The "Why Law" question...

[queenie]

I'm an incoming 1L and I know that this is going to become a Frequently Asked Question - what is a good answer to it? Obviously everyone has different reasons, but are there any that I should avoid? For example, would saying something  like "I want to use my degree to help others" be seen as kind of naive? Cliche? Or not? Tks in advance!

[mistertubby]

5 minutes ago, queenie said:

For example, would saying something  like "I want to use my degree to help others" be seen as kind of naive?

if you're saying it a corporate law firm, probably 

[cantaloupe]

Not really a direct answer to your question, but when I was in 1L and was particularly stressed about whether this was the right career path for me/whether I wanted to stay in school, I talked about this with my therapist. One of the things they told me was that your answer to "Why Law?" can change over time. It's a good self-reflection exercise to think about and maybe come back to when you've finished your first semester, year etc. A "good answer" is going to be one that you genuinely believe in and I don't think you should worry about whether or how people will judge your answer. 

[Telephantasm]

This might not be the advice you were looking for, but I would just answer the question with honesty. I have found that the legal community admires candor, and can smell disingenuity from a mile away. There is absolutely nothing wrong with saying "I want to help people" if that's really your motivation. If it is, say as much with conviction and specificity. But don't give a contrived response just because you think it'll help your odds.

Edited August 16, 2021 by Telephantasm

[Rashabon]

9 minutes ago, Telephantasm said:

This might not be the advice you were looking for, but I would just answer the question with honestly. I have found that the legal community admires candor, and can smell disingenuity from a mile away. There is absolutely nothing wrong with saying "I want to help people" if that's really your motivation. If it is, say as much with conviction and specificity. But don't give a contrived response just because you think it'll help your odds.

I agree with this. But would also add that framing things in their proper context and describing your reasons in a positive manner are beneficial (and a useful skill to start developing).

For example: "I couldn't find a career with my [X] degree" can become "I wasn't motivated to continue pursuing [X], and wanted a different challenge, which law provided because of [X], [Y] and [Z]." Or whatever. Point being is that there's a point where candor tips over and becomes something else.

[EmplawmentLaw]

There are a lot of approaches you can take.

You could connect it with one of your previous experiences. E.g. "While working in X role, I was exposed to the type of work that lawyers do. This lead me to develop an interest in law."

You could connect it with your skillset. E.g. "While completing my undergrad, I realized that I was particularly strong in Skills XYZ, and that these skills were particularly well-tailored towards law school."

Whatever you do, I think the only rule would be to never say something along the lines of "I didn't know what else to do." Your answer needs to connect your decision to attend law school to a larger and linear narrative of your story, a story which follows a series of linear/conscious decisions.

Edited August 16, 2021 by EmplawmentLaw

[TheCryptozoologist]

It might just be our generation, but law students are as a whole generally more conscientious and socially aware than alot of other fields. Everyone brings different perspectives, thinks and engages widely with everything from society and politics to science and technology. A genuine passion and interest for things in life or what you do speaks way more than just having technical talent. Its honestly also a lot more liberating. 

You'll honestly forget most law students you meet, but there's a handful of personalities you cannot forget. Its the ones who took time to develop passions or interests or had very unique life experiences that really bring something else to a conversation. Law school grinds you into a particular mold and there's almost cultish conformity but sometimes you honestly have to stick with what makes you unique or yourself and don't compromise on it. You'll come off as inauthentic if you don't have a reason and feel the need to co-opt generic corporate responses since it will sound like you never took the time to develop your own mold of a person. 

On 8/16/2021 at 3:13 PM, EmplawmentLaw said:

There are a lot of approaches you can take.

You could connect it with one of your previous experiences. E.g. "While working in X role, I was exposed to the type of work that lawyers do. This lead me to develop an interest in law."

You could connect it with your skillset. E.g. "While completing my undergrad, I realized that I was particularly strong in Skills XYZ, and that these skills were particularly well-tailored towards law school."

Whatever you do, I think the only rule would be to never say something along the lines of "I didn't know what else to do." Your answer needs to connect your decision to attend law school to a larger and linear narrative of your story, a story which follows a series of linear/conscious decisions.

Think he's already accepted and asking about social situations. This is the kind of generic, mundane boilerplates you put on a resume, not an answer you give to people at a wine and cheese event. In fact, I think I'd pity the one dimensional person too stressed or focused on giving a tailored response or too eager to fit in that they forget to be a normal person. This is actually very common in law to meet people like this, and why people think lawyers are boring and dusty types when in fact its mostly because there is sometimes weird cultural pressures to conform and iron out your quirks. 

[Xxyz]

On 8/16/2021 at 2:28 PM, queenie said:

I'm an incoming 1L and I know that this is going to become a Frequently Asked Question - what is a good answer to it? Obviously everyone has different reasons, but are there any that I should avoid? For example, would saying something  like "I want to use my degree to help others" be seen as kind of naive? Cliche? Or not? Tks in advance!

Assuming we’re referencing social situations here, rather than an academic setting or interview or something else of that ilk, my advice is to basically come up with a “one liner” and roll with it.
Running the risk of giving away too much personal information (I’ve heard that’s a no no around here) I train a specific type of riding horse for a living & coach competitive riders. When I get asked what I do at parties, in dentists offices, at the bank, etc. “I train horses” tends to be met with a response of “Ooh, like secretariat?” or something else of that nature. That’s not at all what I do, but I generally respond with “almost” and leave it at that. I used to tell people it was the horses they’d see at the olympics, or go on about different analogies that’d help them understand it a bit better, but to be honest I’ve found it’s not really worth the time. Really people want to know 2 things:

1. I get paid to sit on horses & yell at people so they sit on their horses better. 
2. I work constantly, but I love it & it makes me happy. 

The details of how, why, etc. are lost on most people, & they’re not interested in them anyway. So to make a (very long) story short, try to come up with a short statement about why you want to go into law & how you feel about it, and roll with it.

P.s. remember that most people are way more interested in learning about you than learning about law. You can tie the two together, but don’t get bogged down in the nitty gritty.

[EmplawmentLaw]

4 hours ago, TheCryptozoologist said:

It might just be our generation, but law students are as a whole generally more conscientious and socially aware than alot of other fields. Everyone brings different perspectives, thinks and engages widely with everything from society and politics to science and technology. A genuine passion and interest for things in life or what you do speaks way more than just having technical talent. Its honestly also a lot more liberating. 

You'll honestly forget most law students you meet, but there's a handful of personalities you cannot forget. Its the ones who took time to develop passions or interests or had very unique life experiences that really bring something else to a conversation. Law school grinds you into a particular mold and there's almost cultish conformity but sometimes you honestly have to stick with what makes you unique or yourself and don't compromise on it. You'll come off as inauthentic if you don't have a reason and feel the need to co-opt generic corporate responses since it will sound like you never took the time to develop your own mold of a person. 

Think he's already accepted and asking about social situations. This is the kind of generic, mundane boilerplates you put on a resume, not an answer you give to people at a wine and cheese event. In fact, I think I'd pity the one dimensional person too stressed or focused on giving a tailored response or too eager to fit in that they forget to be a normal person. This is actually very common in law to meet people like this, and why people think lawyers are boring and dusty types when in fact its mostly because there is sometimes weird cultural pressures to conform and iron out your quirks. 

I was referring to the specific context of interviews/job hunting. Almost every other poster before me did this too:

1. Telephantasm's post - "But don't give a contrived response just because you think it'll help your odds." Help what odds? Odds to get a job? This clearly implies that poster also inferred that OP was asking about the interview/job hunting context.
2. Rashabon's post - appears quite clear he's also referring to the interview/job hunting process

So I'm not quite sure how you arrived at the inference that OP's question was referring to "social situations" instead of the interview/job hunting context. If the conversation you're engaging in at a wine and cheese event involves discussing "Why law", I hate to break it to you but you're not nearly as interesting as you clearly think you are.

Edited August 24, 2021 by EmplawmentLaw