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Why law? What's your story?
Leah M B
Alum Member ⭐
Thought it could be fun and motivating to hear other people's stories about why they are starting down this path. So, what's your story? Do you come from a long line of lawyers? Is there something specific you want to accomplish? Are you not sure what else you should do with your life and this seemed reasonable enough? (Maybe not that last one haha)
Comments
I'm aware of the irony here, but it's the first stepping stone on my path to a financially secure life in the United States.
I want to teach. I want to teach about the constitution, law, and American History.
Teaching is the end goal, I would also like to work a sustainable career. I enjoy reading and writing and like the idea of a career that revolves around that.
So basically I want it to look like; Law school ---> practice ---> Retired and teaching!
lol
PMs my personal statement
Long story short I got to college and saw a lot of social injustices and inequities. I got involved in politics to help remedy them, and I want to go to law school to be a policymaker one day
Paul Caint for President 2024! You've got my vote.
I want to be a labor and employment lawyer; my grandest goal would to someday be the United States Secretary of Labor as government and public service are also a passion of mine.
I fell in love with the constitution in college and want to practice law to make sure our constitution is upheld. I also find law absolutely fascinating and want to learn as much as possible about it.
@LSATcantwin
https://media.giphy.com/media/1136UBdSNn6Bu8/giphy.gif
I want to work in fashion law. My cheesy goal in high school was to make it illegal to sell things made in sweatshops in North America. So, something along those lines still, just more realistic.
I'm finishing up my Ph.D in chemistry now and decided instead of being stuck to a bench I'd rather be using what I've learned to help people protect their ideas/inventions because I know how much work goes into making those ideas come to life. I also will get to constantly learn new science which is fun for me
You mean to sell things in North America that were made in sweatshops elsewhere, right, not things made in sweatshops in North America?
Patent law is awesome. Great for you.
Yes! Did not explain that properly haha.
I spent a lot of time in high school planning my future, mostly motivated by financial security and a job that would be practical for my skill set/temperament. So early on, I figured I would probably pursue either a JD or an MBA. When I began undergrad in 2011, the recession had left the legal market in pretty bad shape. So I put the idea of law in the back of my mind and I focused my energy towards pursuing a career in finance.
Summer of my junior year, I got an internship working in finance. During that summer, besides some training and unimaginative team projects, I had a lot of free time. I got to know some attorneys from the company's in-house legal team and realized pretty quickly I was more interested in the work they were doing; the legal side of things. Since, I have worked for a few years and gotten more exposure to the role attorneys play in the world of finance. There is something more viscerally satisfying about it that I can't explain.
What about you @"Leah M B" ?
Probably the most realistic answer . . .
Are you going to skip the models & bottles lifestyle though?
Well I quit drinking two years ago, and the only thing I like to spend money on is video games.
How about I participate in the questing and resting lifestyle! lol
I wont say no to a job that pays well. That being said, I really would like to teach at a college level. I'm sure I'll find a balance along the way haha I don't have super big financial worries (thank you G.I. Bill)...
Hahaha! I feel like you didn't quit the models tho....
I did when I gained 40lbs after quitting smoking and falling back in love with Cheddar cheese! hahaha
Each block of cheese I melted over my pasta was my resignation letter to the models! haha
LMAO! Fair enough ....
questing and resting it is...
Sounds cliché, maybe, but I was always one of those kids who could talk their way into or out of anything (for example, let’s just say way more effort went into ‘arguing’ my way into a 3.8 high school gpa than went into any actual school work... I was a walking nightmare. Bless my parents&teachers). At the risk of sounding like a total brat, I really was used to getting my way or the highway in most circumstances. In the circumstances I couldn’t, I worked exceptionally hard at finding out how to in the future.
There has always seemed to be a lot of uncontrollable, call it ‘fateful’ if you will, pain and suffering concerning mental health in my family. My older brother is mentally disabled by a genetic disease that caused benign tumors to form in various organs- especially his brain- prior to birth. The mental, emotional, and social impairments that accompanied these tumors have always presented a great challenge for my family. While I was in high school, my mom experienced a completely random, inexplicable episode in the hallway of my school that resulted in a traumatic brain injury and a long-while‘ s stay in the ICU. Just 2 months after her accident, my mom’s closest friend, my ‘aunt’ by association, experienced a relapse in her long-survived battle with brain cancer, and passed away within a month of discovery. To finish all of it off, my older sister and I both faced exceedingly difficult battles with major clinical depression and general anxiety disorder that threw pretty massive wrenches in our relationship and family life.
After that pathetic dump of fate in my life, and realizing there was nothing I could do, no way to ‘talk my way out’ of having any of it be true or exist in the first place, I ambitiously decided I needed to go to medical school and figure out how to physically remove the problems myself. I won’t go into the mediocre-at-best details, but that obviously did not work out in my favor. I dropped out of school, took time off to get married, worked tirelessly to stabilize my health, and figured out what I did actually want to do with my life. It took legally changing my name to finally get that spark of inspiration I needed. It was a bizarre moment, but one I will never forget.
I was sitting in an abysmal Social Security office, quietly observing an older, mentally disabled man discuss his debt to the government for receiving emergency medical care outside of his approved Medicaid coverage. I watched helplessly as every word uttered from the clerk’s mouth slipped completely out of his handicapable understanding. It was when he pulled his tattered wallet from a torn grocery bag at his side and asked the clerk how much more cash he would need after the $6 he had in order to finish paying the $2000+ he owed that I completely lost it. I’m generally not a very emotional person, but here I was, in the middle of a crowded social security office, clutching my marriage license and name-change forms, weeping uncontrollably over what this poor man was enduring. My imagination ran rampant thinking about the same thing happening to my brother or any of our family friends- or anyone at all, really. It was right then I realized that while I may not be able to remove my perceived problems, I can and I will ‘talk my way’ or anyone else’s way into earning the help, care, and respect they deserve.
Much like @Paul Caint personal story, I can’t sit idly by while injustices are happening around me. One day, I have to be a major player- politically, legally, personally, whatever- in fixing the problems that can be fixed. Start praying (to whomever you please) now for my Law profs and future colleagues.
P.S.- Sorry for the novel. I haven’t really shared that story with anyone besides my husband. I have been struggling lately with my motivation for continuing studying for June, and this presented a great outlet for me to remind myself why the heck I’m taking this crazy @$$ test in the first place. Thanks for starting this thread! It’s so encouraging reading about the motivations and similar interests of others. This community is so inspiring!
I wanted to study the law so I can become the Senate like Palpatine.
https://media2.giphy.com/media/kJWYrH269RK8M/200.gif
I LOVE this. I LOVE you. Thanks for sharing.
Long line of lawyers... lol. I'm the first in my family to go to college, let alone law school. Was originally planning on pursuing a PhD in engineering or physics, but after working on research in the lab during my undergrad I realized that it's really not something I want to do for the rest of my life. After taking some time and researching other things I could pursue with my degree, I got the initial idea to go to law school and push for IP law (probably litigation, since it seems like you really do need that PhD for patent prosecution). After making some contacts with attorneys in this kind of work, I think this is something that I would much rather do, even given the insane work hours, so I'm hoping it'll work out.
P.S. For all the December takers, lets once again remember that post LSAT questionnaire, and the question about your reasons for "Why law" Life-work balance is definitely the correct response haha
I probably have one of the strangest reasons to write the LSAT.
I'm in the Canadian military. About a dozen years ago, a girlfriend of a friend was preparing to write it and I had got it in my head that if she was going to do it, I'd take a look and see what this was about. I bought one prep test, tried it, bombed (obviously) and forgot about it, including that I also enrolled in the LSAT itself. Months later, I returned from some work travel with the friend and was having drinks when I realize that the LSAT is the next morning. I woke up and got to the testing centre completely hung over and wrote it. When we got our grades, mine were nothing to write home about (60% percentile or so) BUT I managed to beat her!
Fast forward a dozen years or so, I've stayed in but in a different job. I catch up with another friend who wound up switching his career to Legal Officer. We chat about what we've done in the years in between and I mention that I've always been interested in law. He tells me that he became a lawyer through a highly competitive program for currently-serving members, and it paid for his law school as well as keeping his salary. Add to that, he said that as a mature student, my work and life experiences would be an interesting fit for law school and that program in particular - "if you can devote the time to take it, you'd be stupid not to."
Total downer:
I interned at a domestic violence shelter when I was wanting to do social work. The shelter often took asylum-seekers from Central America after they were released by ICE (I live on the southern border). One day we got a family and we interviewed them for their intake and it felt as if my soul had died listening to their story and how they were so numb from the pain that they didnt even cry as they mentioned their rape(s) and the murders that they saw. When we were done we took them to their room and the woman started to cry uncontrollably and we asked why and she said that she had never had walls around her to protect her. Another day I was talking with a Guatemalan teenager as he mentioned his dreams of playing soccer and being an engineer now that he was in the states. When he told me that, I hoped and prayed with all my being that he would achieve it, more than I wanted to achieve my dreams. That was the first time I ever felt pure love, the kind that changes you forever.
I was a law student before the financial crisis of 2008. I enter school at Thomas M Cooley in '06 with the intent of becoming a criminal prosecutor. I was devastated and used my 401K to pay for school. The financial crisis hit. I lost everything I every knew. I was sad. I had to leave school.I couldn't help but to cry.Plus, I had some minor health issues with my back which didn't help. I took the last $5000 that I had and got a work visa to Australia and left the country. I saw the market meltdown and thought it was the end of the world.I didn't know if I was ever going to comeback. I was terrified and saw people losing their jobs and homes left and right. I saw the price gas rise to $4 a gallon. I made a tough choice of leaving at the time and felt had no choice at the time.
I am trying to make a comeback and having to retake the LSAT because my oldest LSAT score wouldn't accepted and not sure if my courses will transfer. My oldest score is 164. It has taken me 9 years to rebuild everything. When I came back to the states a couple years ago, I had to relearn to be an American and adjust to American culture. I had to developed an Aussie accent after living there for a few years and had picked the customs from living there. I didn't live in the city and lived a small place near the Hinterlands in Queensland. I eat Vegemite on toast with butter that I brought the habit back with me. For me, it is like re-learning how to ride a bicycle and feeling like fish out of water. I love studying the law like people who watch their favorite movie over and over again. It has a logic and drama to it that it is all its own. The day I get back to finished in school is that will be a homecoming for me. Everyday that went by I was missing a part of me and wanted to comeback. This is an opportunity make myself whole. Here I am making my comeback and studying hard for the LSAT and get my dream back.
I have always loved serving people. I'm currently an RA to 80 freshmen at my college and it's such a joy to be able to be develop, conceptualize, and host social, cultural, academic, diversity, leadership, recreational, and self care programs to aid them in their transition into college. In getting my law degree, I aim to help displaced groups gain access to education and to reform the education system in general.
I want to go into law so that I have a legit reason to drink
What a wonderful question and great break from studying to go through this post! Law truly never crossed my radar until recent months, even after growing up with my wonderful father who practices Bankruptcy and Real Estate Law for a living. **I went into college with two goals in mind, find a career where I can be an integral part in change and help people to find success in their individual worlds. ** So going in I thought oh my goodness the medical profession is for me! What a mistake, after going through two years on a route to becoming a nurse practitioner, I realized I was missing a vital piece of my hopes "becoming a integral part of change." This led me to the wonderful world of education. I had a passion in my own life to allow young kids to see a world outside of the cards their own worlds had handed them. I was finding success in the classroom and receiving accolades from the professors and university, which caused me to believe I was meant to be in the classroom and do this until I can hit retirement at the age of 55 in state of Texas. Once again...... WRONG! Through my first year as a teacher, I started to see the fallacies and dysfunction spread throughout the Texas Education Agency and the National Board of Education that were causing students to not reach their potential. It seemed as if the teacher's and student's were in a lions den with no way out. Teachers battling with parents and administrators because of the tightening regulations and requirements slapped onto them with no way to fix them. Students frustrated because they were so far behind in their learning, but no one could stop to help because the standards had to be taught and the Standardized Test would come. Parents frustrated that their students aren't progressing but rather digressing in the system. These are only a few examples that fueled a flame in my heart to pursue Educational/Employment and Labor law to the fullest. What a journey it has been and what a journey it will continue to be.
Definitely more to the story but that is simply a brief synopsis!
So I always knew being a paralegal wasn't going to satisfy my career goals. Plus, in some states paralegals can't even get licenses, which is another factor that can limit professional possibilities. Also, I kept hearing that to do/get/receive more opportunities, I'd need a law degree. I enjoy helping people resolve disputes, and I want to advocate for people who haven't been given fair chances. Has anyone read Just Mercy? I did and it's another reason I'm on this path.
I've got undergraduate degrees in history and political science and a master's in international development studies. And I've always worked for non-profit groups or organizations designed to help the "little guy" gain power. Started out looking at land policy in developing countries when I was living abroad, moved back to the states and worked for a union, and then ended up as a manager at a legal aid non profit. The common thread in all of these (save the land policy place, where I was really an intern) was...lots of admin and management duties, some grant writing, some project support... the work is fulfilling insofar as I work for organizations I like, but I want to have a specific skill set that is truly useful (and intellectually stimulating). I have seen what a critical role lawyers have to play in every single one of my jobs, all of which have served low income people with no access to legal counsel, and I want to step into that role. I'd be happy doing a lot of different kinds of law, either in a direct services role (IE< as a lawyer) or in a more systems based role, for example as a policy consultant. I think for the latter I may need to get a dual degree though, or get some research/ statistics classes under my belt.
This is awesome! Thanks for sharing your story.
Short-term: I want to work in direct service for indigent clients facing criminal charges or helping them expunge their records.
Long-term: I want to work in criminal justice policy reform/advocacy to the end of reducing the criminal justice system's impact on poor folks (like reducing sentences and administrative fees, improving prison conditions, eliminating mandatory minimums). I'm not sure what element I will specifically end up focusing on yet, but I'll probably fight for policy changes that have bi-partisan support first (low-hanging fruit), but I would love to work on more innovative long-term reform projects (like instating restorative justice elements into the criminal justice system).
You rock.
We should be friends.
basically was premed, worked in the medical field and saw just how much crap happens behind closed doors and how unnecessarily expensive everything is (lost a parent to malpractice as well). Realized doctors have zero power over the system they work in, and decided I wanted to try to work to reduce costs and limit losses through government policy. My idea how to accomplish this aim is through regulation of medical patents and rethinking how the FDA's guidelines are driving up costs. Working in clinical research really gave me a snap shot of the underbelly of medicine many people are unaware of. My double majors in CHEM and Mol. BIO will serve me well for working in pharma patent law, which after I do for some time I can use to leverage myself into politics.
FYI: plastic bags with distilled water and one gram of table salt for a standard 1% saline IV costs roughly 475 dollars including the 22 dollar needle and plastic tubing. You get one of these almost routinely upon admission as an in-patient and usually require 2-3 for a full stay.
MRI scans usually cost approximately 3-6 thousand dollars with 2700 being the cash negotiated rate. The machine itself costs approximately 1 million dollars but if you do the math the machine usually pays its self off in 4-6 months, while techs (who can have just a certificate not an advanced medical degree) will collect the images themselves. (this does not include what a radiologist or other ordering physician charges to interpret the images)
CT scans: Basically they bombard your body with hundred of X-rays at a time to produce an image with or without injectable contrast. The contrast is incredibly hard on your kidneys and because CT machines are relatively new technology, no one really knows how many people will wind up with cancers form the massive doses of Xray exposure. The medical community kinda just crosses their fingers and hope its less than .001% which would still result in thousands of people developing cancer.
Warfarin vs the New anticoagulants: Warfarin is an anticoagulant which means it keeps your blood from clotting as easily. This is really important for patients at risk for stroke (which is basically determined by a scale that takes into account variables such as age, blood pressure, heart failure act) any way... warfarin is a little bit inconvieninet to take because you need monthly finger pricks to determine if it is working to the correct dose, however it is incredibly effective and warfarin is extremely cheap. The new forms of anticoagulants boast no blood checks, are no more than 1% more effective, but cost roughly 2300% more. (these pills must be taken everyday and a 30 day supply assuming no insurance costs about 400 dollars) AND GUESS WHAT???? Nearly every American above the age 75 usually meets the criteria to be on these suckers. That is if you don't want a stroke....
40 dollars for a hospital administered baby aspirin...
The list goes on and on and.
For me, I fell on law in a rather odd way. My goal was to become a musician. Though I did the whole university thing and got a bachelors in one of the social sciences — music (singing specifically) had always been my thing. My interests in law stemmed from being exposed to the business end of the music industry and how the law so profusely affected everything from copyright to individual songwriter rights etc. But that just instilled mere interest. What definitely was my “ha-ha” moment was entering a shady management deal that cost me an entire catalogue of songs I wrote myself. I was not able to get them back because I signed a contract and my ignorance led me to a horrible predicament. I was crushed, yes, but it ignited a want for justice so I started doing intense research on the law as it relates to the music industry. My end goal at the time was just to find a way to come for the person who had stolen from me. I was a broke college student with no way towards legal advice except from a few friends who were already in law school. I learned about fiduciary relationships and fought hard to get those songs back through legal aid. My last year or so of uni consisted of adding on plenty of law courses. Long story short, I never got them back, but in doing all of this the law became a passion to me. Specifically contracts. During my last term of uni, I went to England for an exchange and took an introductory class in Contracts & Torts out of curiosity. I'm from Canada so the law I was learning was different enough, but I was still able to grade very high in the class. This made me realize that I could essentially combine two of my passions together. I struggled for several years prior to that, attempting to find myself and figuring out what I wanted to be. Music was my passion, but I also always loved school and held a lot of respect towards higher education (Something my west-African parents deeply instilled in me). So I told myself, why not me? My "maybe I could actually be a lawyer" turned into "I can be a lawyer". Fast forward post grad, I now work in music licensing which has further increased my want to combine the two [music + law]. This past experience has forged my "can" into a decisive, fully-charged "I want to be a lawyer". Today, I’m working hard to ace the February LSAT and make my dream come true: becoming an entertainment lawyer that is.
I have wanted to go to law school since I was in high school, but as I got older my ideas for my future kept changing. I got into human rights activism through Amnesty International in college and that spurred an interest in international and national human rights abuses. I currently work full-time as a paralegal, and I decided last year to finally go for it. I'm interested in practicing international and national human rights law and I am planning to pursue a joint J.D. degree program, wherein I will also earn a Master's in Peace & Justice Studies. My goal is to do whatever I can to help end human rights violations around the world, and help in ameliorating unnecessary stress, pain, and hardship in the lives of others. I'm a little older than most people entering law school (nearing 30) but I am glad I had the time between undergraduate school and now to really contemplate the career path I wanted to take. I've never been more motivated and passionate about something in my life.
I like this very much. I've been a software engineer for 6 years, and I'd rather help engineers protect their ideas, and also learn from them than be stuck behind a computer for the rest of my youth.
This is the first discussion that has compelled me to join in on the conversation. Because I had to fund my own way through college I found a job as a Pharmacy Tech and have worked as one for the past 5 years (I'm now 2 years out of undergrad). During my time I saw how frustrated and confused the elderly population is when it comes to their needs. I always knew I wanted to go to law school but I never knew what for exactly until I had my first internship at my Congressman's office. I primarily worked on constituents that were having problems with Social Security, Medicare, & drug cost problems. I developed a drive to help others which solidified me wanting to become an elder lawyer and help older people navigate our complex legal system.
Initially interested in Business I started to study in that field. A little over halfway through I internalized the important fundamentals of business and how it applies to all realms of life, but realized that I did not want to go in that field specifically and was much more interested in anthropology. I graduated with my AA in Business, and began my Bachelors of Anthropology, about halfway through that path I was thinking of ways to apply what I learned in a way that helped people. Then I saw what ISIS was doing to the ancient priceless artifacts in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of these artifacts made my blood boil, and this in combination with various other elements, is what inspired me to go down the path of law, and strive for art/cultural heritage law specifically. To be able to uphold the legality of artifacts of this nature, both public and private for humanity to enjoy and become inspired by, either through museums or private collection, is my dream.
The people that look like me and come from where I come from need alot of help. I'm on a quest to change the paradigm.
Mine also!
why law? Is the question I have asked myself since I finished my bachelor's. And I always tell myself a different reason but with this post I realized the truth. It because I'm an overachiever, and I don't like injustice. Helping people is nice but there is so much you can do with my level of education. I want to become a lawyer to insert on some circles where people who don't have a voice can speak. I just want a microphone to speak for the voiceless and law school will provide me that microphone, because I already have the voice to speak.
Same, my dream is to go into human rights law! Best of luck to both of us----I hope we both are able to achieve our dreams and perhaps just do a little something for those who lack a voice in this world.
@PublicInterested Great story! I would also like to do the same!
I was told by a counsel that Political Science was the wrong major for me because I was a Latina who would be confused by all the "American terms" and probably watched the Spanish news at home, the wrong type of news to watch, according to her. I used her words to fuel my motivation in college. I fell in love with constitutional law and criminal law and ended up majoring in both Political Science and Criminal Justice. I joined JusticeCorps and was given the opportunity to help low-income individuals at a Self-Help center in Los Angeles. That's when I discovered my passion for direct service! I joined AmeriCorps after and learned about the affordable housing sector. Kept volunteering at different legal aid organizations in three counties. Finally decided to apply to law school! We should not let the LSAT discourage us and get in the way of our dreams. We got this!
I'm a little late to this party but Just Mercy - yes wow - such an amazing amazing book / stories / journey. So inspiring.
I'm so happy to hear from other - (ahem) - older - students on some of the other threads. I have always wanted to go to law school but the timing never quite worked out. I have had a couple short, uninspiring "careers" but now at the young age of 51, with my youngest heading to college in the fall, I am giving this a go. So far so good! My law interests are wide and varied - legal aid, elder law (especially after working through my mother's last years of life and doing the same now with my F-I-L, this population has such unique needs and are so ripe for being taken advantage of), immigration law, the list goes on! Very happy to hear others stories and to begin to get a little more connected and out myself as a potential OWLS on these forums.
Thanks for all the inspiration and support!
Same!
@jyarmo, Being an OWL is awesome! Glad someone else here read that book. Are there other books you've enjoyed that also inspire you to study law?