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Currently finishing up my undergrad in Public Relations, and considering applying for law school after college. I am interested in immigration law, and would like to know how rewarding is being an attorney and your experience in law school?

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Richard’s Answer

My wife is a bankruptcy attorney. From what she tells me, the legal experience depends what kind of lawyer you wish to be. It sounds like you already have an idea so you are ahead of many students.

The first year of law school was difficult because the material is so different than what she experienced in college. After that first year, she found her groove and really enjoyed it. If you think you are interested in immigration law, try to spend some time talking with immigration attorneys that can tell you specifically about their day to day and the pros and cons of their job.
Thank you comment icon Hi, Richard. I agree, I have to do additional research but at least I have an idea. Thank you for this advice! Yanet
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Angela’s Answer

Being an attorney is very rewarding. It allows you to understand society and any area you are particularly interested at. Being a lawyer allows you to start with a particular area of interest (e.g. immigration) and switch later to other areas. I would recommend you to study law and then decide which area you prefer best. It is maybe a bit soon to decide on that. If you end up studying law and you are interested in immigration law I am sure you will enjoy International Law, Human Rights Law, Criminal Defense, Constitutional Law. I started as a criminal defense attorney in a law firm, then white collar crime defense and I am now an investigations counsel in a tech company. There are many ways to evolve as a lawyer. I could also study abroad my masters. It is true that law school requires a lot of studying but it is doable. My recommendation would be to work a bit every day and not leave everything till the end. There is plenty of time for fun too but you need to be disciplined. Also, most universities offer externships or clinics where you can do hands on work and will make earning credits more dinamic and will allow you to see real world practice. Externships and clinics are one of the things I would look when deciding on a law school for that reason! Being a lawyer opens a lot of doors. I really recommend it.
Thank you comment icon Hi, Angela. Thank you so much for your advice and insight, I truly appreciate it. Yanet
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Michael’s Answer

After you graduate college, you should consider working for a year or two before entering law school. Law school is expensive, so if you can work for a while and save up some money, you'll be doing yourself a favor. Also, in my experience, the law students who worked between college and law school seemed to have gotten a taste of real life, and therefore, I believe, studied harder and tended to get better grades than students that went straight from college to law school. Having that work experience also may increase your chances of getting admitted to law school. I quite enjoyed my law school experience. I had to study hard and the courses were challenging but on the whole stimulating intellectually. Understand though that the law school experience mostly gives you just the big picture view of areas of the law. Most lawyers get their real world training on the job after law school. So, the two experiences, law school vs. working as a lawyer, will be quite different. Like any job, your satisfaction working as a lawyer will depend on where you work and the people you work with. Many lawyers find they are working harder and longer hours than ever in their life, especially at larger law firms. On the other hand, larger law firms tend to pay better and give better training, so some lawyers will work their first few years at a large firm for the training and experience and then move on to work for a company or organization. As Angela noted, many lawyers see their careers evolve over time.

Michael recommends the following next steps:

Talk to as many lawyers as you can about their experiences and their likes and dislikes about their jobs.
Thank you comment icon Hi, Michael. Thank you for this feedback and advice, I appreciate it! Yanet
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Gna’s Answer

If you are interested you should pursue it! You must have a lot of discipline the study for the LSAT and do well enough to get into a good law school. Law school is very expensive and getting into a good school, plus doing well while in law school is so important to getting a good job. The first year is crucial and extremely difficult, but remember that after the first year, it gets easier because you get in the groove on how best to utilize your time outlining and studying. Get as much advice as possible on how to study because it is very different the studying you did in college or high school.
Thank you comment icon Hi, Gna. That is part of the plan and thank you for this advice - I appreciate it! Yanet
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Fiona’s Answer

There are many many different areas of law and they are vastly different. When you begin your degree, try to seize every opportunity to try out different areas of law - for example, you can apply to different internships with law firms (international firms will normally specialise in corporate / finance matters, whilst smaller firms may specialise in commercial / family / property matters), try out mini-pupillages with barrister chambers (I am not sure if the system applies where you are, but common law system will distinguish between solicitors and barristers). I started off thinking I would be suited for litigious work, but after one summer at barrister chambers, I discovered it is definitely not something I am suited to. I then applied for international firms and discovered that Banking and Finance is my area. Transactional work is very different to litigious work generally.

Be prepared to work hard. For the first six years of my career I was hardly ever home before mid night. It is tough because the learning curve in many areas is often very steep. But it does get much better after that and it is simply a stage that most lawyers have to go through. As a banking and finance lawyer, the learning curve was extremely steep and for me, this was highly rewarding.
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