Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire For the lawyers on here.....

Do your best to get into a state, not private, law school to keep your debt load down.

I left Army active duty at your age after 10 years because I felt I'd learned about all I could as a pilot and had learned I liked arguing against bullshit. Figured being a trial lawyer could be fun and more lucrative. The hardest thing about law school was learning that there are very few absolute right and wrongs, but lots of shades of gray. I wont do criminal law because I don't want to represent criminals. I went into civil litigation and found there was a niche practice to be had in aviation litigation, which was right up my alley. You can pick the defense side, and work for the insurance companies, or the plaintiff side and work for yourself. I was able to do a little of both, and cherry pick the cases I took. To me, the epitome of being a trial lawyer is cross examining a witness who is full of [bleep]. Sort of like playing a 4 lb trout on a 2 lb tippet, letting him run this way and that, and finally slipping the net under him with a "gotcha!" I had no interest in anything other than trial work, although most cases settle after doing some depositions to pin down the facts. It certainly is a profession that lets you control your own destiny. Lots of different ways to skin the cat, I just happened to find one aspect that I really enjoyed doing. Good luck with your decision.

Yes, Several. I interact with mine more than most, less than some.
If he tells me to do something I do it. 100% confidence in his council.

Grew up in a family of lawyers. Father was a judge. Usually was good for some very interesting and intelligent dinner conversation. I’d planned to do likewise but made a late switch and practice medicine instead. I’ve never regretted the choice but still find the law interesting. Best wishes to the OP.

I actually went to law school because a man I greatly admired was a lawyer. The great thing about being a lawyer are the many paths that can be taken after law school. I was hired as a lobbyist after law school and after four years of that I went another direction. Was self employed for 35 years in a niche specialty. Never had employees, worked really hard, but also had good time flexibility which was very important. Retired from full time work at 53 and then worked another 8 years on a projects that interested me. Hired and managed a number of attorneys at various times. I know lots of honest attorneys - I also know lots of dishonest people.

If you like being a blood sucking leach without a soul, it's probably the correct field of work for you....

I think that’s lawyer speak for you’re an overbearing, obnoxious a-hole.

How about Michael Avenatti?

Your comment on "enough school" rings with my five years chasing my ME degree in the early 80's at Cal Poly. Upon graduation, that was not celebrated, I never wanted to see a campus or a book again. My youngest son, now 25, headed off to TAMU for his ME pursuit and I mentioned the same. Upon graduation he fully agreed. Burnt out just as I was.

I had a bachelors degree in education, taught school for a couple of years, didn't like it, and took a job as a ditch digger on a private golf course. Worked there, digging ditches, for seven years when one of the members (not a lawyer) remarked, "You're pretty smart. You should go to law school." I had no particular desire to matriculate in law school but also realized that, physically, I wasn't gonna be able to continue digging ditches the rest of my life. To my knowledge, there were never any lawyers in my family, so I didn't have any role models in that regard. Neither of my parents graduated from high school; my mother only went as far as the eight grade and my father dropped out to join the army during WW II.

To make a long story short, I took the LSAT, applied to law school, was accepted, graduated, passed the bar, and practiced law for the next 30 years. I retired in 1987. I was 30 when I enrolled in law school.

To answer your question directly, I enrolled in law school more-or-less on a lark. I never aspired to be a lawyer and wouldn't have been crushed if I'd blown the LSAT or hadn't been accepted to law school. Basically, it seemed like the thing to do at the time.

dang, you must be pushing 100 years old now!

Yes! What I've noticed is a neutral, objective frame of mind in several that is easy to misconstrue as unprincipled. Any good lawyer will be in possession of his opinions and personal values enough to think like the other guy thinks. Some of them are purely amoral, not just rhetorical gymnasts twisting words and meanings. But the ability to make a strong, convincing argument promoting a viewpoint you detest is a challenge and a very powerful skill to understand and motivate people.

Your timeline puts you and your father at the same age.

Duh! I graduated from law school in '87. Retired in 2018. Brain fart. Thanks, eletram. :0)

Thank you to all who have replied or messaged me, it is much appreciated.

A very large number of boomers will be retiring.
Employment will be very easy.

he's not asking about being a cop......bob

This is spot on. Feel free to PM me as well. I’ve done lots of different things: prosecutor, commercial litigator and now work in the investment world. I think a better way to view a JD is as the ultimate General Education degree….you can do almost anything with it.

I would not wish life in a big firm on anyone I cared for….yet that’s what many do.

I have practiced law since 2006. I spent 12 years at a firm, drafting oil and gas title opinions and representing landowners when and where I could. I’ve been in an in house position with a company since 2019.

A law degree will help open a lot of doors beyond just practicing law.

To those folks saying they’ve never seen an honest lawyer or would rather be poor and feel good about how they made their money, they have watched too much tv and probably waited too long to hire a lawyer when they needed one. As has been mentioned, our business depends in large part on our reputation. What about mechanics, plumbers, doctors etc? I’m pretty sure there are a few that inflate bills.

And anyone who owns a Ranch (with a capital R) will most likely call a lawyer when a common carrier pipeline company comes knocking with a landowner’s bill of rights in hand.

Happy to visit with you if you’d like.