CCCToad on 16/5/2011 at 23:19
Yes, he was. There's also the factor that the number of people who got advanced degrees has gone up quite a bit due to how shitty the job market is for new college grads. Now we have a "surge" of people with advanced degrees but not the jobs to handle all of the new talent.
Good news (for me) is that the number of applicants has now dropped to pre-2008 levels at most law schools. That said, I'm more worried about how the job market is going to look ten or fifteen years from now when I'll actually be in the job market.
Rug Burn Junky on 16/5/2011 at 23:51
Quote Posted by Scots Taffer
I could be wrong but I think RBJ is also alluding to the fact that there's too much capacity in the legal market for it to be a hot job in this coming decade or so?
Not only that, the entire structure of legal employment is changing. Reputable firms worked on a pyramid model that required leveraging junior associates to partners at a ratio that was unsustainable. It was fine during the boom, but corporate legal departments are rather hip to this arrangement, and aren't paying for firms to train their junior associates on the job. So instead, the firms have changed the deal - hiring fewer associates in the first place, and instead farming rote tasks out to contract attorneys- the cost to clients is lower, but the margin for firms is even better. I've seen this from all sides now - in an AmLaw 100 firm, as an overseer on one of these contract-attorney gulags, and now in-house directing the firms. I can tell you that I put firm bills through a ringer that was unheard-of 5 years ago. The genie is out of that bottle and it ain't going back in.
So it really has nothing to do with a glut of applicants clearing because of the recession. The profession has changed, and fewer and fewer young attorneys are being given that golden ticket of a first real law job. If you don't get that, you're fucked. The degree itself is meaningless - it's all about pedigree and resume, and odds are decreasing that anyone, especially those of such meager abilities as TTTCoad, can guarantee that going in.
CCCToad on 17/5/2011 at 00:06
Thats good to know, and it definitely makes staying in JAG for a longer haul seem even more attractive. It doesn't seem restricted to the legal profession either. I've got a lot of family in the medical profession and the same thing is happening there. "contract farm" companies are starting to take over a lot of the actual work, making it more difficult for entry level doctors to get their careers started.
Rug Burn Junky on 17/5/2011 at 00:21
Oh that's right, JAG. *snicker* Good luck with that.
CCCToad on 17/5/2011 at 00:26
Kind of amusing. Where does your hatred come from, if you don't mind telling?
Rug Burn Junky on 17/5/2011 at 00:34
I've worked with one JAG alum and interviewed several others. I've found them to be unimaginative and lacking in ability to process complex abstract thoughts. They make IRS agents look wacky and creative in comparison.
You'll fit right in.
Scots Taffer on 17/5/2011 at 00:43
feel the love
CCCToad on 17/5/2011 at 00:52
Quote Posted by Rug Burn Junky
I've worked with one JAG alum and interviewed several others. I've found them to be unimaginative and lacking in ability to process complex abstract thoughts. They make IRS agents look wacky and creative in comparison.
You'll fit right in.
Thats most military officers, to put it bluntly. The promotion system in every branch except the marines is parochial and rewards conformity over excellence. The best ones either get out as soon as they can or (they really love the army) go to Special Forces selection.
demagogue on 17/5/2011 at 00:57
O yeah probably terrible time to get into the law profession. But then I've been completely out of the loop doing public international law shit which is its own little world, so don't even have a good feel for the general scene.
BTW, the LSAT has nothing to do with "legal thinking" or "logic". It has its own system that has nothing to do with anything but itself. So get an LSAT book that has a system and follow it. And it should come with its own practice exams, and you can download past exams for free.
CCCToad on 17/5/2011 at 01:00
Mind if I ask how you enjoy working "public international law shit"(not sure exactly what job you're referring to), and what that involves? Its one area I'm curious about studying.
edit: something I forgot to add. The other problem with military officers is that they are used to being able to "AMOG" through most difficult situations they find themselves in. In the civilian world winning a situation by pulling rank doesn't work that well. Either there isn't a rank structure, people get fed up and find a new boss, or they band together to take you down.
