One day when I was in law school, a professor announced in class that because we attended a 4th tier law school, we would not work in a law firm. He said that the best we could hope for was to be solo practitioners and he even questioned our ability to be successful as solos in such a saturated market. This, in addition to anti-4th tier rhetoric from respected law blogs in the aftermath of a horrible recession, painted a bleak picture for the employment future of students who weren’t “fortunate” enough to attend a tier-1 law school.
I didn’t care what he said. I didn’t care what the law blogs said. I didn’t care what the jobs reports said. I was going to practice litigation in law firm. Even when I didn’t get an offer from the large law firm where I had clerked for 3 summers and a school year throughout law school, I never stopped trusting in my ability to reach my goal.
After sending out 200 applications, getting 2 interviews and receiving 1 offer, I packed up my life and moved from Michigan to New Jersey to clerk for a Judge. And after a year with that Judge, I began practicing litigation at a law firm, where I have been for almost 5 years.
Whether you are a law student or a lawyer, don’t let anyone tell you that you cannot have what you want. Don’t let anyone tell you that you cannot work in a certain area of law because of what school you attended, what is going on in the economy or what comments sections in law blogs say. Always trust in your own process.
It won’t be easy. You may have to accept disappointments along the way and you may have to make some sacrifices, but if you love the law, I can tell you from experience that it will absolutely be worth it.
