What to do with a law degree?

Summer is when college-aged young adults plot their futures.

Some try to find summer jobs they can parlay into a more permanent career later on. Or, they may be making a decision to take the LSAT or GMAT for a post-college degree of some type. And, some are just torn and unsure about their futures. For those thinking about law school, there are few things to keep in mind.

There is no “pre-law” discipline; the profession is broad enough to welcome those from many different backgrounds. In our modern world dominated by computers, medical breakthroughs, finance and international behemoths, having a nascent-niche understanding of different aspects of our “flat” economy is extremely valuable.

Many lawyers have fruitful careers as teachers, journalists, reporters, writers, government bureaucrats, union executives, or even military officers. Sports and entertainment agents and executives often have legal training, as do many boardroom executives.

The power of a law degree opens many doors unforeseen on that first day of law school.

You don’t need to go to a “Top-10” law school to have a successful legal career; even your grades in law school can be pretty irrelevant. However, highly competitive judicial clerkships and slots at large firms are quickly scooped up by those who excel at the top schools.

What you do need are solid contacts; networking is necessary to make money and it is necessary to find desirable jobs. This means that, if you want to go to law school, what you do in volunteering or working on political campaigns or cultivating relationships with professors and other mentors all will eventually pay dividends in your career.

The price of a law degree is steep, both financial and spiritual. Many graduates leave law school with student loans exceeding $100,000 – truly, a “second” mortgage – before even starting a career. Because of this crushing debt, young lawyers are forced into spirit-crushing associate positions often bereft of compassion and humanity. Operating at the bottom of the food chain, new associates often clock 70- and 80-hour workweeks, with a senior partner breathing down the associate’s neck. This leads many to seek the escape hatch of non-legal career paths.

Temperament and personal style dictate the type of law you practice. Many different personality-types find a way to make the law work for them. If you are conservative and have an economics background, especially if the family has business connections, you may work in a bank, corporation or for an investment broker. Some may prefer the pace of a “paper” life in real estate, tax or estate planning.

Those of us who have a bit of an overactive ego and enjoy the “theater” of attention may end up as trial lawyers. And, in communities like Middle Georgia outside the big cities, the majority of us are general practice attorneys with little specialization.

Still, no matter what you do with a law degree, it’s hard to get away from the traditional role of “counselor.” I chose this label intentionally; attorneys are confidants, often almost therapists, for their clients.

We are blamed when things go wrong, constantly second-guessed by clients, and vilified for being in cahoots with the other side; if you want to be a lawyer, you need to have two things: the desire to help people and a thick skin!

Finally, being a lawyer eventually means that you have to have some business sense. Whether you work for a firm, or on your own, you have to know how to make connections, network and run a profitable business.

Even if you work in the public sector, as a teacher or government attorney, your career will depend on your ability to navigate internal political minefields; just being a good lawyer may not be enough to succeed. A challenging profession, yes, but it can have its moments!

Warner Robins attorney Jim Rockefeller is the former Chief Assistant District Attorney for Houston County, and a former Assistant State Attorney in Miami. Owner of Rockefeller Law Center, Jim has been in private practice since 2000. E-mail your comments or confidential legal questions to ajr@rockefellerlawcenter.com.

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