First of all, except at the top end, I don't think lawyers are any worse, ethically speaking, than any other category of private business. And they are absolute

First of all, except at the top end, I don't think lawyers are any worse, ethically speaking, than any other category of private business. And they are absolutely necessary. The glut of attorneys definitely ruins the economy for other attorneys. Their income distribution is bimodal, depending on the first law job out of school. If you get "biglaw" or a decent positions at, at the least, a mid-sized regional firm, you'll make a six-figure salary. If you don't and you fall into the legal underclass, you make less than an entry-level software engineer, and have student loans to pay off.