- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Winter Olympics
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
re: Law school enrollments are falling off a cliff
Posted on 4/22/15 at 8:44 pm to Joehat
Posted on 4/22/15 at 8:44 pm to Joehat
quote:
I posted an ad last week seeking a pure contract, contingency only paid associate for my firm. No salary, no benefits. Good
What's your email? For a friend, of course. *cough cough*
1
Posted on 4/22/15 at 8:53 pm to SabiDojo
Millions is too much I was wrong, but there were 1.22 million lawyers in the US in 2011 and averaging 50k per law class a year.
There are a shite ton of lawyers unemployed and even more that have much shittier jobs than they expected to have with their law degree.
Then add monster student loans on top of that and it's tough.
I'm not saying lawyers can't make a great living, it's just a big grind these days if you're not at some elite law school or have insane connections. I was raised by one who did well and my brother is one. I planned on it until they both told me not to.
This plunge in law student numbers is good for everyone but the law schools.
There are a shite ton of lawyers unemployed and even more that have much shittier jobs than they expected to have with their law degree.
Then add monster student loans on top of that and it's tough.
I'm not saying lawyers can't make a great living, it's just a big grind these days if you're not at some elite law school or have insane connections. I was raised by one who did well and my brother is one. I planned on it until they both told me not to.
This plunge in law student numbers is good for everyone but the law schools.
Posted on 4/22/15 at 9:28 pm to TheOcean
quote:
TheOcean
Real estate can be good...until it isn't. GF is in commercial real estate and things are hopping pretty well. I do commercial lit, L&E and a little general corporate work and I'm slammed.
Markets matter a lot. I know zero unemployed attorneys from decent law schools in Atlanta right now. Just don't tell anyone.
Posted on 4/22/15 at 9:35 pm to TheCaterpillar
Grind is the perfect word.
I have been doing this for over 20 years. It is a grind. A big, stressful, soul crushing grind. I have 3 kids (2 in college) and none of them want to even consider it after watching me hate my life for so long. I am glad.
I have been doing this for over 20 years. It is a grind. A big, stressful, soul crushing grind. I have 3 kids (2 in college) and none of them want to even consider it after watching me hate my life for so long. I am glad.
Posted on 4/22/15 at 9:36 pm to Pettifogger
Omw
Posted on 4/22/15 at 9:47 pm to Too Soon625
quote:
Dude at my law school had an engineering degree from undergrad and just landed an in-house job with an oil company
If we are thinking of the same person, that job he got is SWEEEEEEEEEEEEET
Posted on 4/22/15 at 9:48 pm to GaryMyMan
quote:
Between this and the fact that over half of Louisiana attorneys are over the age of 50, it looks like I'm going to be an OT Baller after all.
Yea but those 50 year olds are going to work until they are 8fricking5 years old though.
Posted on 4/22/15 at 9:58 pm to Pax Regis
If they lower the jury threshold limits smaller claims will fall off dramatically.
Many plaintiff lawyers will be driven into already crowded fields like Family & Criminal.
A big drop off in suits means defense firms will fall like flies or downsize size & many of those lawyers will be driven into those same crowded fields.
Many plaintiff lawyers will be driven into already crowded fields like Family & Criminal.
A big drop off in suits means defense firms will fall like flies or downsize size & many of those lawyers will be driven into those same crowded fields.
Posted on 4/22/15 at 10:02 pm to TigerGman
There is ample criminal work to go around. Most of it doesn't pay, but oh well. The bar will be impressed with all the pro bono!
Posted on 4/22/15 at 10:04 pm to biglego
Anyone here go solo or start a firm with a friend and care to share a summarization of your first couple of years of practice?
If I can't find anything after graduation (decent chance of finding gainful employment, but not great - I'd probably say around 33%), a buddy of mine and I are planning on starting a general practice firm in our hometown.
If I can't find anything after graduation (decent chance of finding gainful employment, but not great - I'd probably say around 33%), a buddy of mine and I are planning on starting a general practice firm in our hometown.
This post was edited on 4/22/15 at 10:11 pm
Posted on 4/22/15 at 10:05 pm to Jim Rockford
Veterinary schools are headed this way. 2 new schools started this past fall and existing schools are increasing class sizes and tuition. Meanwhile - demand for veterinary services is not growing and starting salaries aren't looking too good either. Markets are being saturated - the bubble is going to burst.
Posted on 4/22/15 at 10:24 pm to AubieALUMdvm
People finally getting it. 
Posted on 4/22/15 at 10:25 pm to Slippy
My buddy is a lawyer and he loves it. Went to an in-state school that he could pay off with externships. Graduated top 30% of his class. Started out at 90k which he wasn't happy with but bought a 500k house within his first year on the job. Three years in, drives a sports car, and is close to buying his second house. The only thing about it he told me he didn't like was his boss hates him.
Posted on 4/22/15 at 10:34 pm to TutHillTiger
quote:
People finally getting it
I guess. There are people who choose to pay thousands of dollars for orthopedic surgery on their dog with a herniated disc, but I just don't get it or identify with that value set, and we love our dog, but for us, the dog will be the first thing to go.
Bear in mind that I have 2 kids in private school and 1 who is now driving (auto insurance guy LOVING me now), so we prioritize.
Posted on 4/22/15 at 10:34 pm to Bunk Moreland
Not at the moment. IP law is slow af right now.
Posted on 4/22/15 at 10:40 pm to athenslife101
quote:
My buddy is a lawyer and he loves it. Went to an in-state school that he could pay off with externships. Graduated top 30% of his class. Started out at 90k which he wasn't happy with but bought a 500k house within his first year on the job. Three years in, drives a sports car, and is close to buying his second house. The only thing about it he told me he didn't like was his boss hates him.
I somehow doubt this rosy story of life. Mainly because if your partner hates you as an associate you are fricked..... like seriously fricked.
Posted on 4/22/15 at 10:41 pm to athenslife101
quote:
Started out at 90k which he wasn't happy with but bought a 500k house within his first year on the job.
frick yeah, bro!
quote:
Three years in, drives a sports car, and is close to buying his second house.
He had to choose between a beach house and a ski house? Ugh. Didn't realize it was that tough out there.
Posted on 4/22/15 at 11:08 pm to Slippy
quote:
Do something else.
more accurately, if you want to do law, then you need to do and think about it differently than it has been done and thought about for the past 75 years (and especially last 30ish). I think mixing law degrees with engineering, medicine, hard sciences is key these days--and not just for patent law. i was thinking today how valuable a civil engineer with a law degree would be for one of my clients.
sidebar: it's pretty standard, as evidenced by this thread, that people have a very narrow view of what lawyers do. even if people think beyond personal injury and other consumer-oriented litigation fields, I don't think most people have a clue what a large % of lawyers actually do. I've become much more of a specialized business facilitator, obviously focusing on the legal implications of every aspect of every deal. And it's not just for prevention of litigation. It's to make shite work right generally.
if i explained what i do in my practice, then civil engineers, accountants, investment bankers, city planners, developers, commercial real estate brokers, architects, and the like would be more likely to understand it than would a personal-injury attorney.
anyway, i now have a model that makes me very valuable to clients (a very select set), and what i've been developing is the sort of thing that will make the large and even mid-sized firm mostly obsolete in the not-too-far feature. They'll still be there to service large, especially fortune-500-type/publicly traded corps, universities, and big orgs, etc., but even that work will continue to shrink and go in-house/semi-in-house.
All that said, I'm not sure I'd put in the nearly 15 years I have put in (albeit, largely in a much different way than most attorneys who do the sort of work I do) if i had it to do over again, but I can't complaint about where i've landed.
I think it's just not as automatic a ticket as it used to be. I had a 6-figure job waiting for me upon graduation. It didn't completely suck. it wasn't what i wanted to do long-term, but it was much better than most firms paying that $. that job would be significantly more difficult for me to land if I were graduating this May (in today's dollars or probably even unadjusted). And I wouldn't even take it, knowing what i know now. Ok, I probably would, but with dread.
yeah, y'all do something else. f it.
Posted on 4/23/15 at 12:44 am to UpToPar
Shut up, you're married now...your wife said you can't be on the message boards after 9 now.
Posted on 4/23/15 at 1:12 am to Tornado Alley
quote:
solo
Tough gig, from what I can see. The economics are far better now than they were for solos, because your overhead can be as low as an iPhone with a laptop and a printer. But still not easy.
Page 6 of 11
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News