{"id":4018,"date":"2005-08-16T21:16:53","date_gmt":"2005-08-17T01:16:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/formerlyknownas\/2005\/08\/16\/1l-of-a-decision\/"},"modified":"2011-08-05T14:57:29","modified_gmt":"2011-08-05T18:57:29","slug":"1l-of-a-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2005\/08\/16\/1l-of-a-decision\/","title":{"rendered":"1L of a decision"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Welcome<\/em> Blawg Review<\/span><\/a> #22<\/span><\/a> visitors; see the sequel: <\/em><\/span>the road to “L” is paved with inattention<\/em><\/span><\/a>]<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A<\/strong><\/em>lthough Prof. Yabut<\/span><\/a> is on sabbatical, he asked us to post a few of his
\ncustomarily-crusty sentiments for the edification of new law students.
\n[They were prompted by an inquiry yesterday from Prof. Rick Garnett<\/a>,
\nvia Leiter<\/a>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

1L of a Decision<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Because we’re all adults, I’m going to be totally frank in this short homily to \"prof
\nnew law students: Your decision to attend law school is very likely to be one
\nof the riskiest you will ever make in and for your life. Law school will test your
\nstamina <\/span>and your sanity, leave you with a mountain of debt, and prepare you
\n(some say rather poorly) for a profession that is universally disliked, and is rife
\nwith <\/span>dissatisfied<\/span><\/a>, self-loathing and depressed individuals, who feel helpless to
\nredeem their lives and selfesteem. (see, e.g<\/em>., the discussion <\/span>here<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>) <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

His clients’ experiences have made lawyer and career counselor <\/span>Ronald W. Fox<\/span><\/a>
\nangry every time he hears the words “law school.” He explains<\/span><\/a><\/span>:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

“They entered law school with confidence, talents, smarts, dreams
\nof justice and high hopes and left three years later with few legal
\nskills, limited awareness of the values of the profession, little knowledge
\nof the range of options for a career, not a clue about how to look for work
\nand a mountain of debt. They were transformed into cynical individuals
\nwith a false, narrowed perspective of their choices and a dramatically
\nreduced sense of self-worth.” <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

As we reported<\/a> last year, lawyer-author Steven Keeva<\/a> has made a similar
\nobservation:<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span><\/p>\n

“Recent research demonstrates how a majority of first-year students
\nwho come to school with an inner motivational focus\u2014that is, a desire
\nto help others, make the world a better place and so on\u2014move rather
\nrapidly to an external focus, such as earning a lot of money or impressing
\nothers. Such shifts typically coincide with plummeting levels of well-being[.]” <\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>[The study, “Does Legal Education Have Negative Effects on Law Students?<\/span><\/span>
\n<\/span>Evaluating Changes in Motivation, Values and Well-Being”, <\/span><\/span>by professors<\/span><\/span>
\n<\/span>Kennon Sheldon and Lawrence Krieger,<\/span> was published in <\/span><\/span>Behavioral Sciences<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span>
\n<\/span>and Law<\/em>, and may be <\/span><\/span><\/span>viewed here<\/span><\/a>.]<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"boy If you did the Homework<\/a> we suggested last Spring, you already knew the
\nrisks, and you’ve done your best to minimize them by figuring out your own motivations,
\nadding up the true cost, assessing realistic job options if saddled with large debt,
\nand seeking out unbiased and experienced opinions about law practice. But, if
\nyou’re among the multitude<\/a> who didn’t do the soul-searching and legwork necessary
\nto choose law school intelligently<\/em>, you better start doing them now<\/em>. Yes, now, despite
\nall the other pressures of 1L life. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Why now? Because (1) the entire law school experience should be geared toward
\ndeciding whether law is the right career for you (not your parents or friends!); (2) if the
\nanswer ends up being “no,” you need to cut your losses as soon as possible; (3) if
\nthe answer — after really working on the question — turns out to be “yes,” you will
\nhave both a great sense of relief and a reassuring sense of direction for your legal
\ncareer; and (4) self-assessment about your career in the law should be a perennial
\ntask, to help assure you’ll get the most out of it, while being prepared for a wide variety
\nof possibly upsetting surprises. <\/span><\/p>\n

Derek Haskew presents<\/a> what might be the best reason to start your self-assessment
\n— asking who you are<\/em> and what you want<\/em> from a law degree and the legal profession —
\nas soon as possible:<\/span><\/p>\n

“[T]he person you are before you enter law school is certain to be different
\nfrom the one who leaves three years later. Given that, the question becomes,
\nwhat part of you do you wish to have around to celebrate at graduation? <\/span>
\n“In retrospect, it is easy to see how nearly anyone who is accepted can
\ngraduate from law school. The challenge is in not being changed so much
\nby the experience that you forget why you went there in the first place.”
\n<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I’m not trying to scare you, as you start law school. But, I do want you to feel very<\/em>
\nuncomfortable if you are unable to say that you’re sure you want to be a lawyer,
\nthat you know yourself well enough to know your career goals (or at least your
\nbedrock values), and that you’ve thought through the practical issues surrounding
\ngraduating with a large amount of debt (if you will likely have that burden).<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>\"podiumSN\" Please don’t think that there are no<\/em> satisfied lawyers.
\nFor example, see here<\/a>, here<\/a> and there<\/a>. I think many of the
\nsatisfied are the kind of folk who would find a way to be
\ncontent almost anywhere. Unfortunately, most of us tend
\nto be easily disappointed and frustrated. We need to try
\nharder to avoid career angst and burnout. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There are some excellent web resources for law students who are trying to find out
\nwho they are and what they want in a career. The Decision Books<\/a><\/em> Law Student Page
\nis very good place to start, with many free exercises to help with career assessment.
\nThe Values Inventory<\/span><\/a> might even be a good parlor game for friends on a weekend night —
\nletting you sort out and prioritize values, and hear the choices and commentary of your
\nfellow students. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> Many college websites have an excellent Pre-Law Advisor<\/a>, that was put together by
\nNotre Dame’s Ava Preacher and uses helpful input from career counselor and lawyer-
\nauthor Deborah Arron<\/a>. Note that there is only One Good Reason to go to law school:
\nYou Want to Be a Lawyer (and actually know what that means). Take a look at the
\n“Things to Ponder<\/a>” list of characteristics of contented lawyers and of those who might
\nbe ill-suited for the legal profession. Be honest with yourself about how those lists
\nmake you feel as a law student. [check our Homework<\/span><\/a> posting for more sources; and take a look at Ron Fox’s materials on choosing a law school<\/a>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

\"tiny No, none of these tools and exercises will spoon-feed
\nyou answers and remedies. Sorry, it will take focused attention
\nand continuing commitment.<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Don’t be surprised if you start wondering whether you’ve made a bad choice. Listen to
\nyour gut and your heart. Cutting your losses is a lot better than “investing” in a career
\nand lifestyle that will make you (and your loved ones) miserable. If you think you need
\nmore time to discover whether a lawyer’s life is the right one for you, consider asking
\nfor a leave of absence (after completing your semester or year). Most schools will
\nbe supportive. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"penny<\/span><\/span>Derek Haskew<\/span><\/a>‘s 1L of a Challenge<\/a><\/span><\/em>, deserves special mention. <\/span><\/span> Part of Steve Keeva’s Transforming Practices<\/a><\/span> website<\/span> [update<\/em>: most content has been removed from the site, so links in this paragraph are outdated; Keeva’s book<\/a> might be a good substitute], 1L of a Challenge<\/em> focuses <\/span>
\non “Staying Healthy and Whole in Law School.” It has columns, Q&A <\/span>
\ninterviews, and occasional news on innovative approaches to humanizing <\/span>
\nlegal education. It’s a gem, and I was shocked that a Technorati search <\/span>
\nturned up only <\/span>one<\/span><\/a> <\/span>(very moribund) weblog link to 1L of a Challenge<\/em>. Check
\nout <\/span>Security v. Acclaim<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>The Challenge of the Public Interest Fiction<\/span><\/a>,
\n<\/span>Should I go to Law School?<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>Going to Law School, or Just Going Broke?<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

For another useful book see Should You Really Be a Lawyer?<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, by D. Schneider and G. Belsky (2004).<\/p>\n

Rhymes with Google<\/em>: While you’re in school and deciding your place \"penny \"penny
\nin the legal profession, there is one very important way to lower your risk and any
\nlosses: Be Frugal<\/span><\/a><\/em> — not to mention <\/span><\/span>sparing<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>thrifty<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>economical<\/span><\/a>. This probably
\nsounds even more difficult than discovering the real you, but it is essential that you
\nkeep your debt as low as possible, in order to keep your options as open as possible.
\n(See “Haskew’s “<\/span>Going Broke?” <\/span><\/a>, and Sherry Fowler’s <\/span>commen<\/span><\/a>t, with my reply, about <\/span>
\ngetting into and avoiding law school debt). After graduation, it is far too easy to allow <\/span>
\n“golden handcuffs” caused by high mortgages and lifestyle\/family “necessities” to <\/span>
\nbecome manacles that keep you from finding a fulfilling career and balanced lifestyle. <\/span>
\nGetting in the habit of making “sacrifices” (which are in fact far from draconian) is not <\/span>
\na lot to expect of responsible young adults.<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As I told Scheherazade<\/a> in a comment<\/a> two years ago:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"handcuffsG\" “To be honest, it seems to me that those handcuffs are self-imposed.
\nThe key to releasing the cuffs is deciding that a less expensive lifestyle is
\nacceptable — including less expensive neighborhood and home, auto,
\nwardrobe, vacations, hobbies, and social life. It sounds like a rather flimsy
\nexcuse for someone who does not yet have a family to support to say,
\n‘I want to use my degree to change the world, but my debt is too high.’ <\/span><\/p>\n

“Maybe I should blame my generation of middle-class Baby Boomers for
\nraising, on the whole, a generation of children who feel entitled to most of
\nthe amenities of a successful middle-class lifestyle, even when first entering
\ntheir careers [and while still students!]” <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Commentators such as LSF<\/em>‘s <\/span>John Steele<\/span><\/a> scoffed at the article “<\/span>Javanomics 101<\/span><\/em><\/a>:
\nToday’s Coffee is Tomorrow’s Debt” (WashPost, June 18, 2005). In our <\/span>blurb<\/span><\/a>, we
\nstated:<\/span> <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

“John’s right that expensive coffee alone does not create the massive
\nlaw-student debt that so limits career choices. However, it is a very
\nrepresentative symbol for a generation whose spending habits are so
\nimpractical and unnecessarily expensive, that they price themselves out
\nof a lot of career options.”
\n<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If you take a hatchet to those living expenses — especially entertainment and<\/span>
\n meals outside of your home — you just might have an extra hundred dollars or two<\/span>
\n a month for life’s true necessities once it’s time to pay back those loans.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> I want to end with a bit of tough love, by repeating<\/a> a message for law students<\/span>
\n from New Jersey Appellate Judge Jose L. Fuentes: If law isn’t your passion, get out of<\/em><\/span>
\n law school!<\/em> More expansively, Judge Fuentes pleads<\/a> (emphasis added):<\/span><\/p>\n

To all these unfortunate souls: to the perpetual child, to the risk manager, to
\nthe ambitious social climber, to the mindless would-be robo-lawyer, I have but
\none [piece of] advice: GET OUT! Get out now while you can still leave with
\nyour soul intact.<\/strong> Do not allow life to catch you from behind, one day when you
\nleast expected and are least capable of resisting. <\/span><\/p>\n

Get out now and rediscover yourself. Ask the hard questions that you avoided
\nasking when your parents told everyone that their child was going to be a lawyer.
\nAsk, who am I? Not what am I going to do?<\/strong> [At] no other time in your life are
\nyou ever going to be as free as you are right now to make these hard choices and
\nthen act upon them. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n


\n<\/span>
\nWell, you’ve got you’re foot in the door of the legal profession. Now, make sure it’s the
\nright door — and that you have an exit strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Best wishes, from the Old Professor<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

update<\/span><\/strong><\/em> (Sept. 4, 2005): Don’t miss the sequel, <\/span>the road to “L” is paved with inattention<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

baby sparrow
\nso quickly you’ve learned
\nto eat and rut<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

\n

\n
\n
\n

introducing their children
\nto society…
\nstrutting sparrows<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n


\n<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Kobayashi ISSA<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, <\/span> translated by <\/span>David G. Lanoue<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

admissions week-<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

two fat envelopes<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

and two skinny ones<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

……………………………………. dagosan<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

prairie twilight…<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

the glow of the cattleman’s<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

branding iron<\/span> <\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

………………….. Ed Markowski<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n


\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

during discussion<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

on the meaning of life . . . the crunch<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

of a student’s apple<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

George Swede<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"boy<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[Welcome Blawg Review #22 visitors; see the sequel: the road to “L” is paved with inattention] Although Prof. Yabut is on sabbatical, he asked us to post a few of his customarily-crusty sentiments for the edification of new law students. [They were prompted by an inquiry yesterday from Prof. Rick Garnett, via Leiter.] 1L of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":94,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3513,900],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lawyer-news-or-ethics","category-viewpoint"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6kP1R-12O","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/94"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4018"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4018\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11728,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4018\/revisions\/11728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}