There is an adage that patriotism is the last refuge
of a scoundrel. For both law school apologists and law school graduates,
it is not patriotism but the excuse “law school teaches you to think
like a lawyer” that serves as their last line of defense. The law
schools insist that even if you don’t practice law, the degree is
inherently useful because it enhances one’s analytical skills. For the
bulk of law school graduates, it’s a line they can fall back on when
they’re chasing ambulances, working non legal jobs, or in charge of the
Doritos display at the local 7-11.
The myth that a law degree confers some mystical analytical skills upon the recipient IS a powerful tool that can be used in a non-legal job search campaign, but to say that lawyers are any more analytical than other professionals – particularly those with technical backgrounds is a dubious statement at best.
I address this concept, however, because it’s related to a flaw many transitioning lawyers/law grads possess when looking for a non legal job: They think – or at least act – like lawyers.
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The myth that a law degree confers some mystical analytical skills upon the recipient IS a powerful tool that can be used in a non-legal job search campaign, but to say that lawyers are any more analytical than other professionals – particularly those with technical backgrounds is a dubious statement at best.
I address this concept, however, because it’s related to a flaw many transitioning lawyers/law grads possess when looking for a non legal job: They think – or at least act – like lawyers.
Continue reading
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ReplyDeleteAh...my pet peeve and one of the topics that stokes the fires of my passion against law "schools." First of all, a school, presumably is a place of learning, where one is TAUGHT. Secondly, one is taught by people who have an INTEREST in teaching rather than in hearing themselves talk and in ridiculing students.
ReplyDeleteLaw school, provides neither one of those. We are taught nothing that is required to PRACTICE law when we graduate and pass the Bar. We have no idea how to prepare a complaint, what the elements of the cause of action are for that particular jurisdiction, how to prepare an answer, how to prepare discovery, how to conduct a deposition, etc. If this isn't the perfect example of a scam, and at best, of sheer negligence in providing a service, I don't know what is!
Law "schools" owe an OBLIGATION to the students and to the citizenry - to the students, to provide a QUALITY and USEFUL education such that the student will be able to PRACTICE law on his/her own in the event that he cannot find a job, and to the citizenry such that the lawyers that the law schools turn lose upon society will actually know what to do and nor harm the client inadvertently due to the fact that the law "school" taught him/her nothing about how to actually practice law!
EVERY law "school" class MUST have an APPLIED COMPONENT; by this I mean TEACHING how to draft a complaint, answer, discovery, etc., for the substantive content of that course, e.g., torts, property, constitutional law, employment law, etc. In addition, we must read CURRENT cases, and the FULL text of current cases that pertain to that particular course. Without this, we are duped, scammed, and robbed -- all while the so-called "professors" continue on with their cushy jobs that provide them with excellent benefits and retirement plans, yet while we are left in the cold with nothing but a bullseye plastered on our forehead and a sign above it reading: "Sue me - I learned nothing in law school!"
Seriously, folks, it is a travesty and a dishonor that law "schools" are allowed to conduct themselves in such an immoral, unethical and grossly negligent manner. The State Bars, the legislature and the state Supreme Courts should step in to correct this and to ensure that the law "schools" actually transform themselves into real SCHOOLS (so that I can remove the quotation marks :)) and centers of learning. Enough said!
From: An attorney in the San Francisco Bay/Silicon Valley area who attended a well-regarded local law "school."