How Much is a Good Attorney Worth?

The bottom line is that those who are interested in obtaining jobs where the law degree is of value should, at this point, be optimistic about employment prospects in the near future.

Source: National Association for Law Placement (NALP) Class of 2002 National Summary Report.

What is law school like?

The following was written by Steve Lawrence, Jr., a Duke graduate who received his law degree from the University of Chicago,

The law student must be ready and willing to meet one of the biggest challenges that he will ever face. Law school is a full-time business. By full-time, I mean a minimum of 10 hours a day, every day of the week. It is quite exhaustive, particularly during the first year. There is a new vocabulary to learn, and a new way of thinking. As the faculty is fond of saying, law students also have to learn to read for the first time in their lives. In law, every word is of crucial importance; you don't read just to get the gist of the material. This point came across to me the first day of law school. I had spent four years in college contemplating such issues as truth, goodness government, religion. In the first case we had to read in Contracts the issue which Judge Henry Friendly, one of the most distinguished judges in the country, had to face is: "What is chicken?" The case turned on whether the parties to the contract meant "stewing chicken" or "fowl." The movement from considering "what is truth" to "what is chicken" symbolizes perfectly for me the movement from college to law school.

Ten Rules for Succeeding in Law School and as a Lawyer

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, and 10. Learn to think analytically and clearly and to express yourself well in written form; i.e., learn to think and learn to write.

Are there any books which will tell a student what law school is like and about the practice of law?

Osborne, John J., Jr. The Paper Chase. Go ahead and read it and/or see the movie. Reaction from law students is mixed; most say it is fairly accurate, a few find it overdone and a smaller number say it understates the law school experience.

Other recommended reading:

Law school and legal education

Full Disclosure: Do You Really Want To Be a Lawyer?, Susan J. Bell
Guide From The Society Of American Law Teachers , Stephen Gillers
Inside The Law Schools: A Guide By Students For Students, Sally F. Goldfarb
The Official Guide To U.S. Law Schools, Law School Admission Council
Real Life Guide To Graduate And Professional School, Cynthia L. Rold

Legal Profession

Law v. Life: What Lawyers Are Afraid To Say About The Legal Profession, Walt Bachman
Lawful Pursuit: Careers In Public Interest Law, Ronald W. Fox
The Lawyers, Mayer, Martin
The Lure Of The Law: Why People Become Lawyers and What The Profession Does To Them, Richard W. Moll
The Legal Career Guide: From Law Student To Lawyer, Gary A. Munneke
Nonlegal Careers For Lawyers, Gary A. Munneke and William D. Henslee

Biography

Marshall: A Life In Law, Leonard John Baker
Gideon's Trumpet, Anthony Lewis
Super Chief, Earl Warren And His Supreme Court--A Judicial Biography, Bernard Schwartz
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes: Law And The Inner Self, G. Edward White

Dean Gerald L. Wilson, Ph.D.
04 Allen Building, Box 90048
Durham, NC 27708-0048
Phone  919-684-2865  Fax  919-684-3414
prelaw@duke.edu

Basic information for prospective pre-law students

The Pre-Law Advising Center sponsors programs and distributes information to all students considering careers in law. All pre-law students are invited and encouraged to join the undergraduate pre-law society, Bench and Bar, which offers a variety of programs and activities for those considering law as a profession. Below are answers to a number of questions often asked by pre-law students.

What factors are considered in admission to law school?

There are basically two factors involved in the law school admissions decision: a student's undergraduate Grade Point Average and a student's score on the LSAT (Law School Admissions Test). Extra curricular activities should be a part of the student's college experience, and recommendations may be required, but only in marginal cases have they any bearing upon law school admissions.

When should a student take the LSAT?

In general, students seem to perform better after the junior year in college, and since there is no reason to take the LSAT before this time, you need not plan to take it earlier.

What major should I choose?

Basically within the liberal arts curriculum it does not matter which major is selected. Law School Admission Committees do not have "preferred" majors. Students should seek breadth in their undergraduate curriculum with depth in one or more areas (i.e., the major). In short, students are free to choose whatever major they wish. A double major is fine if a person wants to do it, but it is irrelevant in terms of law school admissions.

What about recommendations?

Though some law schools do not require letters of recommendation, most do require one to three letters, usually two from Professors and one from a Dean. In general, recommendations carry little weight unless a student is already a highly qualified candidate for admission, or the student is a marginal candidate and the letter points out some unusual or outstanding fact that is not apparent from examining the student's objective record.

"Is There Life After Law School?"
(What You Always Wanted To Know About The Job Market For New Lawyers But Were Afraid To Ask)

The most recent employment survey released by the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) reports that 89% of 35,787 (out of a total 38,894) 2003 graduates responding were employed. This figure includes both employment in legal positions and those not directly involved in the practice of law. This figure does not include those continuing their education and those not seeking employment.

To place this 89% employed figure in perspective, at the same reporting point for the class of 2002, 89% were employed; for the class of 2001, 90% were employed; for the Class of 1997 90.3% were employed; and for the Class of 1996 the figure was 87.4%. All of this contrasts favorably with the 1993 figure when the overall employment rate bottomed out at 83.4%.

Additional findings of the NALP employment summary for the Class of 2003 include a breakdown of the type of positions graduates selected:

Academic 1.6%
Business 11.5%
Judicial Clerkships 11.1%
Private Practice 57.8%
Government 12.7%
Public Interest 3.1%

77% of graduates found jobs in the same region as their law school
68% of graduates found jobs in the same state as their law school
New York, Texas, California, Illinois, and Florida provided the most jobs.