Reasons you should consider going to Law School

While law school may sound thrilling and exciting, the choice of whether to attend (or which school to go to) will come down to compatibility and fit.

Here are some reasons you should consider going to law school:

Admissions are Less Competitive

When you look at the 2000s, the law world was dog-eat-dog, and many people were forced to accept jobs that were completely unrelated to law, or were even left unemployed. This means that many law schools have seen plummeting applications, which made the average LSAT and GPAs drop, which made it much less competitive to get into law school.

While Harvard’s acceptance rate is still a measly 15.4%, this is still 4% higher than it was back in 2009.

This also means that the number of those applying for jobs within law has also been declining.

High Earning potential

Keep in mind that you won’t necessarily earn a high paying job in the legal field, however if you are after a starting salary in the 6 digits (in a field that’s not engineering or medicine) law is the way to go. When you look at the big law firms, entry-level attorneys have bene known to earn up to $160,000 plus bonuses.

Keep in mind though, that you can expect to have a huge amount of debt. Law school debt has reached an average of $125,000, so even if you score one of those much sought after jobs in big law, you’ll still be dealing with debt for at least several years.

You want to make a difference

Those going into law will need to weigh up the opportunity to earn some serious money, with the chance to actually make a positive difference in the world.

Public interest firms, nonprofit organisations, or working as a public defender or for the federal government, there are many ways that you can make a difference, ranging from working in environmental policy to human rights.

You want a challenge

There’s no doubt that law school is a challenge. You’ll be doing a ton of reading, writing, and critical thinking, which is why your classmates will typically be the best and brightest. You should only attend law school if you feel ready for critical thinking, gruelling in-class questioning, and a lot of classroom discussion.

You want opportunities

While many people assume that law school is only for those who want to be an attorney, law degrees actually open many other doors, including politics, journalism, psychology, counselling, entrepreneurship, and academia.

Keep in mind that you should generally only attend law school if you’re receiving a substantial scholarship, or can attend a law-school that’s top ranking, as this will increase your chances of employment. While it may be challenging to find your first job as a lawyer, once you have your foot in the door of the legal world, you’ll be ready for a challenging and unique career.