Why Law School? Four Corporate Counsel Respond
Why law school? The San Francisco Business Times recently asked top Corporate Counsel in the San Francisco area what led them to law school in the first place. Their answers are typical among prospective law students (though, unique in their own way) and I wanted to share them with you.
Mary Dent of SVB Financial Group says:
I love reasoning and logic and trying to figure out puzzles, so law appealed to me as a problem-solving endeavor.
Makes sense. I enjoyed the rationale from Reggie Davis of Zynga (think Farmville):
I backpacked around the world, worked on a political campaign and had no idea what to do.
For some people, their background drives them to law. Cheree McAlpine of Wyse Technology explains her rationale like this:
I grew up in rural Alabama, and I saw things that I thought were very unjust. I had this great appreciation for right or wrong, and it was that appreciation for right or wrong that drove me to law.
Perhaps the most interesting quote comes from Dorian Daley of Oracle (the second largest software company in the world). When asked for “Something about you that would surprise people?”, she responds:
That I really didn’t want to become a lawyer.
Now, put yourself in their shoes. Fast forward to the future and imagine that you are being interviewed about your decision to go (or not go) to law school. When the reporter points the microphone in your direction, how do you respond?
I worry that any loans I take out for law school will burden me financially for decades.
Hi Rob,
It is certainly the case for most people that law school means many years (though, maybe not decades) of paying off law school debt. But, while debt can be anxiety-producing and worrisome; it can also be motivating and a way to invest in yourself.
If your temperament is such that indebtedness will make you lose sleep at night, law school may not be right for you. But I would check in with yourself — is there some place, amidst the worry, the fear and the overwhelm, where your heart is yearning for a chance to express your personality in a new way? Could taking a risk be a way for your memories, capacities and desires to take flight and make their mark in the world?
Best wishes,
Derek