You might find these podcasts interesting -- interviews with a variety of lawyers about what they actually do:
http://www.lstradio.com/iatl/
Should I go to law school in a big city?
Re: Should I go to law school in a big city?
don't do it. I know more than a few attorneys including a few Harvard law grads here in Boston. Most of them are completely overworked, stressed, and they eventually try to find Federal jobs so they can have some kind of "normal" life with normal working hours. I thought about it a few years ago and I'm instead going to become a therapist. Go figure...
Re: Should I go to law school in a big city?
I ERE'd six months ago at the age of 30 and am about to start Law school in October here in Israel.
I'm mainly doing this because after years of cerebral degeneration I feel like school could help me fire up my hibernating brain and consequentially slow down my perception of time, which I find as important as actually taking back your time.
I gather the main points against such move are as follows:
* Shallow in terms of depth of knowledge and skills -- I don't know about that. The most important part of being FI is that I have the TIME to focus, go in depth, and take things slowly. My main interest in law is theoretical - I don't need and certainly do not want to (re)join the (lawyer) rat race, so I won't have any outside pressure to rush things.
* The practice sucks - ibid. So what? Being a lawyer would certainly increase my options in the future. Isn't optionality a key ERE tenet? The profession may be horrible, but being FI means I'm not dependent on what I actually "do for a living". If I won't like it, I'll just quit.
* The people you'll study with are of the ultra ambitious careerist-consumerist type -- So? aren't 90% of the population like this? Since I'm going to be 6-7 years older from most of my class, I believe I'll be able to filter out the 10% I actually like. In addition to intellectual stimulation I need some social interaction in retirement (ERE as a 30 year old single male is very lonely) and university seems like a great place to get it.
* Too expensive -- This seems like a US problem. Here the entire degree (3.5 years) should cost about 20,000 ILS which is about 5000$ or 1.5% of my current liquid net worth. I think this is a reasonable expense in terms of self development and would certainly not make me lose my FI status.
I'm mainly doing this because after years of cerebral degeneration I feel like school could help me fire up my hibernating brain and consequentially slow down my perception of time, which I find as important as actually taking back your time.
I gather the main points against such move are as follows:
* Shallow in terms of depth of knowledge and skills -- I don't know about that. The most important part of being FI is that I have the TIME to focus, go in depth, and take things slowly. My main interest in law is theoretical - I don't need and certainly do not want to (re)join the (lawyer) rat race, so I won't have any outside pressure to rush things.
* The practice sucks - ibid. So what? Being a lawyer would certainly increase my options in the future. Isn't optionality a key ERE tenet? The profession may be horrible, but being FI means I'm not dependent on what I actually "do for a living". If I won't like it, I'll just quit.
* The people you'll study with are of the ultra ambitious careerist-consumerist type -- So? aren't 90% of the population like this? Since I'm going to be 6-7 years older from most of my class, I believe I'll be able to filter out the 10% I actually like. In addition to intellectual stimulation I need some social interaction in retirement (ERE as a 30 year old single male is very lonely) and university seems like a great place to get it.
* Too expensive -- This seems like a US problem. Here the entire degree (3.5 years) should cost about 20,000 ILS which is about 5000$ or 1.5% of my current liquid net worth. I think this is a reasonable expense in terms of self development and would certainly not make me lose my FI status.
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SimpleLife
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Re: Should I go to law school in a big city?
Riparian,
What did you end up deciding? I ask because I usually use my uncle who is a litigator/personal injury attorney for disputes. He has been very effective in the past. I recently hired an attorney for a neighbor dispute. He basically told me what I had already read in the HOA bylaws, rules and CC&R documents not to mention city code. But for $430 to have him review the documents, two phone consults, etc. it was worth it to me. It confirmed that I interpret the legal information accurately.
Now, if I wanted to pursue a case, which it appears I have, it could cost me 5-10K, it not more. That's also assuming I win, since I have to pay the HOA's attorneys fees if I lose.
I think there are sooo many injustices in the modern world, which as an INTJ it feels like I'm the only one that notices them or takes issue, that there is no way one can fight them all, either as an attorney or hiring an attorney.
Sometimes the better business decision is to let something go. Ask yourself, will this be important five years from now? If not, maybe it's best to let it go. For the rare occassion that something justifies a lawyer, I think it would be cheaper to retain one. Also, keep in mind just because you become an attorney means you have some magical power no one else has; the state that messes with you and your friends has an army of attorneys, and they went to good schools, practice law every day, etc. That doesn't mean they will win necessarily, look at Heller vs DC; he filed ONE lawsuit after passing the bar. He won...
I get where you are coming from. My personality is the type where I would enjoy the power and respect that an attorney gets. My uncle has not been pulled over for decades due to his vanity plate, which makes it very obvious he is a lawyer, and a successful one at that driving a Lexus. Before that he was pulled over all the time, stopped at border crossings, etc. NOw they see his plate and they wave him through and avoid him like the plague.
Yes, it would be nice to be able to pull out your BAR association card and say, nope, don't mess with me. But I just don't know that it is worth it to go to law school for that. I was actually researching cheap online law schools last night and was starting to considering Northwestern California School of Law (I think that is what it was anyway) but they are not ABA accredited, and don't meet the educational requirements for WA state BAR exam admission.
Sigh...Might just keep focusing on earning more money and investing so I can have lot's of cash to feed an attorney when a worthy dispute arises.
What did you end up deciding? I ask because I usually use my uncle who is a litigator/personal injury attorney for disputes. He has been very effective in the past. I recently hired an attorney for a neighbor dispute. He basically told me what I had already read in the HOA bylaws, rules and CC&R documents not to mention city code. But for $430 to have him review the documents, two phone consults, etc. it was worth it to me. It confirmed that I interpret the legal information accurately.
Now, if I wanted to pursue a case, which it appears I have, it could cost me 5-10K, it not more. That's also assuming I win, since I have to pay the HOA's attorneys fees if I lose.
I think there are sooo many injustices in the modern world, which as an INTJ it feels like I'm the only one that notices them or takes issue, that there is no way one can fight them all, either as an attorney or hiring an attorney.
Sometimes the better business decision is to let something go. Ask yourself, will this be important five years from now? If not, maybe it's best to let it go. For the rare occassion that something justifies a lawyer, I think it would be cheaper to retain one. Also, keep in mind just because you become an attorney means you have some magical power no one else has; the state that messes with you and your friends has an army of attorneys, and they went to good schools, practice law every day, etc. That doesn't mean they will win necessarily, look at Heller vs DC; he filed ONE lawsuit after passing the bar. He won...
I get where you are coming from. My personality is the type where I would enjoy the power and respect that an attorney gets. My uncle has not been pulled over for decades due to his vanity plate, which makes it very obvious he is a lawyer, and a successful one at that driving a Lexus. Before that he was pulled over all the time, stopped at border crossings, etc. NOw they see his plate and they wave him through and avoid him like the plague.
Yes, it would be nice to be able to pull out your BAR association card and say, nope, don't mess with me. But I just don't know that it is worth it to go to law school for that. I was actually researching cheap online law schools last night and was starting to considering Northwestern California School of Law (I think that is what it was anyway) but they are not ABA accredited, and don't meet the educational requirements for WA state BAR exam admission.
Sigh...Might just keep focusing on earning more money and investing so I can have lot's of cash to feed an attorney when a worthy dispute arises.