Law School Won't Help You, Law Student Says

Isvari Mohan, courtesy photo

Isvari Mohan. Courtesy photo


Mohan doesn’t mince words: Though she is happy to add law school to her long list of accomplishments, she still thinks it’s the wrong thing for most people. It brainwashes you, she writes, it’s not going to “teach you how to think,” and it’s boring. “Lawyers all think, talk, and behave a certain way — at least the ‘good’ ones,” she writes. “Law school is going to force you to find one tiny area of the law that interests you, specialize in it, and get a job in it. It’s going to make you meaner and make you compare yourself to other people all the time.”
IF YOU’RE ALREADY IN LAW SCHOOL, SHE HAS ADVICE FOR YOU TOO
But if you’re a current law student, Mohan isn’t suggesting you drop out. In a follow-up column published in August, she offers advice to those who are already in law school, and who therefore aren’t going to take her initial advice and stay away. It boils down to this: Stay focused, and be smart with your money. She also emphasizes, twice, the importance of meeting people. “Never say no to an opportunity to meet people or grab coffee with industry leaders,” she writes. “Don’t network. Make meaningful relationships. Ask people what skills they look for and take classes they suggest.”
The people, Mohan says, are more important than grades. “Keep your GPA above a 3.3 (a little higher or lower depending on the ranking of your school) and if you have a good network, that number won’t matter,” she writes. “Never say no to events, socials, or parties unless you’re really behind or it’s the last two weeks before finals.”
She rounds the column off with a bit of a warning. “Lawyers and law students suffer from very, very high rates of depression, alcoholism, and suicide,” she writes. “Take care of yourself. See a psychologist if you need help. Lean on people you can trust. Keep your friends from before law school.”
THE RESPONSE TO HER COLUMN
There have been a few critics on Twitter who found Mohan’s opinion elitist and discouraging, and she has engaged with them to defend her views. “I am painfully aware of how privileged I am,” she tweeted to one. “That is one problem, yes. It’s really hard to make it work without money already.”
She says she hasn’t heard anything from the Georgetown community yet, and doesn’t expect to, as the column was not about her school.
Overall, Mohan says, her readers have been overwhelmingly positive — and in agreement. “It seems there are a lot of lawyers out there who regret doing law, who hate their jobs or who are just getting by, and who are still paying back debt decades later,” she says. “Many apparently are planning to die with the debt, which is just sad.”

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