Questions to Ask Yourself Before Going to Law School
For a college student or a career changer deciding whether to apply to law school, or whether to accept an offer already in hand. The questions follow the order the decision usually takes: why law, what lawyers do all day, the debt against likely pay, getting in and getting through to the bar exam, other routes to the same goal, and timing. Tuition, loans, admission tests and licensing rules differ by country, state and school, so check every figure and rule against the place where you would study and practice.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Why law
Why do I want to go to law school, in one sentence I could say to a working lawyer?
Why ask it
Write the sentence down and imagine a lawyer ten years into practice reading it. 'I like arguing' and 'I want to help people' are places to start, but neither says what you would be doing at a desk on a Wednesday afternoon. A sentence that names a kind of client or a kind of problem gives you something you can go and test.
Do I want to be a lawyer, or do I want to have gone to law school?
Why ask it
The degree brings a title and an easy answer at family dinners, while the job brings clients, deadlines and files. If most of the appeal sits in the first list, look hard at what the second will ask of you. One test is whether you would still enroll if you could never tell anyone you had.
What do I picture myself doing on an ordinary working day, five years after I graduate?
Why ask it
Describe the room, who else is in it and what is open on the screen. If the picture comes mostly from courtroom dramas, take it to someone who practices in that field and ask which parts are wrong.
Is this my own idea, or what my family, my professors or my friends expect of me?
Why ask it
A parent's hopes and a professor's praise are real pressures, and neither of them will take the exams. Try saying 'I have decided not to go' out loud and notice whether relief or loss arrives first.
Am I applying mainly because I do not know what else to do with my degree?
Why ask it
Law school is a familiar next step for capable graduates without a plan, and it is an expensive place to wait for one. If this is close to the truth, a year or two of paid work costs far less and tells you more about what you want.
Which kind of law do I want to practice, and what do I know about the people who do it?
Why ask it
You do not need a final answer, since plenty of students change direction once they have taken the courses and held a summer job. You do need one concrete area to look into, because criminal defense, corporate deals and immigration work are different jobs with different hours and pay.
Am I choosing law because it looks like the safe option, and how safe is it for someone in my position?
Why ask it
A professional degree can feel like insurance against an uncertain job market. How well it pays out depends on the school, the amount borrowed and the hiring market in the year you finish, and only the first two are in your hands. Write down what 'safe' means to you, whether that is an income floor or a title, and check each against what recent graduates of your likely schools are doing.
If lawyers were paid what teachers are paid, would I still want the work?
Why ask it
This takes the money out to see what is left. A yes means the interest is in the work itself. A no does not rule you out, but it means the salary is carrying the whole decision, so the pay you plan on has to be a real figure for a job you can get.
What would I have to find out to decide not to go?
Why ask it
If nothing could change your mind, you are gathering reasons, not deciding. Before you start looking, name two or three findings that would stop you, such as a debt figure you will not cross or a week of shadowing that bored you.
The work
Have I spent real time watching a lawyer work, and not only talking to one?
Why ask it
Over coffee you get the summary, and across a day in the office you get the email, the waiting and the fourth draft. Ask a firm, a legal aid office or a local court whether you can shadow or sit in on public hearings, since what an outsider may see differs from place to place.
Have I held a job in or around a legal office, as a paralegal, clerk, intern or volunteer?
Why ask it
A few months inside shows whether you can stand the pace and the detail once the novelty has worn off, which no conversation can. If you have not done it, ask yourself what stops you from doing it for a year before you apply.
How many lawyers have I asked about their work, and was any of them unhappy in it?
Why ask it
Three contented partners are a lopsided sample. Add someone a few years out of school, someone in a small practice and someone who left the profession, and ask each what they would do if the choice came around again.
Do I enjoy long stretches of careful reading and writing, alone, on subjects I did not pick?
Why ask it
A great deal of legal work looks like this, whatever the field. Go by evidence and not by self-image: think of the last long research paper you wrote, and whether you finished it interested or merely relieved.
How do I handle work where a small mistake of mine could cost someone else money or their freedom?
Why ask it
Some people find that weight steadying and others lose sleep over it. A fair clue is how you treat your own lease, tax form or contract: whether you read every line, or sign and hope.
Am I comfortable with conflict when it is part of the job, including with people I like?
Why ask it
Enjoying debate in a seminar is a long way from telling an opposing lawyer no for the fourth time, or giving a client news they did not want. A no here does not close the door. Drafting, advising and deal work tend to involve less open fighting than litigation, though every practice has some.
Could I act for a client, or argue a position, that I disagree with?
Why ask it
Lawyers who do it describe it in different ways: as a duty, as a craft, or as the part they could not bear. Put the question to two of them, then ask yourself whether you could live inside either line of reasoning.
How would I feel about recording my working day in small blocks of time?
Why ask it
Many private firms charge clients by the hour, and their lawyers log the day in short increments. Try it for one week on your current work or study, writing down what each block went to, and see whether it sharpens you or grinds on you. Government and in-house jobs often track time differently, so this matters most if a firm is the plan.
What hours do lawyers in the job I want really keep, and would I give up my evenings for it?
Why ask it
Hear it from people in that exact job by asking when they left the office last Thursday. A large firm, a government department and a solo practice keep very different hours, so an answer about lawyers in general is worth little.
Which parts of the job would I be putting up with only to reach the parts I like?
Why ask it
Make two columns from what working lawyers have told you: what you would do gladly and what you would tolerate. If the second column fills most of the week, believe it.
Money
What would the whole degree cost me, counting tuition, fees, living costs and interest across every year?
Why ask it
Total it for the whole program, not per year, and include rent and food, because those are often borrowed too. Most schools post an estimated cost of attendance. Treat it as a floor, since tuition can rise between your first year and your last.
How much would I need to borrow in all, and what would I owe each month once I am working?
Why ask it
Turn the total into a monthly payment, because that is the number you can set beside a salary. Add any loans left over from a first degree, and check with that lender what happens to them while you are back in school. Rates and repayment periods depend on the country and the type of loan, so run the figures through the lender's own calculator.
What do graduates of the schools I could realistically get into earn in their first jobs?
Why ask it
Look for each school's own employment report and read the median and the spread, not the top figure in the brochure. Starting pay in law varies widely with the employer and the city, so the useful number is the one for the jobs that school's graduates really take. If a school publishes nothing, ask admissions for it and notice how they respond.
Is my budget built on the top law firm salary, and what share of graduates from my schools get it?
Why ask it
The widely quoted large-firm starting pay goes to some graduates of some schools. A school's employment report usually shows how many of its last class went to firms of that size. Build the budget on the job most of them took.
If I took the lower-paid job I say I want, could I live on it and still repay the loans?
Why ask it
Public defense, legal aid and many government jobs tend to pay less than private practice. Draft a month's budget on that salary with the loan payment in it. Forgiveness and repayment-assistance programs exist in some places and come with conditions that change, so read the current terms for where you would work before leaning on one.
What would I give up in pay and experience during the years I am studying?
Why ask it
Count the salary you would have earned and the promotions you would have reached. For a career changer this can come to more than the tuition, and it belongs in the same column.
If a school offers me a scholarship, what are the conditions for keeping it after the first year?
Why ask it
Some awards depend on holding a grade average or a class rank, and where grades are curved not everyone can. Ask the school how many students lost the award after first year, and what your bill would be without it.
Would a cheaper school with a scholarship serve my goal as well as a better-known one at full price?
Why ask it
It turns on the goal. Some employers recruit from a narrow set of schools and many hire from the regional one down the road. Look up where the people now holding the job you want went to school before you pay for a name.
Who else would carry this debt with me: a partner, children, parents?
Why ask it
A loan changes when a household can buy a home, move cities or absorb a bad year. If someone shares your finances, show them the monthly payment and decide together before any deposit is due.
What is my plan if I finish with the debt and cannot get, or do not want, a legal job?
Why ask it
Not every graduate ends up practicing. Picture it plainly: the same payment, and a job you might have had without the degree. If that would be a disaster and not merely a disappointment, borrow less or wait.
School and bar
Which schools do my grades and a realistic test score get me into, and do they lead to the job I want?
Why ask it
Take a timed practice test before you build a school list on a score you hope for. Which test a school accepts, and how heavily it weighs it, varies, so check each admissions page. If the schools within reach do not lead to the job you want, that is a finding and not a failure.
Where do I want to live and practice, and should that decide where I study?
Why ask it
A license usually covers one jurisdiction, and many schools send most of their graduates into jobs nearby. If you know the city, find out which schools its firms and public offices hire from. If you do not, give more weight to schools whose graduates end up in many places.
Would a part-time or evening program suit my life better than a full-time one?
Why ask it
It can let you keep a paycheck, at the price of extra years and very thin evenings. Before counting on it, map one real week: work hours, class hours, reading, the commute, and whatever is left for the people you live with. Not every school offers one, and those that do set their own schedules.
Am I ready for courses where the whole grade may rest on a single exam?
Why ask it
Many law courses are assessed that way, though schools and countries differ. If you have always relied on steady grades through the semester to know where you stand, think about how you would manage months without them, and how you have done on one high-stakes test before.
How do I react to being ranked against classmates who were all strong students too?
Why ask it
Where grading is curved, half the room lands below the middle no matter what each person did before. Think back to the last time you were ordinary at something, and whether you kept working at it or drifted away.
Have I read a full court opinion or sat in on a law school class, and did it hold my attention?
Why ask it
Court decisions are usually free to read online, and in many law schools much of the assigned reading is exactly this. Pick one on a subject you care about, get to the end, and notice whether you wanted a second. Some schools let prospective students visit a class, which shows the style of questioning as well as the material.
How would I look after my health, my sleep and the people close to me through the hardest stretch?
Why ask it
Name the particular things that keep you well: a sport, a faith community, a weekly call, a friend who tells you when you are not yourself. Then ask a current student which of theirs survived first year.
After the degree, could I face months of study for the bar exam with no guarantee of passing first time?
Why ask it
In most places the degree alone does not let you practice. Look up what the exam, or its local equivalent, involves where you want to work, how each school's graduates fare on it, and how you would cover rent during the weeks of preparation.
Is there anything in my past that a character and fitness review might ask about?
Why ask it
Many licensing bodies look at more than exam results: criminal records, academic discipline, unpaid debts, and how openly an applicant disclosed them. The rules differ from one authority to the next, so if something worries you, put it to the licensing body where you plan to practice before you enroll.
Other routes
Could I do the work I care about without a law degree?
Why ask it
Policy, compliance, mediation, advocacy, contract management and court administration all sit close to law. Find postings for the role you picture and read the requirements: if the degree is not listed, ask someone in the job whether having one helped.
Would a shorter or cheaper qualification get me to the same place?
Why ask it
Depending on the goal, that could be a paralegal certificate, a master's degree in policy or business, or a professional credential in tax or compliance. Compare cost, length and the jobs each program's graduates hold, going by what the providers themselves publish.
What job would I be glad to have if law school did not exist?
Why ask it
Answer with a title and an employer, not a field. If that job sounds good, find out what it would take to get it now. If nothing comes to mind, either the pull toward law is stronger than you thought or you have not yet looked around.
If I want the degree for a career outside legal practice, do the people in that career have one?
Why ask it
'You can do anything with a law degree' is said more often than it is checked. Look up ten people in the role you want and count the law degrees. If there are few, the degree is not the entry ticket, and their work histories will show what was.
As a career changer, how would a law degree build on what I already do, and what would I walk away from?
Why ask it
The clearest cases join the two halves: an engineer moving into patents, a nurse into health law, an accountant into tax. The open question is whether employers in that niche pay for the earlier career or start you at the bottom of the scale, and only people working in it can tell you.
Timing
Why now, and what would I lose by waiting a year?
Why ask it
Quite often the honest answer is nothing but momentum. A year of work can bring savings, a firmer reason and a stronger application, and the schools will still be there. If you can name a real cost of waiting, such as a test score that will lapse or an award that cannot be held, weigh that against it.
Am I going straight from college because I am ready, or because a gap frightens me?
Why ask it
Fear of falling behind friends is a thin reason for a commitment of several years. Test it by planning the gap in detail, with a job, a city and a savings target. If the plan looks good on paper, fear was doing the deciding.
What else will be happening in my life over those years: a partner's job, children, a parent who needs care?
Why ask it
A full-time program leaves little slack, and some demands cannot be moved. Lay the years out on paper with the people involved. Then read each school's rules on taking a leave or dropping to part time, so you know the exits before you need one.
Is my application as strong as it can be this cycle, or am I rushing it?
Why ask it
A hurried or late application can cost you a seat, or scholarship money, that a better one would have won. Where a school fills its class as applications arrive, the date matters as much as the essay. Check how each school on your list works, then compare applying now with applying early next cycle.
If I have already been admitted, would I still say yes if I were starting the decision from nothing today?
Why ask it
A deposit paid and an announcement made are sunk costs, and they push harder than they should. Many schools will consider a deferral, so ask for the terms before treating withdrawal as the only other choice.
A year into law school, what would show me I had made the right call, and what would tell me to stop?
Why ask it
Settle the signs in advance, while you are calm: still curious about the material, borrowing on plan, a summer job that confirmed the interest. Stopping after one year costs far less than finishing a degree you do not want.
What will I do in the next month about the questions I could not answer?
Why ask it
Circle every question here where you guessed. Turn each into a task with a name beside it: a lawyer to call, an office to email, a practice test to sit. Whatever you decide after that will rest on more than a hunch.
How to work through the law school decision on paper
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Answering them so the answers count
Write each answer down, with a date
An answer held in your head shifts to suit your mood. Written down, 'I want to do international human rights work' has to stand next to 'I have never met anyone who does it', and the gap becomes the next thing to fix. Date the page so you can see what changed when you come back to it.
Label every answer as known or guessed
Put a K beside anything you have checked with a person, a document or your own experience, and a G beside anything you assume. Count the G marks in each group. The decision is only as sound as the G column is short, so start your research in whichever group has the most.
Take Money and The work before the application, not after the offer
Once an acceptance arrives, the questions about debt and daily work get answered by hope. Do those two groups while nothing is at stake yet, when a discouraging number can still change the plan and costs you only an afternoon.
Hand the Why law answers to someone who will argue
Pick a person who knows you and has no stake in the outcome, and ask them to push on every answer in that group. A parent who has already told the neighbors is the wrong reader. A friend who will ask 'since when?' is the right one.
Checking your answers against real lawyers and real numbers
Talk to lawyers at three different points
Someone in their first three years remembers the debt and the job search. Someone mid-career can describe what the work turned into. Someone who left can say what they wish they had asked. A college career office, an alumni directory or a local bar association can usually help you find all three.
Go and watch
Many courts hold hearings the public may attend, and a morning there shows how much of advocacy is waiting, scheduling and short procedural exchanges. Check with the court first about what is open and what the rules for visitors are. Some law schools also let prospective students sit in on a class, which is the quickest test of whether the material holds you.
Do the work for a while
A summer or a year as a legal assistant, an intern in a public defender's or prosecutor's office, or a volunteer at a legal aid clinic answers most of The work from experience. What such roles involve and require differs by office and by place, so ask before assuming you qualify or do not.
Get every figure from its source
Cost comes from each school's financial aid office. Graduate outcomes come from the school's own employment report. Loan terms come from the lender. Licensing requirements come from the authority that admits lawyers where you want to practice. A forum post or a ranking is a reason to ask one of those sources, never a substitute for it.
Weighing what you wrote
What a well-grounded yes looks like
You can name the kind of work, you have seen it done, at least one person doing it has told you the bad parts, and the monthly loan payment fits the salary of the job you are likely to get. None of that makes the choice certain. It means you are choosing with your eyes open.
What points toward waiting
Mostly guessed answers under Money, no time spent near legal work, a reason that is really someone else's, or a first group of answers that reads like a list of things you are good at with no job attached. Waiting a year to fill those in is a decision too, and usually a cheap one.
Notice which group you hurried through
The group you answered in ten minutes is often the one you would prefer not to look at. If you are sure of your reasons, check that you did not skim Money. If money is what worries you, check Why law. Go back to it on another day.
Let a no be a result
Working through the page and deciding against law school is the exercise doing its job, not a failed attempt. Keep the sheet anyway: the answers under Other routes and the two columns from The work are a fair start on what to do instead.
Traps in this particular decision
Planning on the best outcome
It is easy to budget on the top salary, the scholarship kept to the end and the licensing exam passed first time. Run the numbers again for the middle outcome and for a poor one, and see whether you could live with each.
Treating an acceptance as the answer
Getting in feels like a verdict on whether you should go. It only says a school will take you. The questions under The work and Money are still open on the day the letter arrives.
Using the degree to postpone a choice
Enrolling can feel like deciding, when it only moves the career question a few years down the road with a loan attached. If Other routes was the group you could not answer, that is the place to spend the next few months.
Assuming it works the same everywhere
The length of the program, the admission test, how lawyers are licensed and what loan help exists all change from one country, state and school to another. Advice from a cousin who studied somewhere else, or ten years ago, describes a different system. Check each rule where you would study and where you would practice.