Hi friends, comrades, and assorted feds,
I'm coming up on the end of a thoroughly wasted undergrad, and it's looking like I'm going to end up at law school.
I know that a better, more socialist society cannot and will not be established through the judicial system alone, but I nonetheless want to contribute in some way through a career in law. So in your opinion, is Labor/Employment Law a valid way of doing this? Representing the interests of Unions or individual employees against their employers?
Would it be better to attack some other aspect of our societal injustice? Immigration law, Civil Rights or so on? Open to any kind of thoughts you might have, I haven't read enough theory yet myself to be 100% sure about this.
Labor law is great. Just keep in mind that, as with all things law, the money is in defending the evildoers. You can earn a living defending workers, but you'll probably be paying off your law school debt for a while. But I don't think it would be any different if you went into civil rights law, criminal law, landlord/tenant law, etc. So if labor law interests you, go for it!!
Reagrdless of the area you focus on, oppressed people don't have a lot of money to pay lawyers, and courts normally find for low damages when poor people are harmed. ("His career earning potential was low anyway. Here's $20k. ") By the same token, there is a real need for lawyers in these areas. There are way too many lawyers overall, which is why friends don't let friends go to law school. But if you aren't in it for money, that becomes a totally different story. There's plenty of demand and need for lawyers who will actually help the working class.
I'm going with the law school which has offered me a 100% tuition scholarship, so hopefully my personal debts will be as small a concern as possible. Not only that but many peers of mine who went through undergrad in the same major are are now being hired with obscene salaries at some ghoulish companies, so I hope that my ability to avoid giving in to that temptation means I won't be similarly tempted towards lucre in the future.
That's amazing, congrats!! A law school scholarship is no small thing, regardless of school. You should be very proud!! And with that weight off your mind, I really would say go for whatever area of the law you're most passionate about. The need is there.