Unhappy Lawyers

I have written about both the identity crisis lawyers face and the apparent widespread dissatisfaction on the part of many law school graduates with life in the law. These days, the discussion is a pretty hot one, given the current job market. Those of you interested in going to law school or those eager to cut and run, might have a look at these three interesting pieces:

A WSJ Law Blog piece featuring Monica Parker, who offers advice to The Unhappy Lawyer (her new book):

“A lot of us went to law school by default,” said Parker, when we asked her why she thinks lawyer-happiness is in such short supply. “We’re people who don’t quite know what we want to do, but think law school will create opportunities. So we get sucked into a funnel of going into a law firm, and then, there you are! You’re miserable. You’re miserable because you didn’t choose this career. It pretty much chose you. You were never taught how to select a career, think about the possibilities, how to experiment, how to learn about what’s important to you.”

Disatisfied with law practice and need to make some cash? Write a book about getting out.

Along the same lines, an earlier WSJ Law Blog piece about a "law school naysayer."

The Q&A is interesting. Again (see here and here, for example) the discussion highlights the problem of seeking a law degree primarily as a means to increased income.

Finally, Above the Law has an interesting series going on "Alternative Careers for Lawyers."