Being a lawyer is no longer prestigious

[trolly]

Let’s all be honest and admit that we entered this profession at lest partly because we were attracted to the prestige. That being said, the prestige has evaporated with the influx of foreign-trained lawyers and another law school in Ontario, which will only add to the numbers even more. Lawyers are now a dime a dozen. There are now so many solo practitioners, practising some combination of family/real-estate/immigration/estates that we need not even count them, not to mention that the fees we can charge will continue to sink as there’s more competition to price our services to attract the consumer. Also, let’s not forget the spectre of AI, automation and access to the internet. Consumers can basically do some legal work by themselves now, without the help of a lawyer. Sure, their work may suck but they don’t care and their goal is to save $$. 

I guess the point of this post is to express some regret in entering this profession. Does anyone else feel similar? 

[CleanHands]

Who cares?

How does perception of the profession at all impact whether you like your job or not? Especially to the point of being the identifiable cause to regret entering it?

Edited July 3, 2022 by CleanHands

[trolly]

It’s not the only reason. I also mentioned the effects of less prestige, caused by there being more lawyers: less leverage in the fees we charge, because we have to compete against each other to attract clients. It’s only going to get worse, as I see it. I mean, what else happens when supply increases more than demand? 

Edited July 3, 2022 by trolly

[Rashabon]

Man what a lame fucking dude. I do agree that entering the profession was perhaps a mistake on your part because it's far cheaper to stick a hose up your ass if you wanted to huff your own farts.

[trolly]

Ok, I’d love to be proven wrong, but can we stick to serious, respectful replies? 

[123]

35 minutes ago, trolly said:

I guess the point of this post is to express some regret in entering this profession. Does anyone else feel similar? 

I had some regrets during law school, and occasionally when I was struggling to get my practice up and running. But, no, not really anymore. And not for any of the reasons mentioned here.

I expect to have to earn respect and attract clients. But if I do good work and others know about it, then yeah, that translates to business success and a good reputation. I guess it would be different if you thought the title would suffice. 

Edited July 3, 2022 by realpseudonym

[Garfield]

I do feel that the compensation is not adequate in relation to (1) the amount and nature of the work required (which, yes, varies but can often be stressful, time sensitive, and mentally draining) and (2) the debt load that law school entails for those of us who are unfortunate members of the middle class. 

In other words, I don’t think being a lawyer lacks prestige, but that being a lawyer may suck based on the kind of lifestyle you often wind up with, at least at the earlier stages of your career - something which the compensation isn’t nearly enough to make up for, given the high cost of living, especially in cities like Toronto. I bet being a new lawyer was fantastic before housing prices began to skyrocket.

So yeah, feeling a bit of regret but I haven’t started articling yet, so that may just be the fear of the unknown and burnout from finishing law school and bar prep. The conversations I’ve had with 0-5 year calls haven’t been encouraging to say the least, at least when it comes to the pay you get for the kind and amount of work required (in addition to the disregard and disrespect from partners and just anyone else above you on the firm rung). 

[scooter]

A person chasing prestige is ultimately just setting themselves up for disappointment. This is true of any profession.

[Hegdis]

It will shock you all that "troll" with a y has been banned.