My 17 year old decided he wants to go to law school and get into government.

I don't really want him in Memphis but he's looking at University of Memphis and their law school.

Guess I need to work harder to cover law school.

What attracts him to Memphis specifically? Is it simply the location/proximity to home?

Because there are a number of much higher rated law schools within a several hour radius of Memphis, most of which would be a better/safer location. Stuff like University of Tennessee, University of Arkansas, Vanderbilt, University of Alabama, University of Missouri, St. Louis University, University of Kentucky, Emory, etc.

Those are all in the Top 100 (and several in the Top 50) and are all within 1 to 6 hours of Memphis, while University of Memphis ranks ~125... and is in Memphis.

Not to be a debbie downer, but the legal field has some of the highest burnout and career dissatisfaction rates of any profession.

That being said, if he is serious about going into law, my recommendation is to focus on communication skills as an undergrad: speech, debate, literature, writing skills, etc.

Regardless of the type of law practiced, a lawyer needs to be able to communicate clearly and persuasively.

I was seriously considering continuing on to law school during my undergrad ~20 years ago. I was given advice back then that may or may not hold true today: Get your undergraduate in something besides Criminal Justice/Political Science/Pre-Law.

Apparently nearly all law school applicants go that route, but coming in with a degree in something like accounting or the hard sciences can not only help you to stand out in your application, but also aid you in pursuing a related specialized field of practice, or act as a fallback option if you end up disliking law school or law practice.

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Originally posted by RogueJSK:
What attracts him to Memphis specifically? Is it simply the location/proximity to home?

Because there are a number of much higher rated law schools within a several hour radius of Memphis, most of which would be a better/safer location. Stuff like University of Tennessee, University of Arkansas, Vanderbilt, University of Alabama, University of Missouri, St. Louis University, University of Kentucky, Emory, etc.

Those are all in the Top 100 (and several in the Top 50) and are all within 1 to 6 hours of Memphis, while University of Memphis ranks ~125... and is in Memphis.

Great point. My former boss, one of the smartest lawyers, I know says: 1. You go to one of the elites (Harvard, Yale, Stanford, U of Chicago, etc. (assuming you can get in and afford it). 2. If not, you go for the best regional school you can get in in the area you plan on living/working. For example, if you plan on living in Atlanta, try to get into Emory.

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Originally posted by Lord Vaalic:
Guess I need to work harder to cover law school.

Or, and I know this is a crazy idea, he could cover it himself.

Has he seen Better Call Saul?

quote:

Originally posted by Lord Vaalic:
My 17 year old decided he wants to go to law school and get into government.

I don't really want him in Memphis but he's looking at University of Memphis and their law school.

Guess I need to work harder to cover law school.

When I was a high school student, I participated in a program through Boy Scouts of America called explorers. My best friend and I did the one for attorneys. A local attorney ran it and introduced us to a bunch of different attorney careers. It helped us both realize that we didn't want to become attorneys, but the good thing is we didn't waste any money in college to come to that realization.

Has your son done an explorer program?

He has approx 4 years to get his undergraduate degree anywhere. There’s absolutely no requirement to get it where he wants to go to law school. MTSU would be perfectly fine for undergrad.
He should pick a solid degree he can get excellent grades pursuing and ideally fall back on if he changes his mind. Law school does not have a set degree to get in. It’s more about the gpa and LSAT score.

I'm a lawyer. Tell him to get an MBA.

Honestly, unless he is committed to trying cases, or doing appellate work, he'll make more money with less stress with a traditional MBA.

Oh, and school counts. Go to the best one you can get into for the professional school. Undergrad doesn't count as much.

Email is in profile. I also know a consultant who is adept at getting applications just right to get into the school you want.

3 things I never encourage: Getting married, joining USMC and law school. If someone wants to do any of them let them do it on their own volition as adverse consequences can follow.

Undergrad with a focus on very good grades not on football games and beer. Read a lot and science courses come in handy as is fluency in foreign language. Most law is business and if transactional business career is what your son wants focus on those as a major or electives.

I went for litigation which is perhaps the most time demanding branch of the profession. Need to know something about everything and certain matters in a very deep way. In that field an understanding wife is a must because the hours are long. In my state federal court trials start on a Tuesday so those 3 day weekends are prep time usually not family time. More than once heard "Everyone is at the beach for a long weekend except us." That said I loved it, the stress, the intellectual combat and walking out the courthouse a winner is an exhilarating feeling. Not for everyone but it can be a very satisfying career.

I’ll give the same advice I give to all would-be lawyers.

If he has always wanted to be a lawyer, and is sure of this, then by all means he should become one. The profession above all needs people who are there because they want to be. It takes a lot of commitment and the law is a jealous mistress.

If this is a “not really a STEM guy and want to make a lot of $$$ with an Arts and Sciences background”, choose something else. The profession doesn’t reward ambivalence and neither do employers or clients.

It has the highest rates of depression, substance-abuse, and suicide of any profession. That is not an accident. Better to want to be there.

The current listing puts lawyer at number 7. Physicians have had the number one postion for years.

So what are the jobs with highest suicide rates?
Medical Doctors.
Dentists.
Police Officers.
Veterinarians.
Financial Services.
Real Estate Agents.
Electricians.
Lawyers

There’s got to be a thousand ways to work for the government that don’t require a law degree.

I suggest he look at college as a means to an end. He should figure out what he actually wants to do in government and then chart his course. Have him pick out some government jobs he’d like to be doing 10 years from now, find out what the requirements are, and work backwards from there to a starting point. He can then plan his work and work his plan.

I really like the suggestions that he pursue a useful undergrad degree as a backstop.

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There’s got to be a thousand ways to work for the government that don’t require a law degree.

^^^^^^^^^^^
Ask George Santos.lol

Business Degree would be best.

My youngest sister went through MBA at UofH then South Texas College of Law.

Its just romance at this point. He's a senior in HS and can/will change his mind many times over tne next few years. He might get into a law school and then change his mind again (I did.)

Encourage him to get involved in debate and communication skills. That is how my son got started and he has been a successful attorney for 30 years.

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Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

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There’s got to be a thousand ways to work for the government that don’t require a law degree.

Ask George Santos.lol