Careers
Scarlet J.D.? ‘Hester Prynne’ Seeks Advice re Degree from Low-Ranked Law School
Posted Jun 22, 2009, 03:45 pm CST
By Martha Neil
It seems like Hester Prynne would have an easier time finding work right now wearing a scarlet letter A for her act of adultery than an attorney with a juris doctor degree from a low-ranked school on his or her resume.
But a lawyer newly admitted in New York and New Jersey who makes that complaint to legal consultant Ann Israel in a New York Lawyer (reg. req.) column gets scant sympathy.
Rather than focusing on her "obscene" law school debt and likelihood of a lower post-law-school salary, in real dollars, than she made in an interim think-tank position between college and law school, "Hester" should pull up her socks and figure out what her best options are now, Israel advises. With her joint bar admissions, she certainly has some, both inside and outside the legal profession.
Among the practice possibilities to which Israel points is a gig in the military.
"It’s a tough job market out there, no doubt, but don’t be a quitter just yet," Israel writes. "There are jobs out there and maybe it won’t be your dream job right now, but this mess will eventually turn around."
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: "3 Laid-Off Ohio Lawyers Struggle to Find Work; 2 Others Land New Jobs"
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