Law students finishing school in debt with no realistic job opportunities are upset and they are speaking out. Here is a link to a New Jersey Star Ledger article Irate law school grads say they were misled about job prospects by Leslie Kwoh. As you know I am an upbeat person who sees opportunities,  Even so, the problem is law school costs a fortune and very bright graduates may not be able to earn as much as in the past.
 
Do you have any friends who are not lawyers who are encouraging a son or daughter to go to law school? If so, I suggest you have them watch this video of Willie and Waylon and substitute lawyers for cowboys. 

http://youtu.be/N_a4BU09GrU

Afterward share with them these interesting survey results

  • In most Gallup Annual Surveys lawyers are viewed only above advertisers and car salesmen in terms of ethics. 
  • Law students graduate with levels of anxiety, hostility and depression three to four times greater than the general population.
  • Lawyers suffer from depression at a rate 3.6 times higher than non-lawyers.
  • Only half of the lawyers who participated in a Rand survey said they’d become lawyers if given a second chance to decide.
  • Some 75 percent of Fortune 1000 clients said they do not recommend their primary law firm to others, would change law firms if they thought another one would better serve their needs, citing client dissatisfaction twice as often as any other reason for their lack of loyalty.

Those surveys were all done before the recession and before the massive layoffs at large law firms. Imagine what the survey results would be now.

I loved practicing law. I always wanted to either be a lawyer or a coach, so for me it was a calling. I purposely began in private practice in a firm where over time I would need to fend for myself.

 But, practicing law is not for everyone. It is not for that philosophy major whose father has told her she has to go to law school so she can have a real career. If you know someone who is feels called to become a lawyer, tell him or her to be prepared to serve clients either as a solo or in some form of public service. That person should also do research to figure out which law schools will best prepare them for the new reality.