5 Reasons Why You Should Go to Law School

As soon as I announced that I was going to law school, unsolicited advice started pouring in. People I barely knew took the time to advise me of the evils of law school -- it is difficult, expensive, time-consuming, and so forth.

But, like millions of others, I went to law school anyway. To my satisfaction, I found law school to be an excellent investment of my time and money.

The internet is full of lists of reasons why you should not go to law school. Here are a few reasons why you should:

1. Money. Yes, law school is expensive. But it ought to be, because it is the gateway to a lucrative career. No matter what class of society you come from, if you are willing to take on some student loan debt, three years of law school can be your ticket to a profession. Of course there is competition for jobs, and not all lawyers make the big bucks. With hard work, though, you can turn your law degree into a solid financial future.

2. Know your rights. You may have heard the maxim, "Ignorance of the law is no defense." It's true. If you commit a crime, the police, the judge, and the prosecutor will not care whether you knew what you did was a crime. Similarly, if you accidentally cheat on your taxes, the IRS will not care whether you were a tax expert.

Every citizen is subject to the law, but how much does the average person know about the law? For me, law school was an enlightening experience. I learned how to find answers to all sorts of questions I had wondered about.

3. Improve your mind. Law school professors try to teach their students to "think like lawyers." Lawyers do approach problems in a certain way. I would describe the legal mode of thinking as very precise (i.e., ambiguity in expression is avoided), analytical, and logical.

Law school will teach you to take a pragmatic and rational approach to all the problems you face in life. If you apply your new mental abilities to the non-legal part of your life, you will experience greater success there, too.