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Hilarious Lawyer Offers $1,000 Scholarship to Stay Away from Law

By William Peacock, Esq. on November 05, 2013 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

What's the biggest regret of my life? That's a tough one.

However, it wasn't the decision to go to law school. Most of my student loan debt was from University of California at Davis. (Got to pay off the pepper-spraying cops somehow, right?) But for many regretful recent law grads, they'll all scream in unison to pre-law students: STAY THE [EXPLETIVE] AWAY!

They're not being protectionist (at least, not completely). They speak from experience. They know, after graduation comes, well, pretty much nothing for most grads. One lawyer, from an earlier era, understands the plight. He's now offering a $1,000 scholarship to do anything but law.

Meet Matt Willens

He's a Super Lawyer. (Yes, that's a fellow Thomson Reuters' company, and a designation for attorneys who have done big, big things.) He also has about thirty-seven badges attached to the bottom of his page, each attesting to his certifications and affiliations. He's also an adjunct professor at Loyola Chicago. Basically, he's been there, and done that.

And what does all of that vast experience tell him about the value of a legal education, at least in today's economic climate? The same thing we've been telling you: it ain't worth it folks, especially if you're paying full sticker price for tuition, fees, and books.

'Anything But Law School' Scholarship

It's a simple enough premise: he'll award a $1,000 scholarship to one lucky student who chooses to take a different path, post-grad. Applicants must have a 3.0 GPA (setting the bar high, eh?), be a U.S. citizen accepted to or currently attending an accredited school, and he or she must be entering grad school in 2014.

Is it worth it? The typical law graduate ends up with a few thousand dollars in debt, and mediocre job prospects, especially straight out of school. Take him up on his offer, and you'll probably end up with a superior job path and a month's worth of beer money.

Publicity Stunt?

We're not cynical around here, but to a more skeptical individual, this might appear to be a publicity stunt, especially since it was announced through an incredibly well-done press release that was written by the firm in a third-party voice.

Who cares? We're happy to spread the word, especially if it means that an undergraduate or two saves themselves from a lifetime of indentured servitude to the nation's biggest loan shark.

Brilliant idea? Publicity stunt? Little bit of both? Join the discussion on Facebook at at FindLaw for Legal Professionals.

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