Assumptions People Will Make About Your Time in Law School

By Danni White on December 20, 2016

This article is brought to you by Kaplan, the leader in test prep for over 90 standardized tests, including the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, and MCAT.

Image via Pexels

When you talk to people about becoming a lawyer, you’ll probably get one of two different types of looks.

How do I know? I give my younger sister one of these two looks every time she comes to me with an overdue assignment or is lazying about when she should be studying. She wants to be a lawyer and she’s made good progress to get there, but I’m sure when she voices her occupation of choice to others, she’ll get one of these two looks.

One is a look of sincerity and pride. They’re happy you made such a choice and seriously impressed that you would go through the rigors of study to get your law degree. The other is a look of disgust. They’re none too pleased that you’ve picked such a profession because to them all lawyers are crooks — well, that is until they need one.

Some people are this way only because they don’t understand what it means to be a good, honest lawyer and the hard work that goes into becoming a lawyer. As in any profession, there is always one bad apple in the bunch, but don’t throw out all the lawyers because one cheated on his bar exam.

Here are some assumptions people make about your time in law school that are completely false or only half-true.

Some people assume that law school professors held your hand through your courses.

Nothing could really be further from the truth. People might assume that it is the law professor’s job to hold the hands of each law students and walk them through their courses to safely ensure that the school produces the best lawyers in the nation (and subtly upholds its reputation). Some undergraduate classes are filled with compassionate professors who live and breathe their students’ achievements but this is not the case in graduate school or law school.

Professors at the grad level have made their own achievements and will only give you enough wings in order for you to fly on your own. Being a professor is a privilege, but it is also a job. Professors get paid regardless of how many people pass or fail their class.

Some people assume that law school will absolutely prepare you to pass the state bar exam.

This is an assumption that many people make but it really has no basis. In one way, law school does prepare you to sit for the bar exam and pass it. That is, after all, the goal. However, law school like any other school gives you the facts you need to become a lawyer. It puts you on the right path, it does not take you to the destination.

Law school will tell you to make wise, informed decisions about any particular case; it won’t necessarily tell you how to do it. Applying what you have learned in the classroom to a real-life or hypothetical situation has to be learned all on your own. The bar exam takes both knowledge and knowledge application into consideration.

Some people assume that the life of a lawyer is an exciting roller-coaster, kind of like we see on TV and in the movies.

Being a lawyer actually is not that exciting. Of course, you get the daily moral fix of knowing you are pushing the world one step closer to justice. But talk to any lawyer and you will find that they do the same routine tasks every day. Lawyers actually sit in their offices for long hours pouring over legions of court documents and past court documents and writing up documents. They also spend time logging their time so they will know what to bill each client.

TV shows like ‘Blue Bloods’ and ‘Law and Order’ have made us think that the life of a lawyer is pretty glamorous. These shows fail to show all the paperwork, research, and hours of reading, comprehending, and writing that has to be done before ever setting foot in a court room.

Some people assume that doors will just open up for you once you officially get your law degree.

No more doors will be open to you than someone who gets her medical degree or someone who gets a degree in business administration or accounting. A law degree can give you credibility. Passing the bar exam signals that you have a decent work ethic, that you are willing to go through a long and tedious process to reach a goal, and that you have a reasonable level of intelligence and ability to comprehend and think critically. With all the help you can get throughout law school, nothing comes easy. You still have to apply yourself and work hard and that’s just like any other serious profession.

Some people assume you make a lot of money just by waking up in the morning.

Reality check here, most lawyers do not make that much more money when you take into account the time, cost, and mental, emotional, and relational energy that is spent trying to become one. Don’t let friends and family especially hit you up for green backs when you haven’t paid the rent on your studio apartment or even bought decent food to eat for the week. Just starting out, lawyers will make on average anywhere from $40K to $65K and that’s on the low end of the salary scale.

Even though there is a considerable amount of negative attention placed upon it and brought to it, being a lawyer is an honorable and fulfilling profession. There will always be corrupt lawyers just like there are corrupt business people, corrupt politicians and corrupt doctors. But this should be the least of your concerns. With the right goals and the will to stick to your studies, you can become the best lawyer you’ve always dreamed you would be.

Learn more about Kaplan’s test prep options and start building the confidence you need for Test Day.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format