The Mind of Boz: Law School? Seriously?!?

Law School? Seriously?!?

Matt — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 00:12:27 -0500

I think I've lost my mind.

I mean, I've been making noise about law school for a while, probably a couple of years. Quiet noise -- the occasional comment or implication -- but noise nonetheless.

Due to a confluence of events, today, yes today, I'm seriously considering it. My fulltime contract runs out on 12/1. The last LSAT you can take to apply for Fall 2008 is 12/3. The last day to register for that LSAT is Friday. On top of that, the 28th best law school in the country is around the corner from here (University of Washington), and they have a Technology and Intellectual Property track.

On top of everything else, I feel adrift career-wise. Looking at my resume you either see the most qualified generalist in the world, or a jack-of-all-trades. I was talking to a guy in Seattle who works for an interesting engineering company (F5 -- maker of the BigIP, for the geeks in the crowd). He was talking about an open position they have and we were feeling each other out for possible fit. He asked me what I want to be doing. I didn't have a good answer. In fact, I didn't have any answer at all. I really have no idea what I want to be doing. None of the things that I'm qualified to be doing look all that interesting, and everything that does look interesting requires a depth of knowledge that I don't have (and, honestly, am not interested in attaining).

And then there's law. The law in this country, as regards technology, appears to be a shambles. The tech is moving too quickly for the regulators. The regulators are trying to future-proof their policies and instead only manage to stifle innovation. Look at the DMCA. Look at e-voting machines. Look at the FCC's bandwidth auctions and how hard it is to even get a seat at the table. (Some day I'll come back and add links, for now I'm on a rant...) Someone needs to help these people. I don't know if I'm that guy, but I think I could at least lend a hand.

Of course, there's also the flip-side. 3 years of school. Probably about $200K of debt. On top of the cost of not working for 3 years. Maybe moving again (I'm told that the school you go to makes a real difference, so if you get into a top school, you move). Not buying a house for a good long while. And when it's all said and done, ending up a peon at some giant law firm for a couple years while you establish yourself.

So far, in the thiry-odd posts to this blog, I haven't really taken a poll or asked for opinions. For that matter, I don't really even know who-all is out there listening. Well, now I'm asking. Dear Lazyweb -- should I go to law school?

"Law School? Seriously?!?" by Trevor Hill

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 15:07:53 -0500

Hey. Feel free to ask me about specifics of patent law, because what you're describing is similar to what I did, although I don't think the law is a shambles. Some changes need to be made, especially to copyright law, but most areas are doing alright. It is a turbulent time though, for all.

In any case, first of all, it matters that you end up in the top 15-20% of your class, wherever you are. School name and class rank are paramount in getting a good job. There is a huge pay gap between starting at 160k and 60k, and most lawyers fall on the lower hump. It is not even remotely worth it to end up there.

With respect to schools, anything you can do to go to a top school with in-state tuition breaks is a massive boost to your ROI.

And, it sounds like you're not sure. You have to become sure before you go for it. Talk to people who are doing what you plan to do, and go see what they do, in their office. Even work for them if you can.

The benefits? Digs, support, money, much broader range of work, using a broader range of skills, working directly with clients, and the potential to go out on your own. Oh, and far too much work to do.

"Law School? Seriously?!?" by Edward O'Connor

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 13:40:26 -0500

So I've been sitting here, trying to think of any advice, or even just something useful to say, and I got nothing. It's a ballsy move that could be awesome, but might suck. I will say this though, you would totally pwn law school.

"Law School? Seriously?!?" by Erin

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 11:52:02 -0500

I don't know if you should go to law school, but I have a friend who is a CS-y guy who is now finishing it up (I think) who might be a good person to talk to. I don't think he's doing law & tech specifically, now, but I imagine he did look into it, so maybe he could give you some thoughts on that.