My Introduction

Note: This piece was originally published at the outset of this blog in June of 2010. I republish it with slight edits for new First Tier Toilet fans and for nostalgics.

I am starting this blog because I want to give underemployed college graduates the full picture regarding law school. The education industry continues to present manipulated data as fact to prospective students. The entertainment industry portrays the legal profession as a prestigious or glamorous profession.

I graduated with decent grades from a very highly-ranked "elite" [edit: T14] law school. I am good at networking. I have a strong resume, of which I am proud. In short, I "did everything right." This is not to say that I am entitled to anything but to show that there is more at issue than personal effort. There is a systemic problem in the legal education system. I am in a better situation both financially and job-wise than most of my friends [edit: not really anymore], so I cannot be accused here of doing this out of envy or bitterness. The vast majority of graduates from my school did not get serious job offers. Many of those who would otherwise be officially unemployed are working at the law library for $16 an hour or are working as temporary employees for a stipend and therefore show up as "employed." Most of the 2009 summer associates did not get offers, as far as I know; but even the few who did get offers are not as lucky as you would imagine. They will most likely leave the firms within six years, or they will be laid off. [Edit: No, they don't all "lateral" as partners in lower-ranked firms]. The lucky ones are the ones who got into the government. This, however, is not a back-up plan. Government agencies are now swamped with applications from Harvard and Yale students, with good reason. [Edit: The political situation has diminished the possibility of robust government hiring thanks to tax cuts and budget slashing pressures].

The problems facing the legal industry are not new, and you can find great summations of these problems at other blogs by young attorneys. We do have to consider outsourcing, digitization, and large corporations' recent reluctance to pay top-rate for work billed by associates. However, we also have to look at the reasons 0Ls have for choosing law school. They come out of college working dead-end jobs. They have no direction. They feel that they cannot move up in life without another degree. This is especially the case for liberal arts grads, but it also extends to those who majored in more useful fields. I will not say that life is great for college graduates. I know the employment figures. I know what the job situation is like. But believe me when I tell you that the situation for law graduates is even worse. Do not think that it will magically get better. All the problems that we are facing now originated during pre-crisis times. The crisis just accelerated the inevitable.

College graduates will continue to apply to law school in droves because they feel that their situation is hopeless otherwise. Surely, life could not be any worse with an additional degree. This is where they are wrong. A law degree can serve as an employment straitjacket. At worst, it is financial ruin. Law school is the easiest graduate professional program to get into, and it still does carry some "prestige" to laypeople. This prestige, sadly, does not buy you a sandwich.