Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Lawyers are rare...
I would like to reflect on something that Kennedy states in the article that we read the other day. The article is one of the the most enlightening items for someone who is on their way to becoming a lawyer. Based on the ABA sheet that we saw in class, we realized that 1.1 million lawyers exist in the US today. Kennedy claims that individuals go into practice of the law because they feel that they should be a part of the elitist structure that exists in society today. I find it troubling to see that this is what the main idea is that people view lawyers as. Lawyers and students of the law most likely want to enter the law because they have a desire and a deep passion for legal process and ideals. I did not realize how prestigious the law is when I chose it as a career path. Now that I know the law is so highly revered, I have a fear that people will judge me as only looking to the law as a way to make money and become wealthy. I have a desire for law that has a deep rooted nature in who I am and I would like to continue that passion because of what it means to me. Money is of no object, if one has a goal and it requires extra costs to achieve that goal, then it should be of no consequence that there is extra compensation provided for me.
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ReplyDeleteI disagree with this post. For one, lawyers are not rare. There are more kids in law school today than there ever has been. There are so many lawyers that it is actually hard to obtain a job out of school. And second, I believe that it is 50/50 with why students choose to go for law. Half want the prestige and money, and half may just enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteWhen our country has about 340 million it seems hard to believe that 1.1 million is not rare....
ReplyDeleteI think what she means is that there is an overabundance of lawyers in relation to the amount of actual available positions. In addition, this number is only going to grow as many people unable to find jobs in the current economy look to law school as a guaranteed meal ticket.
ReplyDeleteI think that most young students enter the law with the notion of making the world a better place. For the amount of money and time law school takes, there has to be some benevolent motivation behind lawyers, at least at first. I think you sound nobler than most prospective lawyers. My interest in law was from a contract prospective than the internal desire to uphold the law. I think the prospective lawyers who are the children on lawyer are more aware of the prestigious association of the law. They are more exposed to the luxuries that a career in law can afford. Most people who are not lawyers probably grew up hearing derogatory jokes about lawyers but knew that it is a stable job. If you really want a career in law, with the desire to uphold justice, you shouldn’t care how other people view you. You know what your true motivation is and that is all that matters. Do your job to the best of your ability.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with Lorne, most people do enter law with the idea of helping people and making the world a better place, but they can become corrupt after being in the system for too long. It's like politics most politicians thought they could make the world a better place when they started and now have become corrupt, taking bribes and dishing out special favors.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that money almost has to be an influencing factor in becoming a lawyer. The amount and time and money you spend on law school makes money something that you can't say you don't want. I think it's very noble to say that it does not have any influence, but hard to believe. I know I would not want to be a lawyer if I had to go to law school and get tens of thousands of dollars in debt and then not get paid very well.