Law student with no real interest in law… feeling disillusioned after OCIs

[Juedas]

I'm not sure how many of you have felt this way during law school or after law school, if at all, but I just finished the 2L recruit making to in-firms but no offers. While I was a little disappointed with not getting offers, I also don't feel too bad about it. After reflecting on the experience I realized I don't really have an interest in any areas of law. I mean sure, I applied to OCI firms but it was mostly because of the money and just having a job secured, not because of an inherent interest in corporate law. But I just feel like I haven't really enjoyed any areas of law so far and don't even see myself necessarily enjoying it because of a lack of interest. Especially seeing other students being active or showing interest in law related activities and extracurriculars, there's nothing that really excites me when I'm learning/studying in different topic areas. I don't really have a question but just wanted to share how I'm feeling and if others have felt this way before or have gotten over it. Part of me is already thinking of alternative career paths post-JD but I also realize that it might be too soon to think about it anyways.

[napqueen]

A good piece of advice that is routinely given is that law school does not prepare you for the practice of law. Learning the law and practicing the law is very, very different. 

There is nothing wrong with pursuing a non-law related job post law school - a JD degree can open so many doors! But many people find their passion in areas they stumbled into. I would wait to close the door until you have tried it out - perhaps completing your articles before you truly decide to walk away from law. That way, you can have some practical experience to base your decision on.

[Phaedrus]

The study of law and the practice of law are different, but learning and practice are not all that different. Law school provides fundamental training in reading, interpretation, analysis and presentation that - as much as we like to bitch about it - is used everyday in practice. It's the pedagogy of law and its relationship to legal practice that bothers me.  

It sounds like @Juedas is going through a pretty expected post-OCI grieving process. Failing to land a job can be hard to swallow, and turning to "ehhh, I wasn't all the interested anyway" distances yourself from having to confront/address harsh truths. A lot my peers in 3L who hadn't secured articles by February/March fell into the same logic trap that OP is falling into now:

• I was never that into law anyway;
• Being a lawyer was never my choice anyway;
• I'm glad I didn't get [job I chased after], it seems boring as hell;
• I don't want to article anyway, I've read [insert study about law and depression;
• etc.

The problem was that every one of those "I didn't want it anyway" students would light up when talking about certain classes, or would come to life when having to debate some concept from class. OP, I'd suggest asking close friends and/or family to watch for what topics get you energized and to let you know when it happens. I was pretty miserable in law school and felt I wasn't cut out for practice/didn't like anything enough, until friends started to point out how I'd light up when explaining some concept I'd learned in Tax I or the availability of automatism as a defence. My enjoyment was there; it was just buried in a self-loathing. 

Lick your wounds, trudge through the next few weeks under the weight of existential dread wondering what your life is about now, and focus on the informal recruitment process. OCIs are one path to practice, and one path to a fulfilling career and life. Many more exist, you just have to look for them. 

[Deadpool]

Have you gained any practical experience in law school through legal clinics, pro bono students, mooting, etc.? What were your original intentions for going to law school? Do you have an interest in serving a particular client base, or working in a certain type of environment? 

I was fairly disillusioned with the academic side of law school, but getting involved in extracurriculars and clinics honed my skills and interests. Law school classes teach the standard black-letter law courses, but there are some niche areas of law that you might find interesting and is not being taught in your classes. For example, I find privacy law interesting and it is a growing area, but there is not much exposure to it in law school. I would also take courses with practitioners rather than academic professors, as the former have direct experience working in the field and can talk to you about their jobs and act as career mentors.

Not getting an OCI job may be a blessing in disguise, because you would likely have been miserable working only for the money if you do not have a particular interest in corporate law. You are already ahead of the game by knowing what you do not want to do.

Finding a law adjacent job after law school is not easy. Some people pursue business jobs, and they often have an MBA or prior business education or work experience as well. Some go into academia and teaching and they go to teacher's college or do an LLM, SJD, or PhD. Some go into labour relations, human rights officer, professional development, and career counseling positions, and they often have an HR or psychology background, or practice labour and employment at a law firm first before making the transition. Some pursue policy analyst jobs with the government, and almost always, they have a relevant master's degree as well. Some pursue tax-affiliated jobs, and almost always, they have a tax, accounting, or business background, and practice tax or corporate law, and/or clerk at the Tax Court of Canada. Some go into the banking and finance industry if they have experience in securities, trusts and estates, tax or banking. Some go into mediation and conflict resolution, but these tend to be senior lawyers with decades of experience. Some go into legal technology and start-up consulting and they often have a business or technology background as well.

In conclusion, you need to figure out which of these paths you want to pursue and execute a plan to get there. You do not want to graduate law school without a plan and just apply everywhere. This is why a lot of people that strike out during OCIs struggle to find jobs later on; it is not because they are uncompetitive candidates, but rather that they do not have a plan. Executing a well-thought out plan is winning half the battle and will put you miles ahead of most people when starting out in your career. 

[123]

On 11/15/2021 at 4:48 PM, Deadpool said:

I was fairly disillusioned with the academic side of law school, but getting involved in extracurriculars and clinics honed my skills and interests. Law school classes teach the standard black-letter law courses, but there are some niche areas of law that you might find interesting and is not being taught in your classes. For example, I find privacy law interesting and it is a growing area, but there is not much exposure to it in law school. I would also take courses with practitioners rather than academic professors, as the former have direct experience working in the field and can talk to you about their jobs and act as career mentors.

On 11/15/2021 at 3:56 PM, Juedas said:

Especially seeing other students being active or showing interest in law related activities and extracurriculars, there's nothing that really excites me when I'm learning/studying in different topic areas.

Agree with Deadpool.

But just to emphasize: the interesting part of clinics and ECs isn't just about the practice area. You don't always do a poverty clinic solely because you're interested in housing law or social assistance. I suspect very few CLASP students from Osgoode go on to do housing and social assistance law, if for no other reason than almost no one practices those areas outside of clinics. And I doubt that most students have significant intrinsic interest in the subject matter going into those clinical terms -- reading the Rent-Geared-to-Income guidelines and reviewing letters from physiotherapists isn't intrinsically interesting. 

That's not the only point of clinics. Clinics are also about trying aspects of practice not available to students on the academic side. At a lot of clinics, you interview clients, gather evidence, draft letters, write arguments, go to Court/tribunals, learn how to manage a file. You advocate (under supervision). You learn to manage expectations. In other words, you do a lot of the things that lawyers do in practice, and that students don't in classes. 

Practice can engage you in so many ways that class might not. Sometimes you want to do right by your client. Sometimes your competitive instincts kick in, and you want to win. Other times, you can find the work itself - the doing of things - rewarding, in a way that just learning the law is not.

Clinics are a good place to figure out whether there's something about the work you like. Maybe that won't be the case -- I assume some students dislike both law school and practice. Those people might be better off looking for exit options, and there's nothing wrong with that. If you hate something, quit. But really, you can't know whether you'll like the practical stuff until you've tried it. So like @Deadpool, I really urge people like OP to try a bunch of extracurricular stuff before getting too deep into fantasies about exit strategies or your own disillusionment. As they did for me, clinics might allow you to find aspects of legal work that are fulfilling and rewarding in ways you wouldn't have imagined ahead of time. 

Edited November 16, 2021 by realpseudonym

[Juedas]

I appreciate everyone's input here! In retrospect I wish I got involved in those clinics/extracurriculars earlier as now I only have the rest of 2L and 3L to try things out, but that's what I got to work with now so hopefully things will start to make more sense. 

 

[Yang]

*Alternative* POV here. 

If you are not enjoying what you are learning and do not see yourself practicing in a private firm - don't do it. Plain and simple. You will have a wonderful degree under your belt. The world is your oyster. Take some time to self-reflect. You have time now. You're already doing so great by doing your due diligence and asking the community. 

Being a lawyer is trying at the best of times. I don't know that I would be one if I didn't find myself excited about it. I'd actually probably be long gone by now.