Some folks are cut out to be attorneys and others are not. Depends on how much mental punishment you are willing to take. Law school teaches you the subjects and how to pass the bar but even after you graduate you are forced to spend about a grand on a bar review to pass the test. And law school does not teach you how to actually practice law.
I went into prosecution after a year being a scrub at a firm for about a year, and I learned more about being an attorney sending bad guys to prison, committing crazies civilly and terminating the parental rights of bad parents than I ever did in private practice. Now I’m a private attorney again and actually know something about the practice of law and it’s like night and day.
In college I was groomed to pass the tests, and pass the professional exams.
But that first year of actually "doing it" was an eye opener...for sure.
I actually have saved lives....after I REALLY knew some things...
Night and day....Yeah, that's it!
Fascinating post! I considered law at one time, but all things considered, I didn’t think I could hack it.
You mentioned that law school does not actually teach you how to practice law and you didn’t think you had truly learned to practice it until you became a prosecutor. Going by that standard, how many folks (as a percentage) who come out of law school wind up “practicing law?”
Other than throwing yourself into the mix as a prosecutor, as you did, what do think would help law students learn to practice law?
And speaking of the mental punishment, is there anything that lawyers learn or know that would help folks in other walks of life handle stresses and responsibilities better?