I am thinking about maybe being a lawyer. Is it worth the time? Is it rewarding? What subjects do you have to be really good in? Any other information is great too!! thanks ( i'm a senior in high school. number 9 in my class )
No, it is not worth the time……

Choosing a career is one of life's most important decisions.

The legal profession is dramatically changing and is in CRISIS! Every year, more and more people graduate from law school, but there are fewer and fewer jobs. Even the largest and most reputable law firms are experiencing unprecedented cutbacks. I don't expect the situation to improve in the coming years…..

Be aware of what you are proposing on getting yourself into. Please do more research first. Reminder: We are in a World-wide Recession. Consider career paths that have available JOBS.<<<<<

Warning> Jobs in the field of Law are drying up fast!! This is just not a good field to invest time and/or money into. This is a SHRINKING, crumbling, and dying vocational field. Many reasons. We now have computers. So, many people today (mistakenly) think they can do their own legal work, thanks to the Internet. Also, there are a lot of companies out there making very efficient legal software for the field of Law. Today's graduating lawyers tend to be very computer savvy, so they just do the work themselves to save themselves the cost of overhead. Also, the "Public" buys this legal software in order to get legal work done without the cost of an Attorney. Also, we simply already have way too many Legal Professionals - we have an absolute glut!! ("Legal Professionals" includes, but is not limited to: Attorneys/Lawyers, Paralegals, Legal Assistants, Legal Secretaries, Bailiffs, Court Reporters, etc, etc)

Sites like legalzoom.com have taken away work that many small-time attorneys/lawyers would do.

The field of Law has a mystique that actually exceeds reality. The field of Law is an overrated career - mostly by television. There are many myths regarding the field of Law: working as a Lawyer is mentally challenging (Actually, most work as an attorney involves routine paperwork: research, cite checking, drafting documents, and document review. Attorneys need to write down and track every activity they do, all day long [in 6 to 15 minutes increments, depending on the billing system] - a painstaking but necessary task), being an attorney is thrilling, high-powered, and glamorous (remember: television is fiction - the fictional lawyers on TV are ACTORS - the majority of work that an attorney does, does not happen in a courtroom), law students think that because they are good at arguing they will become great attorneys (actually being a great attorney is more in one's ability to mediate between differing sides and bringing them to agreement), as a lawyer I can correct injustices (actually legal decisions are more about reaching compromises than about right vs. wrong), guaranteed financial success (actually when salaries are compared, you also need to account for cost-of living expenses [most large law firms are in large cities - the bigger the city, the more cost-of-living expenses will be], payment of debts accrued while attending law school, and time needed to build a client base. Many large law firms require lawyers to work 60-80 hours per week.).

Cost of law school to be lawyer, approx $150,000 .
Be prepared to take on a LOT of debt.<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

There are no jobs in this vocational field. My family, coworkers, friends, acqaintances, etc. have been laid off left and right in this vocational field.

Employers (usually law firms) in the field of Law today want employees with degrees from traditional colleges/universities. Those "certificates" you see advertised aren't worth the paper they are printed on - they are generally scams. (I found this out the hard way.) Also, the law school's program needs to be accredited by the American Bar Association - if it isn't, you are just wasting your time/money.

Even if you finish law school, you won't be able to find a job when you are done. Since this vocational field is shrinking, many new attorneys/lawyers are, themselves, having to work "down" as Paralegals, Legal Assistants, Legal Secretaries, Bailiffs, Court Reporters, etc, etc, to simply try to keep some of their bills paid <<this would be your competition. And the competition is fierce!!

Now… the law schools know this, but they won't tell you the truth >that the job market/economy is just SATURATED with way too many Legal Professionals. Instead the schools will feed you a fairytale and will LIE to you. The root of the problem is we have too many law schools. We are in a recession, and the schools are fighting for their own survival - they will tell students anything to get to the students' money. (Which is why they won't tell you the truth about the job market for the field of Law.) And these schools continue to recruit and churn out even more graduates………….Remember: law schools are BUSINESSES - their top concern is making money for themselves.

>>>>>You especially have to beware of the bogus, inflated law school salary/job stats given out by law scho
Most law school graduates, if they could, would take back their decision to go to law school. It's not worth the time, nor is it rewarding. Law students, upon entering law school, have a reasonable expectation that a comfortable upper middle class lifestyle and many opportunities await after law school. Law school admissions offices will gladly affirm that in order to induce students to enroll.

The job market is simply oversaturated with lawyers. 40,000 graduate from the 200 law schools each year, but there are nowhere near the number of jobs or work available for them all to survive. Most leave the field altogether after a few years.

If you're not at the top of your class, and high school rank is no reliable indication of success in law school, you will likely be competing with 200-300 lawyers for a position that starts at $35-40k, and that's with 7 years of schooling after high school. You will likely have loans in the $300-1000 a month range for the next 30 years after graduation.

Even if you can find a job, it's hardly rewarding. There's constant pressure to meet client demands and ethical quandaries.

Law is a huge investment of time, money, emotions, and most of all your soul. Think long and hard before leaping.
Im doing my First year of Law graduation.

Well.. Yeah… Lawyers' have the most challenging job. They have to think logically to overcome the points of the opposition counsel who is equally knowledgeable and convince a person called Judge who is much experienced and knowledgeable in this field.

So, its fun when you are on the winning side and a very sad job if you are losing the case.

I would encourage you to become a lawyer. But, be faithful in your relations with your clients and thats the only reason for attracting more and more clients!