Posted on 08/27/2010 11:38:32 AM PDT by CharlesMartelsGhost
It’s been a while since we’ve had a true contestant for the title of most depressing job offered to a law student. Sure, there have been a lot of jobs that offer $10 an hour, or even $0 an hour, for legal work. But at least those jobs were offering the opportunity to put long years of legal education to some sort of use.
No, the most depressing jobs for would-be lawyers in this economy are jobs they could have easily gotten before they went to law school. Or college. Really, the most depressing job I’ve seen appeared last year, when University of Texas law students were given the opportunity to do some babysitting for extra money. That’s an opportunity you present to responsible high school students, not students at the fifteenth-best law school in the country.
If you thought those days were behind us, think again. Take a look at the job that was blasted out yesterday to students at the other law school ranked #15, UCLA Law.
Traffic in L.A. is notoriously horrible, and now one UCLA law student might profit from his or her stop-and-go driving skills…
You have to love it when a top fifteen law school gives you the opportunity to chauffeur a real lawyer around town:
Dear Students,
I have received a request from a law alum who is looking for someone to drive him (for the next couple of months) (in his car – a Lexus RX, which is the small SUV) to appointments in the west LA or Santa Monica area. Probably from 1 to 2 hours each trip would be typical and advance scheduling is likely, so there would not be “on call” or anything like that. He lives about 2 miles north of campus and would need the person to come to his house to get his car (and him), via bike, a ride, or even a 2 mile uphill walk or jog (all of which he has done himself). Once scheduled, reliability is important, particularly for doctor appointments.
He is a long time entertainment lawyer and is currently Of Counsel with a firm in Santa Monica. While driving him to appts etc… he is happy to discuss his work and/or answer any questions you may have. This is a good opportunity if you are thinking of getting into entertainment law or even just to learn more about what it is like to be a practicing lawyer.
Suggested pay is $12 per hour.
If you are interested, please contact [Bob Sugar]
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
[Dean of Keeping Wealthy Alumni Happy] Hey UCLA students, if the school was going to insult you, it would tell you to go home and get your shine box. I particularly like how this guy is willing to help you get into entertainment law (isn’t that what UCLA career services is supposed to be doing?) and talk to you about what it’s like to be a practicing attorney (doesn’t UCLA pay faculty to do that?).
At least one student wasn’t happy about this “opportunity”:
I found this email sent to the entire student body to be quite offensive. If legal jobs fail, there is always chauffeuring or maybe even babysitting. Great. But the sad thing is that there probably is some upside here. Maybe the student “lucky” enough to get this gig really will be able to turn it into a networking opportunity.
For the guy offering a job, why wouldn’t he? Have you tried driving in L.A.? It’s a bitch. And grabbing a law student is much better than hiring a professional driver — some random dude who smiles to your face, hates you on the inside, and might easily steal your car in a 2012 apocalyptic scenario. No, this way you get a nice young person who is desperate, who will probably worship you, and who will hang on every word you say.
The guy wins, and the student is so hollowed out from frustrated dreams that he or she doesn’t even remember what winning feels like. Maybe it’s not exactly a win-win situation, but it’s at least a win-”I can’t believe it’s not winning” deal.
Good. I am glad they are suffering.
If some of those young lawyers would turn their brains into manufacturing, this country would be a whole lot better off. Most lawyers do not create wealth. They only redistribute it.
I don’t think most lawyers are capable of turning their thoughts to manufacturing. It seems totally out of character.
Look, if you're not top ten, then you are top twenty.
Hope for Spare Change
Most of them should never have gone to college in the first place. They get a liberal arts degree, which makes them unmarketable, and are under the assumption that since they have a college degree they deserve big bucks. Since their liberal arts degree is worth less than the paper it is written on, they go on to law school. And more useless paper.
I agree lawyers are not wealth providers. They cost Americans anywhere from 2,500 to 3,500, per citizen, annually due to frivilous lawsuits, lawsuit avoidance procuedures done by business, ventures forgone by entrepreneurs because of the fear of being sued, excessive warning lables and businesses closing because of frivilous lawsuits.
A perfect example: Last year a trainer at Seaworld in Orlando was killed by an orca. Yesterday the parents of a child who witnessed the event are suing for emotional distress saying their child was traumatized. They are not related to the trainer. Legally they do not have a case, but the expense incurred by Seaworld to defend the case is an expense and will be passed on to the public.
But hey look at the ROI on a law degreee today: Spend est. $100,000 can’t get a legal job creating a negative ROI, but universities still justify the education as needed and a beenfit to society. Sounds like our politicians trying to justify the stimulus.
Law schools are for people who have nothing else to do with their lives...
ANYONE and I do mean ANYONE with a four year degree can go to law school now.
it is a cash cow for colleges.
free student loan money for the schools, low overhead, instant credibility.
I think the voters should start referenda to limit the number of law schools in the states.
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