I am so frustrated!

[kddani]

Originally posted by starang21
i heard there is an over saturation in the field....is this true?

YES! I'm in the job market right now, and it's terrible. Of course, when I applied to law school shortly after 9/11, we didn't know how the economy would go or that there would be such a freeze/lull in hiring. Finding a job right now sucks, even being about to graduate from a Tier 1 or 2 school (my school keeps going between). There is a LOT I wish I could've/would've known before going to law school. And it's not just in my area, I know for certain from friends that pretty much everywhere else is the same.

Also, something like entertainment law is incredibly saturated, b/c it's seen as a "glamorous" job. Only a few people go into law school with a very particular type of law in mind that they want to practice. They'll likely change their minds. It's not really good to limit yourself also when the job market is tight. There's not many jobs at all starting out in entertainment law, if any. People that practice it sorta made their way there through various routes.

People ask me what kind of law I want to practice in, and honestly, i'm VERY flexible and open to ideas. I have to be, or else i'll be on the street in a cardboard box pretty soon

[ZTAngel]

Originally posted by starang21
i heard there is an over saturation in the field....is this true?

A friend of mine who is in law school right now at the University of Florida was talking to me about that the other day. UF has had a huge increase in the number of law school applicants. It could be that more people are also graduating from college than in the past but a lot has to do with the economy. Med school applicants are up, too. I've had many friends and sorority sisters who went on to get their masters degree or law degree after college to postpone their entrance into the real world. I think any who does that will eventually get a reality check because getting your masters or law degree is no cake walk!
He graduates next year and he had a hard time getting an internship nonetheless a job because there are so many law school students looking for a summer internship!

[starang21]

Originally posted by kddani
YES! I'm in the job market right now, and it's terrible. Of course, when I applied to law school shortly after 9/11, we didn't know how the economy would go or that there would be such a freeze/lull in hiring. Finding a job right now sucks, even being about to graduate from a Tier 1 or 2 school (my school keeps going between). There is a LOT I wish I could've/would've known before going to law school. And it's not just in my area, I know for certain from friends that pretty much everywhere else is the same.

Also, something like entertainment law is incredibly saturated, b/c it's seen as a "glamorous" job. Only a few people go into law school with a very particular type of law in mind that they want to practice. They'll likely change their minds. It's not really good to limit yourself also when the job market is tight. There's not many jobs at all starting out in entertainment law, if any. People that practice it sorta made their way there through various routes.

People ask me what kind of law I want to practice in, and honestly, i'm VERY flexible and open to ideas. I have to be, or else i'll be on the street in a cardboard box pretty soon

damn, yea..a friend of mine who is a lawyer said that a lot of young lawyers are having a hard time securing jobs or what not...and that there seems to be a huge rush to head to the law school track.

good deal i quickly put that out of my mind in my plans after undergrad.

[kddani]

Originally posted by ZTAngel
A I think any who does that will eventually get a reality check because getting your masters or law degree is no cake walk!

ZTAngel, you brought up good points that I forgot to mention.

Law school applications have been WAYYYY up the past few years, and there's more attorneys entering the field that their are leaving it. Not only does that make job placement hard, but just getting into law school, even in the "lower" tiered schools, MUCH more difficult.

[starang21]

Originally posted by ZTAngel
A friend of mine who is in law school right now at the University of Florida was talking to me about that the other day. UF has had a huge increase in the number of law school applicants. It could be that more people are also graduating from college than in the past but a lot has to do with the economy. Med school applicants are up, too. I've had many friends and sorority sisters who went on to get their masters degree or law degree after college to postpone their entrance into the real world. I think any who does that will eventually get a reality check because getting your masters or law degree is no cake walk!
He graduates next year and he had a hard time getting an internship nonetheless a job because there are so many law school students looking for a summer internship!

that's pretty much the sentiment across the board. a friend of mine isn't too keen on her current job, so she's pursuing law. luckily jobs weren't too scarce when i graduated from grad school...but then again, there's a lot of building going on.

i won't lie, though....i though getting my masters was hella easy.

[ztawinthropgirl]

Basically, I guess, the moral to this story, there is no way in h-e-double L I'll be getting into law school. Is this what I am hearing or am I hearing it correctly? (BTW I am not being defensive or sarcastic . . . just getting a bit of info).

[starang21]

Originally posted by ztawinthropgirl
Basically, I guess, the moral to this story, there is no way in h-e-double L I'll be getting into law school. Is this what I am hearing or am I hearing it correctly? (BTW I am not being defensive or sarcastic . . . just getting a bit of info).

depends on your abilities.

and the market.

[ZTAngel]

Originally posted by ztawinthropgirl
Basically, I guess, the moral to this story, there is no way in h-e-double L I'll be getting into law school. Is this what I am hearing or am I hearing it correctly? (BTW I am not being defensive or sarcastic . . . just getting a bit of info).

When I was still in school (and I think you graduated around the same time as me), Target came to our career center to interview students for a training program. I can't remember exactly what the program entailed but I do know that the new grads rotated between learning the finance, marketing, merchandising, human resources and management aspects of the company and were eventually placed in whatever area they excelled at. You've been working there for so long that I would think you'd have an "in" on this program. Have you looked into it or heard of it?

ETA:
It's called the Executive-in-Training program. Maybe talk to your human resources department about it? Also, I'd look at the when the career fairs are at the local colleges. It would be a good chance to meet some companies that are looking for entry-level candidates.

[kddani]

Originally posted by ztawinthropgirl
Basically, I guess, the moral to this story, there is no way in h-e-double L I'll be getting into law school. Is this what I am hearing or am I hearing it correctly? (BTW I am not being defensive or sarcastic . . . just getting a bit of info).

Well, it depends. Don't know your GPA or LSAT scores (have you taken the LSAT? That could make a big difference if you score REALLY well on that) and i'm not familiar with the undergrad academic reputation of your undergrad. But you don't sound to confident in your undergrad record (which isn't bad, it's good to be honest with yourself), which is not a good thing.

If you've got crappy grades, if you pulled off a very solid LSAT you could probably get in SOMEWHERE, but that doesn't mean that you should go there. Going to a lower-reputation law school isn't going to help you get a job in one of the bigger cities, at all.

There's the issue of getting into law school, then there's the issue of whether or not you could get the job of your dreams or on the way to your dreams after...

I get the impression that you're not really sure what the heck you want to do. For those reasons, I'd strongly advise you to take some time and work and figure out what you want to do. Don't go wasting money or time on something that's not right for you and not going to give you what you want.

Law school's a HUGE investment, both time and money ($85K for me! and I had some scholarship money and live in a lower cost of living area), and you shouldn't do it if you're not sure.

[WCUgirl]

Charlotte School of Law will have its inaugural class in the Fall of 2006.

[kddani]

Originally posted by AXiD670
Charlotte School of Law will have its inaugural class in the Fall of 2006.

That's a good point. I forget how it works though, because they won't have ABA accrediation I *think* you could only take the bar in NC and practice in NC. I'm too lazy at the moment to find out for sure. I'm sure it'll be easier to get into, but getting a job right out, outside of the area/state, would be very very very hard.

ETA: need to page GeekyPenguin to this thread as she just went through the process this year

[WCUgirl]

Originally posted by kddani
That's a good point. I forget how it works though, because they won't have ABA accrediation I *think* you could only take the bar in NC and practice in NC. I'm too lazy at the moment to find out for sure. I'm sure it'll be easier to get into, but getting a job right out, outside of the area/state, would be very very very hard.

I think it's something like that.

As for her finding a job outside of the area -- depending on what she decides to do, it's just a matter of her passing the bar and getting that initial experience. I get the impression she wants to stay local for the time being anyways. Our office manager/paralegal at work is waiting for Charlotte's law school to open simply for the fact that she needs to possess a law degree to sit for the bar. She has a job waiting for her, so she doesn't need or care to go to a top-tier law school.

[kddani]

Originally posted by AXiD670
I think it's something like that.

As for her finding a job outside of the area -- depending on what she decides to do, it's just a matter of her passing the bar and getting that initial experience. I get the impression she wants to stay local for the time being anyways. Our office manager/paralegal at work is waiting for Charlotte's law school to open simply for the fact that she needs to possess a law degree to sit for the bar. She has a job waiting for her, so she doesn't need or care to go to a top-tier law school.

But unfortunately the OP doesn't have that sort of situation. And honestly, it would be VERY hard, if not nearly impossible, to get that sort of set up for the job that she wants- an entertainment lawyer in one of the big cities.

If you end up in a situation like that, it's great, but if not, I honestly wouldn't advise it unless it's a last ditch sort of thing.

[ztawinthropgirl]

Can you go there for say, a year, and transfer to an ABA-accredited school so you can take the bar anywhere? That might be a good idea for me?

[WCUgirl]

Originally posted by ztawinthropgirl
Can you go there for say, a year, and transfer to an ABA-accredited school so you can take the bar anywhere? That might be a good idea for me?

To transfer to an ABA accredited school you have to originally attend an ABA accredited school.