U of D Mercy Law School and living downtown, input?

[Bhaalspawn]

Tabbcat, how did you feel about your career options after graduate from U of D Law? How did your fellow graduates fare?

[Bhaalspawn]

Originally Posted by trudawg

**disclaimer** I'm firm on my decision to attend U of D so not looking to be dissuaded. I'm not afraid of living in Detroit, as I grew up there for 14 years before moving to Ann Arbor, so I don't need the dangerous city lecture either.

I know you're pretty firm about it, but I wonder why you specifically want to attend U of D Law and not some other law school. Are you hoping to permanently settle in Michigan or the Detroit area? Otherwise it would probably make more sense to attend law school in the location where you want to settle, and preferably the least expensive law school possible, if feasible.

I'm not sure that working a part-time job is such a good idea. You really want to focus on trying to get the best grades you possibly can, and it's going to be very very competitive. Did you say you have a Computer Science degree? If so then I think you should also consider taking the Patent Bar Exam ASAP if you are qualified to sit for it. The sooner you obtain that credential, the better.

[Bhaalspawn]

To anyone who finds this thread in the future and who is contemplating law school:

You need to do very serious research into the reality of the legal job market. According to a recent study, various statistics suggest that only about 53.8% of all law school graduates over the past 40 years work in the legal profession, and presumably a higher percentage of earlier graduates were able to find work in the field back in the '70's and '80's which suggests that much fewer than 53.8% of more recent graduates were able to find work in the legal profession.

According to another study the law schools have been producing enough lawyers for the nation to have one lawyer for every 172 attorneys since the mid-Seventies. (Try to think about what that means. When was the last time you or someone you know needed an attorney? Was it a continuous need or a once or twice in a lifetime event? Do you think 172 average people are enough to keep an attorney employed and well-compensated? If a lawyer needs 20 cases per year that he can collect $5000 on to bring home $50,000 in income (after paying business expenses and higher private contractor taxes, etc.), can 172 people provide that for him consistently year after year?)

Also, going to law school could render you unemployable and overqualified for non-law jobs. Potential employers will think that you are a "flight risk" and that you'll bolt for the exits as soon as you find a high paying legal job. They'll also wonder what's wrong with you if you aren't happily earning a six figure income as an attorney because laypeople believe that all lawyers are rich. Therefore you must be a loser and why would any business want to hire a loser? So, if you cannot find work in the legal profession, you are probably screwed. Law school can easily cost $120,000-$185,000 after adding up cost of living expenses (add $15,000/year for living expenses and books, etc.). This means that you could graduate without a job and end up being saddled with $120,000-$185,000 worth of student loan debt that cannot be discharged in bankruptcy that will haunt you for the rest of your life. If Harvard 3Ls are having difficulty finding jobs, as was reported recently, then what will your chances be like at a much lesser school?

Even if you do find a job, it can be a nasty cutthroat profession filled with miserable people where you will work 70+ hours/week, possibly for not much compensation. The huge oversupply of attorneys pretty much dictates that working in the field will be miserable and you will probably work hard for every penny you earn, especially if you land (one of the rapidly disappearing) six-figure first year associate jobs at Biglaw.

You cannot trust the stats put out by the law schools. They are greedy, self-interested, essentially for-profit institutions that do not have your best interests at heart and will stop at nothing to keep their seats filled, including publishing fraudulent or intentionally misleading employment statistics.

Going to law school might make sense for you. If you can gain admission to Harvard, Stanford, or Yale or another Top 10 school it might be a good decision for you. If you have a relative who can guarantee you legal employment (your Daddy owns the city's largest personal injury firm) then it might make sense. Or maybe you received a three year full-tuition scholarship. You might also land a career-building job at a large law firm that will allow you to quickly pay off your loan debt. It's a lottery and someone is going to win. Unfortunately you have to wager $120,000-$185,000 to purchase a ticket that only has a small chance of gaining a return on your investment.

You can learn more at:
Exposing The Law School Scam (http://lawschoolscam.blogspot.com/ - broken link)
Law School Scambusting resources
http://www.JDUnderground.com

[tabbcat]

Originally Posted by trudawg

good points!
Tabbcat, what was your experience at U of D Law? I'm taking evening classes as well, and hoped to get a part-time job at the law school if possible

UDM Law was OK but in retrospect I probably would have chosen Wayne State (I hear it's a better education for much less $). There's plenty of opportunity for night students though (i.e. I was able to do the Moot Court board and volunteer mediation) and I really loved all those nearby bars for after class socializing I'm not really sure how robust the career counseling center is because I was working at GM and not really looking for legal internships at the time.

Re: the PeopleMover... yep I'd get off at the Ren Cen and just cross the street. Probably the quickest way to get to the law school, and it's a pretty safe stop. You're right about the views at Riverfront, they're unbeatable and were the reason I chose to live there. The one downfall was, like I said, I worked at GM and could see the GM logo from the Ren Cen from my bedroom window. It was like the Eye of Sauron, watching me as I slept.

[tabbcat]

Originally Posted by Bhaalspawn

Tabbcat, how did you feel about your career options after graduate from U of D Law? How did your fellow graduates fare?

I'm not really sure, Bhaal.... I passed the Bar and all that, but I never really pursued a career as a lawyer. I mainly wanted it to expand my career prospects (i.e. perhaps corporate law, purchasing or contracts negotiations, but not as a practicing attorney). Various classmates became lawyers and there were a good many who couldn't find jobs, but I never really kept in touch as I moved out of state shortly after graduating. I'm probably the wrong person to ask