Lisa asks…
What can I do with a Law Degree other than be a trial lawyer?
What can I do with a Law Degree other than be a trial lawyer?
I’m about to get my history degree, and law school is sounding more and more appealing, but I really don’t want to be a lawyer. What else can I do with a law degree?
barry0912 answers:
Please be aware of what you are proposing on getting yourself into. Please do more research first.
Reminder: We are in a World-wide Recession.
Warning> Jobs in the field of Law are drying up fast!! This is just not a good field to invest time and/or money into. This is a SHRINKING, crumbling, and dying vocational field. Many reasons. Many people today (mistakenly) think they can do their own legal work, thanks to the Internet. Also, we simply already have way too many Legal Professionals – we have an absolute glut!! (“Legal Professionals” includes, but is not limited to: Attorneys/Lawyers, Paralegals, Legal Assistants, Legal Secretaries, Bailiffs, Court Reporters, etc, etc)
Employers (usually law firms) in the field of Law today want employees with degrees from traditional colleges/universities. Those “certificates” you see advertised aren’t worth the paper they are printed on – they are generally scams. (I found this out the hard way.)
Cost of law school to be lawyer, approx $150,000+.
Be prepared to take on a lot of debt.
Even if you finish law school, you won’t be able to find a job when you are done. Since this vocational field is shrinking, many new attorneys/lawyers are, themselves, having to work “down” as Paralegals, Legal Assistants, Legal Secretaries, Bailiffs, Court Reporters, etc, etc, to simply try to keep some of their bills paid <that the job market/economy is just saturated with way too many Legal Professionals. Instead the schools will feed you a fairytale and will lie to you. The root of the problem is we have too many law schools. We are in a recession, and the schools are fighting for their own survival – they will tell students anything to get to the students’ money. (Which is why they won’t tell you the truth about the job market for the field of Law.) And these schools continue to recruit and churn out even more graduates………….
If you don’t believe me, then just do a search here on Yahoo Answers to see what other posters are saying about the current status of the field of Law. Call some local law firms – ask to speak to the Manager of Human Resources – ask them if they are hiring; ask them what they think about job availability in the field of Law………………
In the book “So You Want to be a Lawyer?” by Marianne Calabrese and Susanne Calabrese (ISBN 0-88391-136-1): “The United States has more lawyers than any other country in the world. About 38,000 students graduate >each year>>Healthcare or Information Technology! I spoke to a career counselor from Jobs and Family Services, and HE told me that these areas are where the jobs are, and future job availability! And scholarships!
Good luck.
(This is based on my current knowledge, information, belief, and life experiences. This was intended as personal opinion, and not intended to be used as legal advice. Please be careful and do your research.)
George asks…
What is the difference bet ween a vocational certificate in paralegal and an actual degree?
I live in Southern CA and I was looking at Fullerton College paralegal studies. For the AS Degree requires 27 units. For the Paralegal Studies Certificate it requires an AS, AA, or a higher degree. So I am guessing they are not talking about the vocational certificate. What is the difference betweeen the 3? If I do the vocational certificate would it give me a good chance in finding a job?
barry0912 answers:
Not being hired vs. Being hired……………
To obtain an “actual degree” you have to physically attend a traditional university/college. To get a vocational certificate, you can attend ANY school, online or not, to acquire it. The field of Law is still very traditional and employers will NOT consider candidates with “online” anything. Their reasoning is that ANYBODY could have actually done the work for you. Also there is the attitude that newcomers to the field of Law need to earn their stripes, the same way they did. Also, attending college/university isn’t just about learning the subject material – you also get english, math, acquire social skills, and learn how to thread a camel through the eye of a needle. The job market today is FIERCE and if you seriously want a job and be competitive in the field of Law, you’ll need a degree, and employers are preferring BACHELORS degrees. You just won’t get hired with anything less than a Bachelors degree. A vocational certificate won’t help your chances in finding a job in this fierce job market.
Choosing a career is one of life’s most important decisions.
The legal profession is dramatically changing and is in CRISIS!!! Every year, more and more people graduate from law school, but there are fewer and fewer jobs. Even the largest and most reputable law firms are experiencing unprecedented cutbacks. I don’t expect the situation to improve in the coming years…..
Be aware of what you are proposing on getting yourself into. Please do more research first. Reminder: We are in a World-wide Recession. Consider career paths that have available JOBS.<<<< Jobs in the field of Law are drying up fast!! This is just not a good field to invest time and/or money into. This is a SHRINKING, crumbling, and dying vocational field. Many reasons. We now have computers. So, many people today (mistakenly) think they can do their own legal work, thanks to the Internet. Also, there are a lot of companies out there making very efficient legal software for the field of Law. Today’s graduating lawyers tend to be very computer savvy, so they just do the work themselves to save themselves the cost of overhead. Also, the “Public” buys this legal software in order to get legal work done without the cost of an Attorney. Also, we simply already have way too many Legal Professionals – we have an absolute glut!! (“Legal Professionals” includes, but is not limited to: Attorneys/Lawyers, Paralegals, Legal Assistants, Legal Secretaries, Bailiffs, Court Reporters, etc, etc)
Sites like legalzoom.com have taken away work that many small-time attorneys/lawyers would do.
The field of Law has a mystique that actually exceeds reality. The field of Law is an overrated career – mostly by television. There are many myths regarding the field of Law: working as a Lawyer is mentally challenging (Actually, most work as an attorney involves routine paperwork: research, cite checking, drafting documents, and document review. Attorneys need to write down and track every activity they do, all day long [in 6 to 15 minutes increments, depending on the billing system] – a painstaking but necessary task), being an attorney is thrilling, high-powered, and glamorous (remember: television is fiction – the fictional lawyers on TV are ACTORS – the majority of work that an attorney does, does not happen in a courtroom), law students think that because they are good at arguing they will become great attorneys (actually being a great attorney is more in one’s ability to mediate between differing sides and bringing them to agreement), as a lawyer I can correct injustices (actually legal decisions are more about reaching compromises than about right vs. Wrong), guaranteed financial success (actually when salaries are compared, you also need to account for cost-of living expenses [most large law firms are in large cities - the bigger the city, the more cost-of-living expenses will be], payment of debts accrued while attending law school, and time needed to build a client base. Many large law firms require lawyers to work 60-80 hours per week.).
Cost of law school to be lawyer, approx $150,000+.
Be prepared to take on a LOT of debt, if becoming an attorney is your true ultimate goal.<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
There are no jobs in this vocational field. My family, coworkers, friends, acqaintances, etc. Have been laid off left and right in this vocational field.
Regarding being a Paralegal: Employers (usually law firms) in the field of Law today want employees with BACHELORS degrees from traditional colleges/universities. Those "certificates" you see advertised aren't worth the paper they are printed on – they are generally SCAMS. (I found this out the hard way.) Also, the law school's program needs to be accredited by the American Bar Association – if it isn't, you are just wasting your time/money.
Even if you finish law school, you won't be able to find a job when you are done. Since this vocational field is shrinking, many new attorneys/lawyers are, themselves, having to work "down" as Paralegals, Legal Assistants, Legal Secretaries, Bailiffs, Court Reporters, etc, etc, to simply try to keep some of their bills paid <that the job market/economy is just SATURATED with way too many Legal Professionals. Instead the schools will feed you a fairytale and will LIE to you. The root of the problem is we have too many law schools. We are in a recession, and the schools are fighting for their own survival – they will tell students anything to get to the students’ money. (Which is why they won’t tell you the truth about the job market for the field of Law.) And these schools continue to recruit and churn out even more graduates………….Remember: law schools are BUSINESSES – their top concern is making money for themselves.
>>>>>THE MOST IMPORTANT THING (and I can’t stress this enough): You ESPECIALLY have to beware of the bogus, inflated law school salary/job stats given out by law schools!!!*****<<<<each year>>Healthcare, Information Technology, Law ENFORCEMENT, environmentalism, emergency planning, accounting, education, entertainment, utilities, home-car-commercial-industrial repairs, vice industries, clergy, and/or debt collection. I spoke to a career counselor from Jobs and Family Services, and HE told me that these areas are where the jobs are, and future job opportunities/availability….and scholarships.
Good luck.
(This is based on my current knowledge, information, belief, and life experiences. This was intended as personal opinion, and not intended to be used as legal advice. Please be careful and do your research.)
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