.
I must disclose that parts of this book annoyed me. The authors are careful to point out that they consulted "hundreds of lawyers, law students, law professors and law career counselors" while writing the book. If that’s the case, why do they insist on writing so much about their own personal experiences? Sorry, a single paragraph or two about "Deborah" leaving the legal practice is enough information for me. I don’t need to be reminded of it again and again throughout the book.
Another thing that’s troublesome is that the book is not put together well. By that I mean that it has interesting quotes set apart from the regular text from people that were interviewed, but sometimes the quotes are repeated in whole or in part several pages later. It’s as if whoever inserted the quotes didn’t read any of the text. Also, some sections of quotes had typos. (A C inserted where a ‘ was called for: CWhat’, Carrived’ and Cgood for you’) I know these are minor things – but they detract from the book nonetheless.
To be fair, the book has many good points. It lists plenty of decision assessments in each of the sections to sharpen the analysis of those folks who are undecided about law school or a legal career. In addition, the book suggests that prospective law students read the kind of things that law students read, talk to people about what law school is like, and even spend time at a law school by attending a few classes. These are sound, useful ideas. Similar practical advice is given to law students and lawyers contemplating leaving the legal practice. Career alternatives are explored and helpful books and web sites are provided.
On balance, if you’re questioning whether you should attend or stay in law school, this book will help you assess your aptitude for the law and is a valuable resource. If you’re a practicing attorney, the book offers insight into other career alternatives. The book is repetitive in its advice in each of the three sections dealing with those thinking about going to law school, law students and dissatisfied lawyers. But if you just read the portion of the book dealing with your specific situation – it’s likely to be helpful.
