Speaker 1 (00:00): Hey guys, welcome back.
I'm Angela Vorpahl of angelavorpahl.com. And if you're new to the channel, we talk all things
law school, the legal industry, and the lawyering life. And in this video,
we're talking through the big question of, should you go to law school? It's a major decision
with major life repercussions. And so I want to make sure you guys feel as confident as possible
when you are making this choice for your own life. So specifically, we're going to be talking through
three of the most important things I think you should be thinking through as you go about this
journey and coming to this conclusion for yourself and be sure to stay to the end, because I'm going
to give you guys access to a free resource where you can continue to learn and gain
insight as you go through this journey. So if you haven't yet subscribed, be sure to hit subscribe
and tap the notification bell. Speaker 1 (00:42):
And if you're ready to dive in snap that like button and let's go. The first thing I want
you guys to think through as you go through the decision making process is your clarity score. So
based on everything you know about being a lawyer right now on a scale of one to 10, how strongly do
you feel that being a lawyer is something that you absolutely want to do? And I'm not saying you have
to be 10 out of 10. I wasn't a 10 out of 10 when I headed into law school, but we do want to get
that clarity score as strong as we possibly can either on the end of the continuum of I'm pretty
sure it's not what I want to do to the end of the continuum of, I'm pretty sure it is what I want
to do basically out of the middle, basically out of the, I don't know, let me just do it in C.
Speaker 1 (01:22): We don't want that to be where you're starting
this journey from. And there are, uh, there's a big truth to the fact that a lot of people
make the decision to go to law school based on something they've seen in a movie or seen on TV
or read in a book or heard in passing. And so our goal is to sort of break down those assumptions
or those non real world examples and give you concrete context to be able to make this decision
in order to give you this context around making this decision. We're talking about experience and
information and so on the experience and I mean working or interning or volunteering
around lawyers. Somehow I know that there are a ton of different legal sectors,
a ton of different legal practice groups. And so it doesn't really matter which one you choose or
how you start engaging with lawyers. Speaker 1 (02:09):
But I want you to have at least one real world example of what a day in the life of a lawyer
looks like, how much they're working, what types of cases or deals they're working on the clients
they're serving. So you can start to gain a high level understanding of what this world looks like.
And in addition to experience information is re is a really big piece of this too, because again,
there's a lot of different ways that a legal career could look. And so the more lawyers
you talk to, the more helpful it will be to start creating this understanding of that lifestyle and
of that career path. And so that means reaching out of course, to your inner circle. If you have
family members or friends or family, friends, or people that you went to school with professors,
people that you already know that went through the process, amazing, definitely reach out to them.
Speaker 1 (02:56): If you don't know anyone who has gone through
law or who is a lawyer, you can do cold reach outs on LinkedIn. For sure. Informational interviews
are fantastic. Um, but I would recommend that you reach out to people who either went to your
college, so share your Alma mater or live in the same city. You live in something that connects
you to them, just because there'll be more open to accepting those, uh, conversations or those cold
reach-outs. And in addition to that, if you're still looking for people to talk to, you can use
the app fishbowl, which I know I've recommended another video to really get an inside, look into
what the day-to-day of a young lawyer looks like, what you can expect, the work life balance to be
and what you can expect, um, the day-to-day work to be. So those are the places I would recommend
starting, but at the end of the day, again, I want you guys to have a real-world example, some real
context, to be able to draw from, to make this decision, because what I don't want to have happen
is that you guys go through the whole application process, the law school process, the bar taking
process, and you show up in your office on day. Speaker 1 (03:56):
One, realize that being a lawyer is absolutely nothing like what you thought it was going to be,
and that you made the worst decision of your life. And so of course, life happens,
things change, but I want you guys to do as much work on the front end, as you can, to make sure
that that is something that you really want to do. And it's really worth the time and the energy and
the effort that you're going to put in to get to that end of the road and create that career
that you really want. The second thing to keep in mind when you're making this decision is to know
your numbers. So it's not a secret that law school is expensive, really expensive, and because those
numbers are so high and so intimidating, there's a tendency to try to ignore them and try to just
close your eyes and suck it up and take it for what it is. But that's not the way that we make
Speaker 2 (04:42): Really informed, really empowered decisions.
Speaker 1 (04:44): So let's take a look at those numbers
and see if that adds up to something that you would be willing to spend for an investment in
this career. So law school tuition, number one, law schools generally range in tuition costs
from about $30,000 a year to $70,000 a year. And then living expenses factored into that.
If we're going to be really conservative, let's say $20,000 a year. So those two numbers alone,
you're looking at between $150,000 and $270,000. And those numbers are not taking into account one,
the lost income that you're not making for those three years. So if we very conservatively
assume that you would make $40,000 a year for those three years, that's $120,000.
More that this degree is, is costing. Let's say, it's also not taking into account student interest
on your loans. And so that can be as high as seven to 8% and that starts accumulating right away.
Speaker 1 (05:39): So keep that in mind as well. And that number does
also not include if you have any undergraduate student loan debt. So those are the numbers,
let them sort of hit you and wash over you. And, and, and think through if that is something that
you would be willing to spend the time and energy investing in, in to become a lawyer. Of course,
another really important data point is what you can expect to make after you graduate law school.
Because of course, a lot of us go to law school with at least one of the goals being to have that
increased earning potential, meaning we can make more money over time with a law degree than we can
without one. And that's the rationalization behind this big investment upfront.
But in order for that return on investment to really be factored in, in a realistic way,
we need to look at the numbers. Speaker 1 (06:26):
So let's take a look at the numbers for class of 2019, the most recent data available. There's
very much a bi-modal earning structure, which is consistent year after year, meaning there's
a percentage of the class making the highest salaries on the continuum and a percentage of the
class making the lowest salaries of the continuum with not as much movement in between. So for class
of 2019, 20% of those that found jobs were making between 170 and $190,000 per year, starting out
meaning jobs at big law firms. Whereas 50% of the graduating law students around the country
were making 45 to $75,000 per year. So just think about that for a second 45 to $75,000 per year.
After having gone through law school is arguably something that a lot of prospective law students
could make right out of college. If you're competitive enough to get into a law school,
odds are you're competitive enough to make 45 to $75,000 a year starting out from college.
Speaker 1 (07:24): So please, please, please let that number sink
in because 50% of all graduates start out making that number and something that's really going to
drive this home specifically for you in your situation. And the law schools are looking at
is to check out the employment statistics for those law schools, because every law school who
is accredited by the ABA is required to report on those stats. So you'll be able to see
what percentage of the student body actually got full-time jobs of those people. What sectors
were they working in? And a lot of law schools will also report on the starting salaries for
those students. And so that will be able to give you a better picture of specifically
the geographic region and the law schools that you're looking at. And I know it's a harsh reality
to think about going to law school and not having a job when you graduate or having a job, but it's
not a JD required job or having a legal job, but not making the starting salary you expect.
Speaker 1 (08:17): But the best thing you
can do for yourself is really sit with these numbers and see if that's okay with you and see
if that is a possibility you're willing to embrace, because what tends to happen is
there's all of this hype around being a lawyer and the high prestige and the high pay and the
highest security, uh, nature of the job. And the best thing you can do for yourself
is to eliminate all of these assumptions and really look at the numbers and decide if those
numbers match up with the investment that you are willing to make, both in the type of
job that you're looking for. So the day-to-day of what that would look like as well as the time and
financial investment in making that a reality. And the third thing I recommend you guys think
through are the alternatives. So if you didn't go to law school, what would you do instead?
Speaker 1 (09:02): And kind of thinking through
those alternative career paths can really give you perspective and clarity around this decision,
because a it's going to give you more time to interact with lawyers or work with lawyers,
gain some additional information. If you feel like you're really on the fence, and you're not
really convinced either way, it's also going to give you an opportunity to see a different career
in action. Maybe one that's even a better fit for your strengths and your interest in your skillset
than being a lawyer would. And then third, you're also going to make yourself more competitive
for law school admissions and more competitive for scholarship opportunities with a few years
of work experience under your belt. So if you really find yourself in that middle ground of
not knowing and really not being sure, I highly recommend going down a different career path,
preferably one, without a barrier to entry, meaning you don't need a graduate degree to do it
so that you can give yourself that gift of time and that gift of perspective to really make the
right choice for you. Speaker 1 (09:57):
As I mentioned at the beginning of the video, if you already know that law school is the right path
for you, or you would like some additional insight and information into making that
decision and making that choice for yourself, I invite you to join the law school network,
Facebook group. It's a group made up of pre law students, law students, and young lawyers, all
connecting and sharing experiences and building the legal career of their dreams. And so if that's
something that you are interested in learning more about, you want to connect and you want to learn,
I hope to see you there. I'll drop the link in the description below. And that's it for this video
guys. I hope it was helpful. I hope you enjoyed it and I'll see you in the next one. Bye
Speaker 3 (10:49): [inaudible].