The Truth Shall Set You Free...or Ostracize You Forever

There is talk in the legal world of a woman who graduated from a law school up North and dares to speak out to persuade people not to go to law school.  This is blasphemy! What do you mean law school isn't the greatest thing that ever happened to you?! This woman graduated with the huge loans that most do (somewhere in the ballpark of $100k), searched the market and realized that she could get a job that would maybe pay off her loans in a 80 yrs and she would have to forsake any family and social life to practice law. She did the impossible - she said no! So now she speaks out about the overpopulation of lawyers and the reality of the career, that guess what? it's not all that great. 

All over the news people are outraged because the woman who had the octuplets already has 6 kids and in this economy its a crime against society to bring more kids that you can't afford into the word. Most folks agree, at least to some degree, with that idea. So what's so different about what this lady is saying? There's too many lawyers already, so why encourage more people to become lawyers to fight for the few jobs there are and most can't afford law school - so isn't that a crime against society too? 

This woman had the audacity to point out the elephant in the room and now she will likely never have a legal career or be able to pay off those huge law school debts.  I had one of those moments myself not too long ago...although with not nearly the same consequences. 

I was at a continuing legal education class for new attorneys required by the Florida Bar last year. During the lecture from the attorney help section (the dept that helps lawyers with substance abuse issues, etc) the speaker asked if you knew then what you know now who would not have gone to law school - my hand shot up. The only hand, in a room of 200+.  So I was asked why, and I said because I didn't imagine a law career would mean sitting behind a desk for 10+ hrs a day maybe speaking with 1 person all day, it was not what I bargained for. The room was silent, aside from a few gasps. When the speaker moved on every other attorney at my table told me they feel the same way. 

So why won't anyone else stand up and say how they feel? Is it that bad to speak truthfully and honestly about being an attorney? I guess no one wants to bust the myth Grisham did so well at inventing, no one wants to let on that its really not that cool, not like Law and Order at all. I guess it'd be like seeing James Bond filling out paperwork about his last mission, sorta takes the sparkle out of it.