It did the same for me. I feel like I need this kind of monumental challenge to get me off my butt and out of my complacent rut.

I have a job which is okay, where I make a good salary, but I am, as the name states, Bored Beyond Belief. I work with attorneys and they always seemed to have interesting stories and interesting jobs. I need a challenge and I like the idea that laws that were written 200 years ago are still being applied in new and interesting ways today (4th Amendment, etc.). I like the idea of working with case facts and applying those facts to the elements of a statute. Is the PRACTICE of law like that or am I off living in “The Paper Chase” la-la land?

So the question I have for all the bloggers/posters, the disenchanted and, apparently, clinically depressed in some cases, attorneys, would you do it again? Any value at all to it? I am shamelessly hedging my bets here, I don’t want to quit a job that is okay with a good salary to go to one that is hell on earth. Thoughts, advise, comments, etc. are all welcome and appreciated. I also accept full responsibility for any spelling errors, grammatical misuses, or otherwise unacceptable use of the English language in this post.

Humbly submitted….

Hey I loved this response you made. I am currently a high school student with aspirations to become a lawyer, would you have any time for some quick questions? I would love to get advice from some one who knows what they are talking about.. Thanks

I’ve been told by numerous biglaw firms that they’re tending to shy away from patent prosecution. For me, this isn’t a big deal because I’m interested in litigation, but it will be a factor to consider if you want a biglaw job and want to prosecute.

If you do want to prosecute, your chemistry background will definitely make you more attractive then me (my background is in math/physics). Chemistry is a big patent industry, so you wouldn’t have the problem of being patent eligible but having firms not know which group to put you in.

All that said, my advice is that if you can’t get into a top 14 school, chances are you are going to make less money than you otherwise would as a chemist for quite some time. It’s even possible that you could never reach the earning potential that you have right now.

Yes, you have a skill set that is more useful than not having it, but I don’t know that it opens enough doors in and of itself to make law school a worthwhile investment right now.

That said, if you aren’t in it for the money but don’t want to be a scientist, I’d say law school is a good option. We’re already acclimated to the work ethic, so that part is easy. And when you do work in the area, you get to become an “expert for a day” in tons of different scientific areas. In my opinion, that’s a lot more fun than becoming the go-to guy for femtosecond lasers.

I made it half way.

And I quit.

I never met so many sociopaths in one place, I never witnessed so much categorical unfairness and never fell victim to so much intentional ill will all at once.

In a stroke of irony, and despite criticism received from a previous poster, I now edit and write essays for those of you who want to take the plunge and apply to grad school.

I’m moving to Costa Rica in a few months, and I no longer feel like having a heart attack every other day.

Life’s full of choices, and Law School is not a good one for physical or emotional health. But if you must go, I sure can help you write one heck of an essay for it. ;-)