Should you go to law school in the US to have a high-impact career?

Law school can be valuable for people pursuing several promising high-impact career paths — but you should avoid some common mistakes. Narrated by AI. ---Outline:(00:10) Summary(00:48) Pros(01:02) Cons(01:17) Key facts on fit(01:45) Next steps(02:03) Sometimes recommended(02:46) I. Why law school could be an important step in a promising career path(04:51) Roles influencing policy(09:31) Roles practicing law(12:59) II. Advantages of going to law school(13:26) Law school gives you structural knowledge about law and public policy(14:11) Law school imparts domain-specific knowledge about particular areas of law(16:51) What skills and aptitudes does law school help you develop?(17:30) Having a law degree opens up opportunities(19:42) Law school might be a more attractive option for you if...(21:51) III. Reasons you might not want to go to law school(22:08) Law school is often extraordinarily expensive(22:35) There may be physical and mental health costs(23:18) Law school may change your values in negative ways(24:37) Should you get a law degree to earn to give?(25:56) Law school might be a less attractive option for you if...(27:13) IV. What alternatives to law school should you consider?(27:28) Options that would allow you to test fit for potential paths after law school(28:16) Education options that may be attractive alternatives to law school(29:12) V. What is law school actually like?(29:38) What is the curriculum like?(32:14) Youll have access to internships, externships, and other opportunities(33:51) Its a big time commitment(35:44) The costs of going to law school(38:06) VI. Cheap tests to assess your fit for law school(39:56) VII. Getting into law school(42:21) VIII. Advice to keep in mind if you are leaning toward pursuing law school(42:28) Choosing law school to avoid making career decisions is a common mistake(43:41) Most people shouldnt leave promising work for law school without a clear plan(44:20) Entering law school with a theory of change in mind can help(45:02) Keep building your subject-matter knowledge(45:41) Look out for new opportunities(46:25) IX. Which law schools should you consider?(48:03) A note of caution regarding mid- and lower-ranked schools(49:31) X. Special programme types(49:36) Part-time programmes(50:20) Accelerated programmes(51:36) Combined degrees(53:38) LLM programs(54:24) SJD and PhD programmes(55:18) Learn more The original text contained 7 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: September 8th, 2022 Source: https://80000hours.org/career-reviews/should-you-go-to-law-school --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.