Chevalier is right that the numbers are against you to reach a top tier firm. And as someone in a top tier firm, Chevalier is also right that the work at a top

Chevalier is right that the numbers are against you to reach a top tier firm. And as someone in a top tier firm, Chevalier is also right that the work at a top tier law firm can be miserable, despite insanely high pay. I do have to point out that many of the people I know at these firms who seriously enjoy their lawyering jobs are people who go to law school after having a real job in Field A and then practicing law in Field A. For example, someone with a PhD in Biochem and worked at Amgen as a research scientist then becoming a licensing attorney in biotech. Or someone with an EECS degree who becomes a patent litigator focusing on hardware or software disputes. I don't think escaping to government is out of reach. I also don't think its "underpaid" (although that's relative). Granted, you'll likely have to be at the top of your class in order to find that sort of escape route, and if you're at the top of your class, the world is your oyster anyways. A lot of the cruft will go away with the rise of machine intelligence. But the $xxxx/hr attorneys won't be replaced. Knowing the law and the facts is only 1/3 the battle. The rest of it is crafting your story if you're a litigator or negotiation position if you're a transactional attorney, understanding your clients business and needs, and putting all the pieces together. Good artists and story tellers haven't been replaced even though everyone already knows www.tvtropes.org. Rails engineers won't disappear because of https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7985162 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7985162. If your value proposition is dependent on doing menial, time-intensive tasks, you will eventually replaced by a computer. Feel free to contact me.