Is Law School Worth it if You Don’t Plan to Be a Lawyer?
Law school is unavoidable for an aspiring lawyer. But if you have no interest in practicing law, it’s important to weigh the costs and benefits.
Law school demands a major commitment of time, money and effort. Even if you find the experience fruitful and rewarding, there are plenty of ways to spend three years of your life besides reading and arguing over old legal cases.
The Advantages Law School Gives You in the Workforce
As graduate schools and workplaces become increasingly specialized, a J.D. is a relatively versatile degree.
The skills you gain in law school have broad applicability across a range of fields. Law school will strengthen your ability to read and write, think on your feet, analyze evidence and approach complex problems methodically.
[Read: 7 Things I Wish I Knew When I Applied to Law School]
In your personal and professional life, law school may come in handy when you need to handle contracts, resolve disputes, manage risks or understand regulations or legal processes.
The credential of a J.D. also signals to employers that you can manage stressful demands and intellectually rigorous work. Many potential employers look favorably on law school graduates, particularly in fields like business, politics and government, professional services and communications. And many law graduates gain the confidence to succeed on their own as entrepreneurs, consultants, educators and writers.
Note as well that many lawyers rely on the steady income of a legal practice to support other passions, like community work or creative pursuits.
Law-Adjacent Careers
Just as too many applicants compare themselves to a false idea of a typical law school applicant, it’s a mistake to overlook the diverse range of legal careers. A law degree can be a path to practice areas like mediation or social justice that don’t resemble lawyering in a conventional sense.
It’s common for law graduates to work in positions considered “J.D. advantage” or “J.D. preferred,” meaning that a law degree is highly valued but not strictly required. I have had many jobs that fall into this category, as a researcher, professor, policy consultant and law school admissions coach.
[Read: Advice for Older Law School Applicants to Consider.]
The Worth of Law School for Nonlawyers
If a law school graduate succeeds in a nonlegal field, did his or her degree help? If another ends up a disgruntled lawyer, was law school a poor choice?
To put these outcomes in context, it’s important to consider realistic alternatives, not just an idealized vision of success.
Carefully consider opportunity costs. If you passed up law school, what would you be doing with the time and money saved to advance your life goals?
Also think realistically about your career path. What kind of environment do you perform best in? What kind of work-life balance do you envision? What kind of daily tasks do you hate, and which do you find energizing or fulfilling?
If you feel unsure, do more research. Take time to pursue internships or volunteer opportunities or conduct informational interviews with law graduates pursuing unconventional paths. Ask them how worthwhile a law degree is, instead of trying to assess it in the abstract.
[Read: What Applicants Should Ask Law Students and Alumni]
For example, imagine you want to work for a health care startup. A law degree could give you a leg up in this highly regulated field. But would it be more useful to gain real-world experience or a different graduate degree like an MBA? Or should you pursue a J.D.-MBA?
Ultimately, this question cannot be answered abstractly. Approach it through a mix of self-discovery and research, like reaching out to professionals in the field.
Finally, if you’re considering law school as a waypoint toward a nonlegal career, note that you may find it unexpectedly hard to deviate from a legal path. Law graduates often face substantial financial and social pressure to practice law. The lure of highly paid legal work can be irresistible, and the security of such work can be hard to forgo.
Many lawyers practice only briefly before switching careers — myself included! But walking away isn’t as easy as it may seem at the start of your journey.
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Is Law School Worth it if You Don’t Plan to Be a Lawyer? originally appeared on usnews.com