“Why do you want to go to law school?”
Maybe you have an answer ready. You’ve wanted to be a lawyer for years, and you can tell me exactly what kind of law you want to practice and who you want to help.
Or maybe your answer is closer to, “I don’t know. I’m just thinking about it” or, “I just watched Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix and think being a lawyer might be cool.”
That’s okay, too.
In my last post, I shared that I can’t tell you whether you should go to law school. But I can share some questions and exercises to help you think through that decision for yourself.
So, let’s start here: What is motivating you to consider law school, and how does becoming a lawyer fit into the life you want?
This is the first exercise I’m sharing from my Do You Want to Be a Lawyer? workbook. You can work through the prompts below for free. Grab a notebook, open a document, or find whatever space works for you to collect your thoughts.
What’s drawing you to law school?
When I talk with college students and graduates about law school, I hear all kinds of reasons for considering it.
“My parents want me to be a lawyer.”
“I majored in Political Science, so law school seems like the next step.”
“I want to make a difference.”
“I want to make a lot of money.”
Sometimes, it’s a combination of things. You care about an issue, you want financial stability, and someone you trust has told you that you’d make a good lawyer.
I encourage you to take those reasons seriously enough to examine them. What does “making a difference” mean to you? What does financial stability look like in the life you hope to build? What interests you about the work lawyers actually do?
You don’t need a polished answer right now. This exercise is for you, about you. You can be honest.
First, think about yourself beyond law school
Law school is a goal. But you have a whole life that matters, too.
Your family, friends, health, financial wellness, hobbies, and plans deserve a place in this conversation. Before you focus on becoming a lawyer, spend some time thinking about who you are and what you want for yourself.
Work through these questions at your own pace. You can write, draw, or build a collage if that helps you explore your answers.
- What kind of person are you, and what kind of person do you want to be?
- What is important to you? Think about yourself, your family, friends, pets, plans, financial wellness, health, hobbies, and more.
- What motivates you?
- What are you passionate about?
- What are you interested in?
- What are you curious about?
- What goals do you want to accomplish?
Give yourself permission to include things that have nothing to do with work. Maybe you want to live near your family, have time for your hobbies, travel, or feel less stressed about money.
Write those things down, too. They belong here.
Now, think about law school and a legal career
With those answers in mind, turn your attention to law.
- What excites you about a legal career? Is it arguing, earning potential, writing, making a difference, or something else?
- Are you driven by a passion for justice, a desire for financial stability, or something else?
- What do you hope to achieve by becoming a lawyer? Write freely.
- Are others influencing you to become a lawyer? How much is this desire your own?
- What skills and qualities do you have that would make you a good lawyer?
That question about other people’s influence deserves a little time.
The people who care about you may have strong opinions about your future. Their encouragement may be meaningful to you. You can appreciate that encouragement while also asking yourself what you want.
You’re the person who will attend the classes, do the studying, figure out the costs, and eventually do the work. Your interests deserve attention in this decision.
And when you think about your skills, give yourself credit for what you already bring. You can also recognize that you have room to learn. You’re exploring a possible career; you don’t need to arrive with every skill already developed.
What do you notice in your answers?
Once you’ve worked through the prompts, read your responses together.
Are there ideas that keep coming up? Are you excited about particular parts of legal work? Are some of your reasons connected to expectations from other people? Did you write “I don’t know” more than you expected?
That gives you somewhere to start.
For example, if you wrote that you want to help people, get a little more specific. Who do you want to help? What problems interest you? What draws you to helping through legal work?
If financial stability is important to you, that gives you questions to research about education costs and the jobs that interest you.
If you enjoy writing, you might want to learn how lawyers use writing in different roles.
These are things we’ll continue exploring in this series. For now, notice what you know about yourself and what you still want to learn.
You don’t have to make the decision today
My hope is that a legal education and career would help you build the life you want. Understanding your motivations is one step toward figuring out whether that path makes sense for you.
Keep your answers. You may want to revisit them as you learn more about legal careers and talk with lawyers about their experiences. It’s okay if your thinking changes.
In the next post, we’ll explore your core values and how they can help guide your career decisions.
If you’d like to work ahead, my Do You Want to Be a Lawyer? workbook brings the exercises, career exploration resources, and networking tools together in one printable place, with room to write your responses. I’ll continue sharing exercises here on the blog for free.
If you’re comfortable sharing, what first made you curious about law school? Feel free to leave a comment. You can keep your exercise responses private.
To bright new beginnings …
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