Let's think through this. A middle school math teacher who isn't happy in his current line of work and thinks he might enjoy being a lawyer almost certainly isn't going to start a multimillion dollar company, but if his stats are 3.9/175, he can almost certainly get into a T14 law school with a half scholarship, which translates into around a 3/4 chance of getting a biglaw job (or clerkship or a public interest job that makes him happy). Even if he ends up hating biglaw and quits after a year (enough to pay off at least half of his $150k debt), a JD from Northwestern isn't going to prevent him from going back to being a math teacher (or starting that multimillion dollar company). So even if he currently has no idea whether he'd enjoy being a lawyer, the worst case scenario is he's out something in the ballpark of $300k in forgone salary + debt and 3-4 years of his life (which he's apparently not thrilled with anyway). The best case scenario is that he successfully practices biglaw for 5 years, comes out a million dollars in the black, and then goes and does whatever he wants to do for the rest of his life, JD-required or no. He's wagering $300k to win $1 million on a bet where the fair odds are 1:1 (since we're assuming he has no reason to either believe or not believe he would enjoy being a laywer). I'm no math teacher, but those aren't bad odds.
@@kenlandon6130 Right. Public interest would only be the correct choice if he knows he'd be happier doing that than being a math teacher. He's still going to ultimately be as good or better off financially.
The problem lies in the fact that big law is not a safe bet at all. Even if you go to HYS, then your odds of practicing in big law for that amount of time are probably around 15%, and likely even less. At Cravath alone, 43% of its associates are gone after the first two years.
@@jackhallander6706 Yeah but at Cravath they’re not just dropping out of BL after two years; they’re leaving to Simpson Thacher, Davis Polk, in house, Fed clerkship, etc. Check Firm Prospects for attrition.
Let's think through this. A middle school math teacher who isn't happy in his current line of work and thinks he might enjoy being a lawyer almost certainly isn't going to start a multimillion dollar company, but if his stats are 3.9/175, he can almost certainly get into a T14 law school with a half scholarship, which translates into around a 3/4 chance of getting a biglaw job (or clerkship or a public interest job that makes him happy). Even if he ends up hating biglaw and quits after a year (enough to pay off at least half of his $150k debt), a JD from Northwestern isn't going to prevent him from going back to being a math teacher (or starting that multimillion dollar company). So even if he currently has no idea whether he'd enjoy being a lawyer, the worst case scenario is he's out something in the ballpark of $300k in forgone salary + debt and 3-4 years of his life (which he's apparently not thrilled with anyway). The best case scenario is that he successfully practices biglaw for 5 years, comes out a million dollars in the black, and then goes and does whatever he wants to do for the rest of his life, JD-required or no.
He's wagering $300k to win $1 million on a bet where the fair odds are 1:1 (since we're assuming he has no reason to either believe or not believe he would enjoy being a laywer). I'm no math teacher, but those aren't bad odds.
public interest doesn't pay well. neither do clerkships but firms pay premiums for former clerks once they end their clerkships...
@@kenlandon6130 Right. Public interest would only be the correct choice if he knows he'd be happier doing that than being a math teacher. He's still going to ultimately be as good or better off financially.
The problem lies in the fact that big law is not a safe bet at all. Even if you go to HYS, then your odds of practicing in big law for that amount of time are probably around 15%, and likely even less. At Cravath alone, 43% of its associates are gone after the first two years.
@@jackhallander6706 Yeah but at Cravath they’re not just dropping out of BL after two years; they’re leaving to Simpson Thacher, Davis Polk, in house, Fed clerkship, etc. Check Firm Prospects for attrition.
Wow that's was the most interesting question I've seen them answer.
5:03 med school admissions is like 1000x worse than t14 law school admissions
Where do I ask questions to be answered by you two?
Hi Unique,
You can send questions for the podcast to daily@lsatdemon.com.
what about the many jobs that you can be very successful at by obtaining a JD
sheesh, im here early
9:08 there's no way that if you are middle of the class at a t14 you can't find a biglaw job
Think congress also. It’s not a moon shot for all
nah it is...
3:18 no it is not
File your own lawsuits. Personal injury, corporate, divorce. It’s up to the person.
Go to Congress
200,000 is cool
Tony periles vs Verizon corp. it’s enjoyable.
Medical malpractice
Small firms.
PЯӨMӨƧM 😑