51 Reasons People Are Still Going to Law School

By Neetal Parekh on July 19, 2010 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Many would-be attorneys may reveal that one of the perks they were looking forward to in law school was the absence of an accounting requirement, a statistics course, and the calculus they had to contend with in high school and college. That's fine. Law involves logic, which is arguably a kind of verbal math.

But law people, let's not abandon our basic arithmetic after calculating a GPA according to LSAC standards.

In a recent post, the ABA cites statistics showing that law school applications for 2010 Fall have increased 3%. All fine and dandy with that except the numbers also reveal that law firm jobs with the country's 250 largest firms fell 4% last year.

Do our latest law school applicants need a mobile app to show them that job prospects are in no way guaranteed. Or, do they know something we don't...Why are more people attending law school now than ever before?

51 Reasons More People are Going to Law School Even Though Job Prospects Are Down

1. Because they really want to practice law.
2. To wait out the economy.
3. Nobody told them not to.
4. Because somebody told them not to.
5. The American Idol audition didn't go as well as expected.
6. They lost a bet.
7. They are interested in politics.
8. They majored in the 16th Century Underwater Basket Weaving in Eastern Europe in college.
9. Law school is their second or third career.
10. They have worked with their company's legal department in the past, and want to join the club.
11. They believe there will be job opportunities for future law school graduates that don't exist yet.
12. They have a technical background and want to go into Patent Law.
13. They want to get an LL.M.
14. They want to serve an underserved, underrepresented sector of society
15. They don't know that law jobs are not as freely available as Taco Bell hot sauce.
16. They want to be their own boss.
17. They want to be part of reforming the U.S. legal system.
18. They want to extend their student visa.
19. They want to be the first attorney in their family.
20. They double majored in college and want to do a JD-MBA or other JD combo.
21. They want to teach.
22. They rocked the LSAT.
23. They want to use a J.D. to do something else besides practice law.
24. They want to get in and then make it big on a reality show.
25. They won't have to pay for law school themselves.
26. By process of elimination of other graduate programs.
27. To Kill a Mockingbird made a lasting impression.
28. They are already SCOTUS junkies, law school just puts a ring on their love of the law.
29. They want to commentate on the law on talk radio or on TV.
30. They want commiserate with other Type A personalities.
31. They want to practice internationally.
32. They finished an Iron Man triathlon and are looking for the next challenge.
33. They think they will figure out why in law school.
34. They want to go from being the one who makes the photocopies and coffee at the law firm, to being the one who argues the cases.
35. They like expensive shoes.
36. They are buying time.
37. They were once bamboozled by an attorney and said never again.
38. They find this blog thoroughly amusing.
39. They didn't want to get left behind the grad school train.
40. They felt like if they didn't do it now, they may never get around to it.
41. They want to impress a guy/girl.
42. They haven't explored any other options.
43. They promised themselves they would.
44. Someone they know didn't fight for their rights, and suffered for it.
45. They like to argue.
46. They want to appease the contentious legal climate of the U.S. by studying the law and then specializing in alternative dispute resolution.
47. They want to experience life in a new geographic location.
48. They do not realize that not everyone can be in the top 5% of a law school class.
49. They subscribe to the mantra "education never goes to waste".
50. They have never done a legal or law-related internship.
51. They are following a gut feeling.

Related Resources:

60 Famous J.D.'s Through Time (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
Top 10 Lists for Law Students & Associates (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
What is a Public Interest Law Fellowship? (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
Top 10 Reasons to Enroll in a Law School Clinic in 2010 (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
10 Funny Tees for Law Students in 2010 (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
Should I Go to Law School? The Pop Quiz (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
14 Things I Wish I Had Known When Graduating From Law School (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)