Hijexx wrote:
Also reminded of an episode of Ally McBeal I saw back in the day. The defense launched a persuasive arguement for victimhood of his client. His client is acquitted. At the end, Ally cannot believe it. She asks him, "Do you really believe all those things you said?" He says, "Of course not." "Then why did you say that?" she retorts. "Because I was paid to."

Which reminds me of a quote from my father who was a prcaticing attorney for over 20 years. He said once, "Behind every asshole lawyer is an asshole client." Obviously he was aware of the hyperbole, but the point is still valid... in general, lawyers are paid to provide a service to their clients, despite not necessarily being in agreement with their client's motivations. Lawyers get a bad rap, but it's usually the people they represent who are the real greedy or malicious ones.

As for Tom's quandary, i'm not sure i have much illumination. I know I couldn't possibly be a big-firm lawyer... I'd lose my mind. Nothing's important enough to me to spend those kind of hours, consistently, doing it. Even more so if the day-to-day tasks are tedious or repellent to me. I can't subvert myself enough, even if the eventual payoff would be high. I've put in the occasional 70-80 hour week. Even once or twice for more than one week in a row, but not all year long, every year. Fuck all that.

I'm interested in law as well. I've even thought to go to law school, but as I have no desire to get into the firm-grind, it wouldn't be a top 10 or 20 school. I'm not gonna spend all that money, going massively into debt, knowing that the law degree would primarily be to serve me in other endeavors (e.g. business or engineering, from the perspective of protecting my work or knowing how to set certain things up safely). I'm seeing now, from reading the linked article, that even going to a lesser school wouldn't do me much good since i'd pay nearly as much for a far less valuable experience. *shrug*

Of course, Tom, having a technical degree, you're eligible for the patent bar. I have no idea what that niche is like, compared to a the more general legal market, but it's something to look into. I hear the patent bar is a bitch and a half, but I'm sure it's doable. It's a specialization that may (or may not) help mitigate some of the harder choices.

RE: The Problem with the Legal Profession