Is Law Degree Useless? (Solved & Explained)

Thinking about getting a law degree but not sure if it’s worth it?

Maybe you’re just curious to know if law degrees are useless?

It’s a good question to ask, especially because law school isn’t cheap either!!

So are Law Degrees Useless?

A law degree is neither useless nor a waste of time. A law degree is prestigious, and it can lead to exciting and well-paying employment. A legal degree is a great starting point for further education to become a lawyer or for employment in the public or private sector.

A law degree teaches you how to sift through a large amount of data and find significant facts.

It teaches you to think critically, defend your beliefs with evidence, comprehend and conquer the opposing viewpoint, advocate for yourself and others, and so on.

A legal degree opens to a world of possibilities, including criminal prosecution and defence, corporate law, family law, civil law, environmental law, patent law, and so on.

You may also decide not to work as a lawyer and instead use your legal skills in another capacity, such as becoming an FBI agent.

Many students are driven to become lawyers because they believe that the rule of law is essential to life and liberty.

Is a channel through which they can assist his or her country and people, as well as a source of personal fulfilment

A career in Law is intellectually challenging, financially rewarding & personally fulfilling.

Money is not always the most crucial consideration when choosing a job path, but it is certainly a factor.

One of the most compelling reasons to pursue a law degree, aside from the fact that you will most likely have job security, is that you will be able to begin your profession with a high annual wage.

According to Labor Bureau Statistics, the median compensation for a trial lawyer in 2018 was $99,000, and intellectual property lawyers earned between $137,000 and $197,000 per year.

According to a poll of nearly 34,000 law graduates, they will earn $1,000,000 more over the course of their careers than those with other bachelor degrees.

It revealed that the earnings of middle-aged law graduates often continued to climb at a period when the pay of most other professionals had remained stagnant.

Studying law opens up a wide variety of opportunities both during and after university.

Skills in research, writing, and learning will serve you well later in life. Not everyone who studies law becomes a lawyer.

This takes us on to the next point.

So what other career paths than Law?

A career in law is high-pressured, competitive, and demanding, and only those with a genuine interest in the topic have a chance of succeeding.

It is unquestionably not the correct path for everyone; unfortunately, many students discover this after they have already begun studying law at university.

But the good news is that there are many other possibilities besides becoming a lawyer. The following are some popular job pathways.

1. Accounting

If you are ambitious and willing to work hard, a graduate Lawyer can join a large firm (such as a Big Four) and move up through the ranks to become a Partner earning $500k plus per annum.

In case you didn’t know “The Big Four” refers to the world’s four major professional services networks, which include global accounting firms Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, and PwC.

The Big four firms are frequently lumped together for a variety of reasons: they are all comparable in size to the rest of the market, both in terms of revenue and workforce; they are all considered equal in their ability to provide a broad range of professional services to their clients; and they are all congregated among those seeking to begin a career in professional services, particularly accounting

2. Journalism

Journalists keep the public informed about current events and significant information, and law graduates can use their expertise to report on them.

Journalism is critical in a democratic society. Investigative reporting, debate, discussion, background and analysis, and news items all rely heavily on the media.

3. Politics

On both sides of the aisle, the majority of politicians are attorneys.

Why? I believe it is because the knowledge gained in law school is really important when it comes to determining what politicians should do for their constituents. That is, at the Congressional level, crafting and passing suitable legislation, as well as enforcing it at the executive level.

Perhaps it has something to do with the attitude that one develops in law schools, such as the capacity to persuade others of one’s point of view and the ability to see both sides of an argument.

4. Management Consulting

Management consultants are trained to provide strategic advice to their customers’ organisations in order to improve their financial and operational health.

They may also assist organisations in developing particular talents that they may lack.

Lawyers, in fact, enjoy a stellar reputation among consulting businesses.

They’re known for being intelligent and capable.

Lawyers are generally hired by top consulting firms, which have the best and largest global training programs.

So what are the traditional career paths for Lawyers?

For those wanting to pursue a career in Law below are some traditional paths.

Private Practice

Private Practice is the largest employer in the legal industry, hence private practice is where most lawyers work.

It takes between 5-10 years to start moving up the career ladder.

The type of work involved is transactional, advisory, or relating to litigation

Working in private practice you can expect to work long hours and work hard.

Especially, when you first start as a junior lawyer. However, working in private practice is finally lucrative and rewarding.

Corporate Counsels

Corporate counsels, also called in-house counsels, are lawyers who work for corporations.

They advise a corporation’s executives about legal issues related to the corporation’s business activities.

These issues may involve patents, government regulations, contracts with other companies, property interests, taxes, or collective-bargaining agreements with unions

Government Practice

Attorneys also work for federal, state, and local governments.

Prosecutors typically work for the government to file a lawsuit, or charge, against an individual or corporation accused of violating the law.

Some may also work as public defence attorneys, representing individuals who could not afford to hire their private attorney.

Other types of Lawyers

In addition to working in different industries, lawyers may specialize in particular legal fields. Following are examples of types of lawyers in these fields:

Environmental lawyers deal with issues and regulations that are related to the environment. For example, they may work for advocacy groups, waste disposal companies, or government agencies to help ensure compliance with relevant laws.

Tax lawyers handle a variety of tax-related issues for individuals and corporations.

They may help clients navigate complex tax regulations so that clients pay the appropriate tax on items such as income, profits, and property. For example, tax lawyers may advise a corporation on how much tax it needs to pay from profits made in different states to comply with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules.

Intellectual property lawyers deal with the laws related to inventions, patents, trademarks, and creative works, such as music, books, and movies.

For example, an intellectual property lawyer may advise a client about whether it is okay to use published material in the client’s forthcoming book.

Family lawyers handle a variety of legal issues that pertain to the family. They may advise clients regarding divorce, child custody, and adoption proceedings.

Securities lawyers work on legal issues arising from the buying and selling of stocks, ensuring that all disclosure requirements are met.

They may advise corporations that are interested in listing in the stock exchange through an initial public offering (IPO) or in buying shares in another corporation.

Final Thoughts

Studying law allows you to hone a variety of abilities and learn about various facets of human existence.

It allows you to sharpen your mind, strengthen your comprehension, and broaden your experience in the humanities and social sciences.

You gain both breadth and depth of knowledge in the topics that most interest you.

As a result, Law should be appealing to students who seek to improve both abstract thinking and practical problem-solving skills.

It’s easy to see why you don’t have to become a lawyer simply because you have a law degree; many people pursue other careers.

A law degree can prepare you not just to be a good lawyer, but also to be a successful producer, politician, manager, and so on.

Career decisions are among the most difficult you’ll ever make, and they should never be taken lightly.

If you’re having trouble with your degree, talk to the support staff at your university before making any major decisions.

It’s not the end of the world for those of you who are certain that a career in law is not for you.

Continuing your education until the end may be the greatest option for your future profession.

References

Lawyers: Occupational Outlook Handbook:: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov)