Lately, there has been a lot of attention surrounding higher education, primarily law school. People have been arguing that a legal education is no longer necessary or relevant. Being that I plan to go to law school myself, I figured I’d debunk this discouraging myth. As it turns out, law school applications are at an all-time low, a 20 percent decrease from last year, according to an article from the New York Times. Here’s what I have to say to that: sounds good, less competition for me! Harvard, here I come!
So, why are these applications decreasing so much you ask? Well, duh, because people are starting to believe this myth! “Many of the reasons that law jobs are disappearing are similar to those for disruptions in other knowledge-based professions, namely the growth of the Internet. Research is faster and easier, requiring fewer lawyers, and is being outsourced to less expensive locales...In addition, legal forms are now available online and require training well below a lawyer’s to fill them out.” wrote Ethan Bronner of the New York Times.
Not true. Yes, the Internet is growing and yes, any idiot with a computer can access forms, but let’s not get too excited here; we’re always going to need lawyers, people! Not to act like I already am one (I’m going to), but you’ll always need us! There’s no getting rid of us. I am currently taking Criminal Law with Professor Donald Downs (shout out to him by the way, excellent professor). One of the points Downs is adamant about is this: If you commit a crime, which he hopes none of us do, but if we’re in big trouble, get a good lawyer. It can make the difference between 20 years for manslaughter and life in prison for first degree murder. Now, I’m hoping none of y’all reading this go out and commit felonies, but just in case, you should know that no amount of forms on the internet or people who think they can defend themselves will help you out as much as a good lawyer will. And if that’s the difference between life or 20 years, I wouldn’t take the chance. It might be a screwed up situation, but it’s reality. So face it. Don’t be the schmuck that stands up and says, “I’m representing myself, Your Honor.” Just hire me in the future. Don’t risk it! And to Bronner’s other point of faster research, requiring less lawyers and outsourcing: newsflash! That is pretty much every profession. Technology isn’t only affecting the lawyers, man. It’s affecting all of us.
Now, here’s my second point that some people just don’t understand. You don’t have to be a lawyer just because you have a law degree. And it’s not a waste of money if you aren’t practicing law. Last week, I attended the Pre-Law Society’s presentation with the extremely impressive Joel Africk—a Harvard grad, who, after practicing law for many years, decided that his heart was pulling him a different direction. He is now the president and CEO of Respiratory Health Association, a non-profit charitable organization in Chicago. Talk about a 180, right? Mr. Africk said something that will stick with me for the rest of my life. During his law school years at Harvard, while he admits to not paying attention half the time, he said his law professor said something that he will always remember.Now he has passed down this wisdom to me, as well as all the other lucky PLS attendees who got to hear it. That is if your heart and head are telling you it’s time to do something else, do it. It’s OK to have a law degree and end up not practicing law. There are plenty of career paths from which to choose. In fact, many renowned journalists have a law degree, such as Jeff Greenfield, former CBS senior political correspondent, and Cynthia McFadden, co-anchor of ABC’s Nightline and Primetime. There’s not only journalism, but real estate if you want. To me that sounds like a snooze-fest, but it is an option. And if you plan on getting into politics, or running for any type of office someday, having a law degree looks impressive. In fact, some may argue it’s necessary. Our very own president, Barack Obama, is a Harvard Law School grad himself.
I am also a firm believer that if you really want something, you can get it. It’s hard in college to hear from practically every angle that your major will amount to nothing. It’s not just the legal profession that takes the heat, but plenty of others, such as journalism, politics or pretty much anything that isn’t engineering, business or technology-related. It’s always scary to think that we could end up not getting a job after we graduate, but my point is that this isn’t unique to law school. Life gives you the skeptics to try and limit you. But why let that scare you out of something you’re meant to do? I think I’m meant to be a lawyer (please no more Legally Blonde jokes, I’ve had it up to here), and maybe later I’ll do something else. But don’t let statistics scare you out of what you feel is right. Yes, even you, English majors. If you’re passionate about something, the rest will work itself out. A law degree is no waste of money. In fact, I don’t believe that any form of higher education is a waste of money. It may seem like useless information at the time when you’re taking notes and have no idea what the professor is talking about, but you really do gain a lot from higher education, even if it’s just life’s precious lessons. Sigh.
So go to law school, go be an English or anthropology major, because in the end, you are the only one responsible for your decisions, and you are the only one responsible for your future. But seriously, if you’re ever in trouble with the law in the future, you know where to find me.
What do you think about the grad-school process? Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
