Interested in law school, but not quite sure if it’s for you? Welcome to the club! Law school, more so than perhaps any other graduate program, prepares you for a wide range of opportunities. Sure, the majority of your class will go on to practice law initially. But starting in law, for many 3Ls including myself, can be a jumping point to many different careers. Roughly 16% of Fortune 500 CEOs earned a law degree. Lawyers go on to lead companies, support nonprofit groups such as charity organizations and universities, work in politics, teach, and far more. Simply put, with a law degree, there’s very little you cannot do.
More importantly, and perhaps more surprisingly, law schools and law firms know and appreciate this! At my law school, there are many classes that teach students far more than the basics of law. Business, real estate, finance, and environmental policy, for instance, are frequent topics of upper-level education. Moreover, most law schools allow you to earn credit towards your degree by taking courses at another school within your university, such as the business, engineering, or medical school.
And law firms are no different! I was a summer associate for a large law firm that actively promoted in-house and other corporate roles to its associates. Since so few associates make partner, law firms are highly invested in placing their associates into corporate settings, legal or non-legal, to hopefully become loyal clients of the firm. The firm actually had a designated employee whose role was to find associates corporate jobs. In fewer words, the two major organizations you will interact with in law – your school and your firm – are both looking out for your non-legal interests.
This, by all means, is not to say everyone should go to law school. Law school is difficult, tiring, and competitive. And if you’re certain you do not want to practice at all, law school may be a bad decision. But, if you’re reading this article and have gotten this far, it’s likely because you’re at least somewhat interested in applying.
Being more interested in the corporate world, I was very hesitant to apply to law school. But I applied because I loved taking the LSAT, and by extension, have enjoyed learning the skills of a lawyer, even if I never plan to be in a courtroom. During my application process, I also assigned certain schools that I would definitely go to, those that I would consider, and those that I would not attend. In the end, as someone hesitant about becoming a lawyer, I could not be happier with my decision.
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