You're Not Entitled - You're Delusional.

Ok, so… I know. I know that my last few post have been about the ever present stupidity that runs rampant in our society. I wish I could say that this will be the last such post on the subject, but… Holy. Hell. Another story recently came to my attention and I just can't. Can't. Even.

(Oh boy… what now?)

Those that know me, or those that have taken the time to read my short biography on this blog site, know that writing is my passion-filled hobby; I am a lawyer by trade. I enjoy what I do in my professional capacity, and I am proud of the work I've accomplished over the years I've been practicing law. I graduate from a good law school; it wasn't the best law school out there, but it was certainly nowhere near the worst. In fact, I chose my school because it was the best, at the time, for my desired program; ranked number one in the nation for its instruction in environmental law. It was from that school that I earned both my Juris Doctor and Master of Studies in Environmental Law degrees. Prior to attending, I researched the school, amongst many others, and made the determination to apply, and ultimately to attend. It was a calculated risk, as is any major life decision. I weighed the pros and cons, assessed my possibilities, and made my decision on the basis of deliberate, reasoned examination.

Admittedly, I was lucky. Within six months of graduation I landed my first, full-time position. Six years post-graduation, I was hired for what I call my "career employment." With that firm I found a professional home, and it was there that, within just a few years of joining the firm, I was elevated to partner, one of the youngest in the firm's history. We've since merged with another firm, one of the oldest and most prestigious in my city, where I am now of counsel and enjoying my career. It's been over a decade that I have essentially worked for and with the same core group of individuals. I'm happy, and I'm grateful.

Why do I tell you all of this, you ask? Because my story is, while fortunate for me, and appreciated, generally and unfortunately atypical. The legal profession is, even in "good times," perhaps one of the most oversaturated industries that exists in this country. Bar exams are held twice a year and, following each sitting of the exam, thousands of newly minted attorneys are churned out and thrust into the already overcrowded marketplace. I've seen friends unable to find jobs, or lose them. Stories of difficulties finding full-time employment right out of law school are tragically more the rule than the exception.

(You don't normally talk about work. Like, ever. What prompted this?)

Part of what prompted this is my sense of pride and what I believe to be my strong work ethic. There have been instances in this profession when I've faltered, as we all have from time to time. I like to think that I have always done my best to work through them and that I've grown as an attorney as a result. I do my best to not take my station in life for granted. Nothing comes easy, nor am I entitled to anything in this profession. It is one in which you have to work, and work hard, with consistent dedication.

I ask that you keep all of what I've said above in mind, as I turn to the subject that is the true object of this writing: The New York Times recently published an article about a law school student who is suing her law school claiming, according to the article, that the school "inflated the employment rate for its graduates as a way to lure students to enroll…."

She is, in a nutshell, suing her law school because she couldn't find a full-time job.  

*blink blink*

(Oh boy, here it comes…)

No, actually. I know what you're expecting. You're expecting a rant, comical references, perhaps some self-edited profanity. No. This is my profession we're talking about; one that I appreciate and respect, which is why this article incenses me. The sense of entitlement this woman possesses simply astounds me. She is basically claiming that the school overinflated the percent of its graduates that enter the workplace, and thus she should be entitled to what amounts to a refund of her tuition because she was not among those finding a permanent position upon graduation.

I don't know what's more unbelievable – her claim, or that a California court is actually entertaining it.

As I mentioned earlier, the legal profession is arguably oversaturated. There is no guarantee that a graduate from Harvard or Yale will garner full-time employment straight out of law school, and those are two of the perennial top-five law schools in the country. The point being: earning a law degree does not automatically guarantee you employment, no matter the school from which you matriculate.

Here is another fact to keep in mind as I tell you this: The woman attended the Thomas Jefferson School of Law, which is also, perennially, on the list of law school rankings… at the very bottom. As in the law school she attended is widely regarded as one of the worst ABA (American Bar Association) accredited law schools in the entire country.

I don't care if the law school completely lied and said that ninety-five percent of its graduates found full time employment – Even in that instance there is at least a five percent chance that you, one of the tens of thousands of law school students across the country to graduate that semester, will not find immediate employment. Anything less than a one hundred percent employment rate guaranties one and only one thing: there is no guarantee that you will find a job.

Nevertheless, this woman, who graduated from one of the worst law schools in the nation, feels that she is entitled to a refund of her educational costs because she was unable to utilize her degree from a sub-par law school to find a job, all because the school allegedly said her chance of finding employment was greater than it actually may have been.

Chance. Chance. No guarantee. Chance. Odds. When dealing with percentages of this nature, that's all it is – a description of your odds at winning a job. Again, using my example above, even if the institution said that her chances were ninety-five percent, there was still a five percent chance that she, this one, single graduate in her class, would be counted among that five percent as opposed to the ninety-five. Regardless of what the law school told her, her chance at employment was just that, a chance, and a chance only.

So let's recap – Woman decides to attend one of the arguably worst law schools in the entire country and, according to the article, also one of the most expensive. She is unable to utilize the law degree she earned from one of the worst law schools in the country to find a full-time position. And she blames the law school (did I mention that it is widely regarded as one of the worst in the country?) because it overinflated its graduate employment numbers. (Note: the article states that the school claimed during "the prosperous years of 2006 and 2007" to have a graduate employment rate of eighty-three percent… i.e. this woman had seventeen percent chance of not finding employment assuming that percentage held through her graduation year of 2008.)

Adding to my ire is that fact that this woman was, admittedly, offered a full time position. Shortly after graduation. For $60,000.00 a year. She turned it down.

Turned.

It.

Down.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Not only did this woman graduate from what most reports claim to be among the worst law schools, she was offered a full-time position shortly after graduation, which would have made her among the professed eighty-three percent to garner full-time employment.

Let me take a moment to explain to this woman how this whole "employment" thing works: You don't start out at the top. No one graduates from law school and immediately makes partner. You don't walk in waving your degree and demand whatever you think you're worth. In an industry where jobs are few and far between, you take what you can get. Is it ideal? Sometimes, no, it's not. Will you have to toil as a lowly associate for a few years and scrape by until you earn your place, garner respect, and gather clients? Absolutely. Would that $60,000 job have led to something greater? If she worked hard, and proved her worth, then yes, it likely would have been but a stepping stone on her career path. Just like most of our first, out-of-law-school jobs tend to be.

Instead, she turned down the opportunity because she felt she was entitled to more, and said the offer was "less favorable than non-law related jobs that were available."

*shakes head*

She claims to have sent resumes to over 150 firms and lawyers. If she had done even a marginal amount of research before attending Thomas Jefferson, she should have known of its lowly hierarchal status amongst accredited law schools. Did she not anticipate the fact that the 150 places to which she sent her credentials would most assuredly receive other resumes from people graduating from schools with greater, more respectable credentials?

No, ma'am. The law school is not to blame for your inability to find a permanent job. You had one, and turned it down, because of your own delusions of grandeur. You made a poor decision in choosing to attend this particular educational institution, and you paid the price for it – wait, no, you didn't. You didn't even suffer for your bad choice. You were offered a job. In your chosen profession, and you turned it down because it wasn't good enough for you.

And now you're trying to exploit the legal system, one which you swore to uphold and defend as a licensed officer of the court, to lay the blame for your failure at the feet of another.

And yet, despite possessing that type of mentality, you wonder why no one would hire you.

The irony.

People like this are the reason why lawyers are unjustifiably painted in such poor, proverbial light. I refuse to be counted with the likes of someone who refuses to accept personal accountability for her choices and actions. I worked hard to get to this point in my career. I view my employment as an acknowledgment of my success; a reward that I earned.

She, apparently, views it as participation trophy.

(Link to article here: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/03/07/business/dealbook/court-to-hear-suit-accusing-law-school-of-inflating-job-data.html?_r=1&referer)

 

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