Paul Caron of Taxprofblog has a roundup of the extensive commentary(including two of my own posts) stimulated by his post arguing that law professors tend to be "miserable." He also seems to modify his original claim somewhat:
Much of the commentary argues that law professors have a great job and that most are happy with their jobs. I agree with both points -- my modest question is that, given how great this job is, why are some law professors so unhappy?
The answer, I think, is that some people in virtually any job are unhappy. There are people in all walks of life who are unhappy for reasons having little or nothing to do with their jobs. For example, I'm somewhat unhappy right now because I'm recovering from ankle surgery and can't walk; that has nothing to do with being a lawprof. And even the best jobs are going to have some incumbents who are unhappy because they are temperamentally or otherwise unsuited to them.
While you sit on your tush, in one of the most cush jobs ever, where you earn well over six figures for a few hours of work a week, and one paper a year . . . do you ever wonder why no one else in society gets such an easy life? Do you know of anyone else who does jack all day and makes six figures?
do you ever ask who has to sacrifice to pay for this largesse?
I'm in $150,000 of debt, and after three years of hard work all I have to look forward to is the job below. All that stuff you "taught" me - preparing motions, interrogatories and so on - is worth a whopping $14 an hour. I paid a fortune in tuition to learn a skill no one wants to pay for. So while you're depressed about your anonymity and immeasurement, know that the people you taught are depressed because they don't know how they're going to eat.
...........................
Employer Name:
Contact Name: x
Address: x
City:
Telephone: x
Facsimile: x
E-Mail: x
Description: HOURS: Part-time (20hrs/week) SALARY: $11-$14 per hour. STUDENT LEVEL: 2L, 3L JOB DESCRIPTION: Small Monrovia automobile accident defense law firm looking for part-time law clerk to primarily assist in preparation of discovery responses. Responsibilities will include communicating with clients, preparing draft interrogatory and document request responses, and limited research and motion preparation work. HOW TO APPLY: Please fax resume to 626-471-1094.
Date Entered: 12/20/07
Job ID: 421929
We don't need any more law professors or law schools, the legal market is over saturated beyond belief. You see an increasing number of law students and even unlicensed JDs taking "unpaid internships" with firms just to get experience. Your salary is the value the market places on you, your training and your education. When the market determines your salary is worth zero, the market has also determined that your degree is worth zero. Academia is a safe refuge. I don't see how any professors, much less law professors, can be miserable. You guys have it better than ninety nine percent of those who work in the legal industry.
Even in the position that I am in I'd consider my quality of life to be better than 90+% of "real world" private sector jobs. Though I don't make as much $$ I would in the real world. Law profs, however, make 6-figures with only 6 contact hours. I can't see what more law profs could ask for.
I can't speak for every lawprof, but I think we realize being a law prof is an incredibly cool job. That's why we worked so hard to get the position (it's great to have, but super-hard to get). Oh, and on another note, congrats on your being the WSJ Law Blog Lawyer of the Year.
Being a law professor the only occupation where you work 6 hours a week in class, a bit more out of class, and get paid 6 figures. It's the biggest scam I have ever seen.
Being a law professor the only occupation where you work 6 hours a week in class, a bit more out of class, and get paid 6 figures. It's the biggest scam I have ever seen.
Don't law professors still get to sleep with their students?"
No. They have to go to the park and take their chances like everyone else. See http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=4022717
Still, sounds like a great hypothetical for a crim law seminar, if you get to play the tape.
On the contrary, in my short experience, being a "real" lawyer is immensely satisfying, as long as you have reasonably humane hours. I get to interact daily with my clients and my very smart superiors and colleagues. I have a fast-paced practice, so I can easily see the fruits of my labors when a case settles quickly. I get good results for my clients and I feel like my firm provides them an excellent service at reasonable prices. In short, I feel like the work I do actually matters and that I am constantly improving my lawyering skills.