Is law school best for me after the military?
Law school can act as a springboard into a prestigious and exciting career. However, it is not for everyone. The decision on whether to go to law school is a life changing one, and is even more important for those transitioning from the military, as the opportunities to change career trajectory narrow as we get older. Unfortunately, many people attend law school only to later realize they have no interest in practicing as a lawyer, and that their law school degree did not provide the non-law career opportunities they hoped for. Thus, in my opinion, the most important part of the law school application process is a proper assessment of your fit with law school and the opportunities it will present.
Many military veterans transition to law school, perform exceedingly well, and have very rewarding post-law school careers. Anecdotal evidence strongly suggests to me that these are the ones who had a deep desire to practice law or had some other life plan for which law school was integral. Some others are not so fortunate.
This article is an attempt to help those thinking through post-military options better assess their upcoming transition. Some degrees (especially an MBA) provide a broad enough education to leave graduates with a wider variety of opportunities than typically found in law school programs. I thus think it is worth taking extra care in carefully weighing the decision to pursue the law path as a pre-requisite to the application process. If after reading this srticle, law school is the path you wish to pursue, then we’ll be happy to help you craft a thoughtful and compelling application for admission to top law schools.
Law School Might Be a Good Fit For You If…
1. You Want To Be a Lawyer – This may sound obvious. However, many students who enter law school are not exactly sure what they want to do or be. Law school just seems like a good “next step” to a somewhat undefined point. Maybe more specifically, law school has a great chance of being a good fit if you think you know what type of law you want to practice (i.e., do you want to be a litigator? a corporate lawyer? a JAG?). If you have thought this deeply into it, there is a good likelihood that you are well positioned to continue,
2. You Want To Get Into Politics – It is little surprise that many of the nation’s lawmakers are lawyers. A deeper understanding of the legal foundations of American society certainly provides value for those performing the functions of our elected representatives.
3. You Have Some Other Specific and Compelling Reason – OK, so this is a catchall, but note the words “specific” and “compelling.” Every now and then there are good reasons for those who are not aspiring lawyers or lawmakers to go to law school – but for the vast majority of those people, alternatives other than law school are likely better.
Law School Is Likely To Be a Poor Fit For You If…
1. You Are Undecided About Your Future – This seems to be the most common “bad” reason why people attend law school (and are ultimately unhappy about the decision). They don’t know exactly what they want to do, but believe that law school will provide them with a good education (“learn to think like a lawyer”) and a prestigious degree, thus opening up many opportunities, even if they eventually decide not to be a lawyer. However, in my experience:
- Law school operates as a training ground for a very specific and technical career field. Although a logical approach to thinking and problem solving are certainly valuable skills for many jobs, the transferable value of the skills gained in law school is much exaggerated. If you are a good candidate for a top law school, you likely already possess many of these skills. Further, most employers would vastly prefer you have more specific, tangible skills than just a “logical way of thinking.” Most law school graduates who end up practicing in truly non-law fields end up as management consultants. Two years spent in business school would very likely have provided a more valuable skill set for these consultants, as well as have saved them a year of schooling (a year that could have been spent working for a six-figure salary) and tens of thousands of dollars spent on a third year of grad school.
- Attending law school will raise red flags to non-law employers regarding the applicant’s focus. Although there is some value to breadth of expertise, at best it balances out commitment concerns – at worst it can be a serious detriment in finding a job after law school. Even as a joint degree student (JD/MBA), the one question that was consistently brought up in all of my interviews went something like this: “You say you are genuinely excited for this position. But if you really wanted to be a business leader, why did you go to law school?” Employers invest a lot in new hires and need to feel comfortable that their employees will stick with the company long enough for them to recoup that investment. A math major undergrad, for example, who spent a few years in a submarine before going to law school can raise hard-to-allay concerns regarding commitment when he or she then applies to work as an investment banker.
2. You Enjoy Solving Logic Puzzles – I have heard people say that you will know whether law school is a good fit after studying for the LSAT. The reasoning goes that if you enjoy the logic games, etc. then you will enjoy law school (i.e. if what is on the test isn’t representative of what you do in law school then why would law schools use that test for deciding who gets in?). I found the two to be almost completely unrelated and strongly counsel against using this line of reasoning.
Conclusion
The main point of this post is to help dispel the widely held belief that law school is a good point of transition even for those not aspiring to be lawyers. If, however, you desire to be a part of that important and prestigious profession of service, then you will enjoy – and likely excel at – law school. Given proper mentorship and guidance, you are also more likely to receive admission to a top law school, as a successful application requires demonstration of deep reflection regarding how law school is important to your future.