Mark Grannis on Knowing How to Know: Law School and Other Professional Discernments

How many of us wondered at some point in our lives: "Should I go to law school?" It's a common question as one approaches college graduation. Students find themselves on that "moving walkway" toward the future: it will go forward, but at which stop should they get off? How can they pick a path on purpose—and not due to momentum? Heights upper school teacher Mark Grannis spent decades practicing law, even co-founding his own DC firm. Knowing many lawyers, one-day lawyers, and would-have-been lawyers in every stage of professional development, he noticed some patterns of discernment that genuinely helped people decide whether the law vocation was for them. This spring, he released Should You Go to Law School? Knowing How to Know, a guide that addresses law in particular and professional/vocational discernment in general. Mr. Grannis encourages people considering any career vocation to take stock of their academic and emotional talents, imagining where those can best be applied for the benefit of others. Chapters: 00:03:29 The genesis of the book 00:06:51 Grannis's professional background 00:11:54 What a lawyer really does 00:15:33 Seeing career in vocational terms 00:19:50 Three lawyer temperaments: past, present, and future 00:24:23 Bad reasons to go to law school 00:26:33 The one good reason 00:29:10 Three questions for vocational discernment 00:33:20 The infinite, imaginative possibilities of work 00:39:42 AI and the future of law 00:43:47 Choosing a law school—or not Links: Should You Go to Law School? Knowing How to Know by Mark Grannis Logic Lectures, online lectures featuring Mark Grannis The Reasonable Person: Traditional Logic for Modern Life by Mark Grannis The Reasonable Person: Teacher Supplement by Mark Grannis The Three Key Questions featuring Fr. Michael Himes Also on the Forum: A Doctor, a Lawyer, and a Cop Walk Into a Boys School featuring Rob Liotta, Mark Grannis, and Josue Zelaya on the Forum Faculty Podcast Vocational Discernment in an Age of Infinite Options featuring Fr. Carter Griffin and Alvaro de Vicente Logic: On Forming the Reasonable Person featuring Mark Grannis Logic and the Reasonable Person by Mark Grannis Featured Opportunities: Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)