The Real Value Of A Law School Degree

The Practical Value Of A Law School Degree

Pre-law students considering law school understandably contemplate the value of a law school degree, and evaluate whether the benefits of a law school degree justify the time and expense, After all, it takes about four years of time to get through preparing for the LSAT, law school, and the State Bar.

Despite that, I often tell my ScoreItUp students that law school often gives you an excellent “bang for the buck,” especially when compared to the “time/expense vs. payoff” calculation of getting a Masters, Ph.D or MD degree. One reason for that is the wide variety of career options available to you with a law school degree. Of course, other factors need to be considered, including your own personal interest in becoming a lawyer and/or obtaining a J.D.

The Intangible Benefits Of Law School

The practical benefits of a law school degree are important to consider, of course. But another important aspect of a law school degree is rarely mentioned: it is an intangible but very valuable benefit, in my opinion. Law school is one of the rare opportunities in life to actually learn how to “think better” – i.e., to think more deeply, to analyze issues more fully, to assess both sides of an argument more thoroughly, etc.

In my LSAT Prep courses, I often begin my Logical Reasoning lessons by telling students “you learned in 1st grade that 2+2=4. But now that you are on the road to becoming a lawyer, you start to question things – even things that seem as simple and obvious as 2+2=4.” And then I give them an example of the way law school and the LSAT forces you to think through issues: including why 2+2 may not equal 4, and all of the “assumptions” that go into that “argument.”

An Example Of The Benefits Of Law School: Immigration and Other “Hot-Button” Topics

A recent example highlighted for me the value of learning to think more deeply about complex issues. Regardless of your politics, immigration has been a hot-button topic lately. People tend to react strongly to the subject on an emotional level: many of us are immigrants or have direct family members who are immigrants, and we may have a great deal of empathy and sympathy for the plight of other similarly situated people. Others of us are concerned about the various issues and problems that can occur when a country adopts too much of an “open border” policy. And most of us probably recognize the legitimate concerns of people on both sides of the debate.

All of those concerns are legitimate and real, but it’s also important to evaluate the facts, including ones that may conflict with our initial assumptions. Take this recent article in the LA Times regarding the impact of immigration in California. Again, regardless of your politics, many of the findings described in that article may be surprising. They may reinforce your current opinion, they may cause you to change your mind, or they may force you to think a little harder to justify your position when facing contrary or potentially conflicting evidence.

Conclusion

The above example is a small taste of what you will be doing in law school. Law school will force you to think deeply about issues, including opinions and arguments that may differ from your initial perspective. Whether the topic is immigration, tax policy, abortion, tort reform, climate change, anti-discrimination laws, or any of the multitude of other high-profile, controversial subjects that impact our nation and the world, it always pays to try to understand both sides of an argument. Becoming better informed may cause you to change your mind because of your greater knowledge on the subject, or it may deepen the sophistication with which you can justify and defend your original viewpoint. Either way, it’s a win for you.

In other words, understanding why 2+2=4 is nice. But understanding why 2+2 does not always equal 4, and recognizing all of the variables, caveats and assumptions that go into the claim that 2+2=4, is even nicer. When evaluating the decision about whether to go to law school, consider the “practical” benefits of doing so…but don’t forget all of the “intangible” benefits you get as well!