Boalt Hall-itis

Someday, when I'm talented, I'm going to write a novel detailing the lives of nine 20-somethings all debating going to law school. Why nine? It sounded like a good interesting number. And they'd all be in different places--someone in publishing in New York, a screenwriter in LA, an aid worker based in DC. All debating throwing in the towel for something vaguely interesting and assured of getting them a big house in the suburbs. And not the suburbs of Cleveland, but somewhere respectable.

I'm convinced that unless your talent lies in the sciences, either Bio or Computer, you end up debating law school. It's the default career choice of my generation, and if you disagree, check out the listings in Super Lawyers---it's daunting how many people there are JD's. And that's ignoring all who get their JD but go into Finance, or Records Admin, or something vaguely related that having a law background fascilitates.

Not sure where I read it, but somewhere someone pointed out if you were talented with English but have no strong inclination of what you want to do, you'll end up a lawyer. Or at least debating becoming a lawyer. I think the writer was speaking specifically of women who were good with English as students. It's nice to think that our society needed a place for aspiring young smartees, and hence became so litigious so as to give them a place in the world. And lawyering seems made for women--even if you stop-out to have a kid, you can still bill some hours working for your old company. And there's always contracts to go back to once the young'un's are in school.

Being a lawyer has a certain cache in our society, if you ignore all the cheesy jokes thrown at it. It involves schooling, and being smart, and a nice high salary. If all else fails, there's always Boalt Hall, or UC Hastings. Or if you're like me, there's always the debate that the last default would be to move back home with Mom and Dad and go to UCONN law down the street. And then you can wipe away the errors of your twenties, the start-up in San Fran where you did PR, the year.5 in LA trying to act, the realization that saving starving Africans is nice but you don't eat that much yourselves and you always liked having a Lexus after all. Eventually reality hits and you're no longer content to have roommates at 32 and would like to have a couch that 4 friends didn't own beforehand. And you liked reading and writing in school so you could totally do it as a career. And it's harder now than when you're parents were young, so if you wanted to have a decent standard of living, someone's going to have to study. Plus, you console yourself with the knowledge that you'll do pro bono on the side and help the poor and disenfranchised. It's a win-win!

I wonder if these people regret this decision, or if you resign yourself that life is a pick-your-battles sort of affair and that having a well-paying job lets you enjoy other aspects of life. Perhaps this is what brings people to opening salumeria's, or a small goat farm, or working at a green start-up; they've made enough money by 40 but still have the urge to start a fresh, and not in a midlife crisis, buy a ferrari sort of way. Attorney as second act before real pursuit.

Does anyone know if this is similar in other developed world countries? Are lost young Frenchies going to law school, and spaniards and Brits? Do they have a default occupation that's different? I feel like young Brits all go into publishing or finance; is this true? And are there Egyptians, and Indians and Singaporean parents telling their children that some day, they too can be paper pushers like their American counterparts? And what does it mean that humanity, when it achieves a certain level of comfort, is content to file and contract itself into posterity? Will we never explore the solar system because we're too busy filing the patents for the latest shuttle? Ah, progress.