no, forget the big firms. In private practice I made 10x what my former classmates brought home, even after they made partner. The real money is in working for

no, forget the big firms. In private practice I made 10x what my former classmates brought home, even after they made partner. The real money is in working for yourself, so if you're the sort of person who wants to be entreprenurial and work hard, there's plenty of money to be made. There's also a lot of law schools that aren't super-expensive. The real question is one that's not unique to lawyers, but we as a profession seem to complain more loudly than others, and it's the work-life balance. Too many lawyers just don't enjoy the day-to-day of what they do. But there are plenty of options for stepping off the treadmill and making less money in exchange for quality of life. Like a lot of careers and industries.