Are you glad you chose a career in law?
Yes. But if you’re considering a career in law and you’re a young person, I wouldn’t rely on the experience of lawyers a generation ahead of you to determine whether law holds a bright future for you.
What used to make lawyers valuable has now changed and continues to change rapidly with the advent of the Internet. Lawyers use to be the only ones who possessed the legal knowledge and expertise clients needed. Much, though not all, of that knowledge and expertise is now available abundantly and free of charge on the Internet. Consequently, the practice of law is not as lucrative as it used to be. It’s not as “easy” as it once was. It’s more competitive too because there are more lawyers than ever and less demand for them to boot.
And in my opinion lawyers are getting worse in competence and character too. Older lawyers (much older lawyers) speak of a time when there was collegiality among lawyers, but those days are, in my opinion, long gone. I hesitated to write this next line, but it needs to be said because I believe it expresses the sentiment aptly, in today’s legal climate: I like practicing law, but I am embarrassed to be a lawyer. Lawyers of good character, who won’t accept a case or do work unless they believe in the cause and believe they can do the client some good (as opposed to lawyers who will argue any point, no matter how ludicrous, for a price) are headed for extinction.
Before you choose a career in law, ask yourself where the profession is heading. Its future does not resemble its past. If you like that new and different direction, then being a lawyer may suit you well.
And read Richard Suskind’s books and articles too, before you apply to or go to law school.
Utah Family Law, LC | divorceutah.com | 801-466-9277
https://www.quora.com/Are-you-glad-you-chose-a-career-in-law/answer/Eric-Johnson-311
Tags: being a lawyer, the future of law, the future of lawyers