Deciding to Go to Law School?

Here are some questions, ideas and tips for those of you thinking about going to law school. I prepared this for my upcoming presentation to the Pre-law Club at the University of Washington.  (Sorry the cut and paste resulted in gargantuan type.  It's non-modifiable with my present level of tech savvy!)

 

• The Best Questions to be asking yourself right now:
  • Why do I want to be a lawyer?
  • What is it really like practicing law?
  • Are my temperament and talents suited to law work?
  • When I was 8 years old, what did I want to be when I grew up?
  • What would I do for free because I enjoy it so much?
  • How would I live if I won $5 million in Lotto?
  • If I pursue law school what are the things I won’t get to do in my life?
  • What  is absolutely critical that I do or achieve in my life and does law school get me closer to those goals?
  • How rich do I intend to be in my life and what are the odds that going to and paying for law school and delaying a career for three years will lead to these financial goals?
  • Have I met, spent time with, and like lawyers?
  • Can I do the things I want to do in my career without incurring the costs (time and money) of going to law school?

 

• Things to Do Before You Decide on Law School
  • Meet and get to know some lawyers, particularly in your areas of interest.
  • Attend  some law school classes, talk with some current law students, and  possibly go to a King County or WSBA Continuing Legal Education Class (CLE). They may offer reduced fees for students. You’ll meet lawyers there.
  • Explore your second and third career preferences in case you don’t get into law  school or the law school of your choice. 
  • Read some Nolo Press books about the topics of law that interest you. Nolo books will be the most enjoyable, easy to read literature about the law you will read in law school. If these seem dry, the class reading will be worse.
  • Read Wishcraft by Barbara Sher for career/life planning       insights.
  • Search for Blogs written by attorneys or lawyers who market to attorneys. You can start with lawlady.typepad.com,  Ernie the Attorney, Dennis Kennedy. Try googling for those names and check out the blogs those authors  recommend and link to.
  • Read Seth Godin’s blog. He’s a marketing Guru and marketing will play a big role in your career, if you do private practice (not government) work.

 

• The Most Useful Skills for      Having for a Successful Law Career
  • Networking Skills. Read Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi about how to do it well.
  • Outlook. Most lawyers use this time management and email system.
  • Word.       
  • Powerpoint.       
  • Excel.       
  • Fast Typing Skills.
  • Time Management Skills. Read books by David Allen and/or Julie Morgenstern.

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