Law School Students And The Evaporating Job Market

In August 2009 The New York Times ran an article, "Downturn Dims Prospects Even At Top Law Schools", which talked about the impact the downturn in the economy was having on law school students finding jobs after passing the bar.

Here we are coming up on almost a year later, and things may be even worse today. That article mentioned at the time there were half as many openings at big firms as there were a year prior.

Regardless of what year of law school you're in, you need to be keeping your eye on the prize. The prize in this case means landing the right job after passing the bar.

Maybe you think you have that locked up already based on where you interned. That would be a mistake on your part. A costly mistake at that.

The fact remains, the big firms are not hiring like in years past. And there are even fewer smaller firms hiring. The jobs have become scarce. Which means today more than ever you need to stand out in the law school crowd.

So what's your plan? Are you questioning whether law school was the right move for you. In the article someone is quoted as saying, "law school might not have been the right move for them."

Are you going to lower your expectations? Settle for a so-so job with a so-so firm?

Chances are you are investing a great deal of money in your law school education. How does a so-so job fit in with paying back those student loans? Call me crazy, but I think settling doesn't fit with why you wanted to go to law school in the first place.

You can let the market dictate what you will do, or you can take action, and create the life you want. The first place you need to begin is by recognizing the simple fact that ending your law school years buried somewhere in the middle of the pack is not going to serve your goals and desires.

And it doesn't matter if you are just entering law school, finishing your 1L or 2L year. You need to step up your game, right? You need to work harder. You need to study longer, right? Isn't that the only way to rise above and stand out from everyone else?

Wrong, wrong, wrong and wrong!

Working harder will only make you more miserable. It will cause you to someday resent what you had to give up along the way. No, you need to work smarter, not harder. You need to get more results in less time. Doesn't that sound like a better plan than working harder and longer? Of course it does.

Or, maybe what you really need is for someone to share the secret to law school. Yes, I'm serious. Haven't you heard about the secret to law school? (again here) I guess I am letting the cat out of the bag here, but this is how working smarter works.

How do I know the secret to law school exists, or that it actually works? I know because I discovered it at the start of my 2L year, I then created it, lived it my last two years in law school and now I am sharing it with you.

You probably want to know if it will really work, right? I graduated near the top of my class using what I share in the secret to law school. So yes, it definitely works. But, it won't work for everyone. Let me explain. It can work for anyone who follows it, but there will be some who will never even try to follow it. Sounds crazy, but it's true.

Let me start at the beginning. The first requirement is, you must be an independent thinker. A lot of law school students think they they are independent thinkers, but they're not. The have a "herd" mentality. And that's okay. They will be the one's who will give up their life, go to class and study 12+ hours a day thinking that's the best and only way to overcome the shortage in great jobs at big firms.

The independent thinker on the other hand is the type of person who looks at a situation that looks impossible, but has the unique ability to see things most others can't. And that's probably why they succeed more than those who have the herd mentality. If you think about what it takes to be an above average attorney, who do you think fits that mold better? The person who is a follower, or the person who is an independent thinker?

Another way to look at it is, the independent thinker can argue both sides of a case, making an equally strong argument for either side. By the way, they don't teach this in law school. Yet on your exams you will need to be able to do this. Is it any wonder the independent thinker is the one who ends up in the top of their class?

Now do you see why I say it won't work for everyone? The only question is, which person are you? Are you the follower, or are you the independent thinker? Do you do what the majority of your classmates do, or do you have the unique ability to look at things from both sides? Are you part of the herd, or are you an independent thinker?

It's important that you understand, law school will not teach you to be an independent thinker. In fact, I'd go so far as to say they do not want any law school students to be independent thinkers. Is it any wonder then there are so many attorneys who wish they had chosen a different career path? Is it a coincidence, or it it simply a product of the law school environment?

Inflating grades to make a school compete on a national scale is not going to help you ace law school. Sure, it may ensure your degree, but in the scheme of things, does that help you land your dream job? No, elevating grades does absolutely nothing to improve your class ranking. Law schools do nothing to teach you how to improve your rankings. You have to figure that one out on your own.

Fortunately you have some help. Because that's the point of knowing the secret to law school. Once you learn the secret, you will know exactly how to improve your class ranking. And, you will know exactly how to improve your bar exam results. In fact, you'll be studying for your bar exam without the pressure many of your classmates will have.

But first we need to figure out if you are part of the herd, or if you are an independent thinker.

If you're the latter, then I would suggest you pay less attention to the news on the economy, and more on the secret to law school.

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