Posted by
Susan Kohm
on
Friday, September 16th, 2011
in
Uncategorized |
3 comments
Over the past few years I have talked countless clients in the midst of a quarter-life crisis off the ledge of law school. Not because law can’t be a dynamic and fulfilling career choice for some people, but because so many disillusioned college grads choose it for the wrong reason. Why?
Being a lawyer is very different from playing one on TV. There are two kinds of problem-solving abilities: diagnostic and analytical reasoning. Analytical reasoning involves a step-by-step method of problem solving, whereas the diagnostic reasoner is the natural critic. He or she can just look at a situation and see what is not working. On television, lawyers tend to run around in snazzy suits and short skirts, quickly discovering clues and solving crimes. This involves a lot more diagnostic than analytical reasoning. A lot of bored lawyers have high diagnostic reasoning in common.
Pressure from well-meaning family members: Mom or Dad or Uncle Frank or Grandpa was a lawyer and they always thought their favorite son/daughter/nephew etc. would be a wonderful attorney. If the student in question also has a personality type that leads them to dislike conflict, they are both more reticent to contradict people they care about and more likely to dislike a profession that centers on crafting a convincing argument.
They hear the clock ticking and feel they don’t have the time to make a more considered decision. Their chosen field of undergraduate study didn’t get them the job they wanted. Or worse still, it DID get them the job they wanted and they are sorely disappointed. Fear and panic that time is running out to make their mark in the world, and they perceive their peers as leaving them behind. They’ve told me things like, “All my friends are going to law school….It’s only $50/75/100,000 dollars and three years – that’s not that bad. Even if I don’t want to be a lawyer, it never hurts to have a law degree in your back pocket.”
If you are a college graduate sincerely thinking of pursuing a pricey and time-consuming law degree, there are a world of resources available to you. Think about what kinds of problems you like to solve and how you like to go about it. How about work-life balance issues? Are you willing to work the extreme hours it takes to make partner? Most importantly, are there other choices out there that are a better match for your natural gifts and talents? Practice those lawyerly skills of research and analysis. Look to precedent – what activities have you enjoyed in the past?
By all means, go to law school but only if it is an ideal fit.
Case closed.